ENERGY EFFICIENT CHURCHES: Central to Creation Care

Bruce Hunn

St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, Raleigh and Diocesan Committee on Environmental Ministry

Renewable energy as applied to houses of worship goes hand-in-hand with energy efficiency; however, energy efficiency should always be done to the greatest extent feasible before investing in renewable energy since efficiency is the more cost effective. The potential for saving 20% or more energy, and the related energy cost savings, is evident in most all churches. The Energy Savings Analysis Program of the North Carolina Interfaith Power and Light (NCIPL) highlights this opportunity, and we in the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina have been pursuing energy efficiency goals for the past several years.

Why Energy Efficient Churches?

Energy efficiency in churches is a central element in Creation Care.  As Christians we are called to Creation Care in many ways, from the call to stewardship of the earth in Genesis and the Psalms, to the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer (Prayers of the People, Form IV: “Give us all a reverence for the earth as your own creation, that we may use its resources rightly in the service of others and to your honor and glory”), to the designation of environmental stewardship as the Fifth Mark of Mission of the Anglican Consultative Council: “To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth”.  Earth resources stewardship, climate change issues, as well as sound, practical management of congregational, local, and regional resources, are all addressed in this call. Since every church uses precious (and costly) energy resources in their facilities, it behooves us to be good stewards of those resources through sound energy management, including the use of renewable resources where feasible.  Thus we identify church energy use as a major near-term focus. Moreover, the energy cost savings will pay back the investment over a period of years, after which the savings will be available to other church programs.  

Proposed goals

Identify and implement energy efficiency retrofits in your church. This involves four sub-goals:

1. Conduct an analysis of two or three years of monthly utility data (electric, gas, and other fuels as appropriate). From these monthly bills an annual Energy Use Index (Btu/ft2-yr) and Energy Cost Index ($/ft2-yr) can be readily calculated and compared with appropriate benchmarks.   NCIPL (https://ncipl.org/energy-solar-progams/) or the Diocesan Committee on Environmental Ministry (DCEM) will assist churches in conducting these analyses.  
2. Conduct an energy assessment of the lighting, appliances and equipment (water heaters, refrigerators, computers, etc.), and HVAC systems and equipment for your facility. NCIPL and the DCEM provide assessors, free of charge, for this.
3. Based on the recommendations of the energy assessment, develop a plan to implement those recommendations.
4. Implement the plan within the resources and time table established by the church.  The initial point of entry for efficient energy use in a church is analysis of energy bills and completion of an energy assessment. This assessment will identify energy savings opportunities, many of which can be captured by every church, no matter how big or small, new or old. Moreover, planning and executing energy retrofits is a great way to engage the entire congregation. Various organizations (e.g., NCIPL, North Carolina Green Building Council, and GreenFaith) have well established programs, procedures, and resources to support energy efficiency and evaluation of renewable energy options.  The DCEM works closely with these organizations to provide assistance.

Process and Implementation

1. Establish an Environmental Stewardship Committee in your church. This will provide a forum for educating the congregation in environmental stewardship issues, and for coordinating the implementation of environmental programs in energy, water, and food resources.  
2. Contact the DCEM or NCIPL (https://ncipl.org/energy-solar-progams/) to schedule a free energy assessment. This will include an analysis of energy bills, a site survey of your facility, and a report that documents the site observations and recommendations for energy efficiency improvement.
3. The energy assessor will document proposed energy efficiency measures and will identify rebate and grant programs as potential sources of funding. The assessor will also identify energy efficiency contractors who can propose the cost of implementing these measures and who stand ready to do the implementation work.  
4. Work with your Vestry (or church governing body) to identify funds needed to complete the retrofits; a phased approach is often the most workable.  Environmental stewardship awards will be presented to selected churches as they complete the assessment and implementation sub-goals.