With concerns about rising energy costs and environmental sustainability, the Church of England is witnessing a notable shift among its parishes towards sustainable energy sources. This move aligns with the Church’s commitment to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2030.
Since the start of 2023, the Church has actively pursued its environmental goals by allocating nearly £6 million in grants to support over a thousand parish projects nationwide between 2023 and 2025. These initiatives are central to the Church’s broader net zero strategy.
An innovative pilot scheme, Give to Go Green, has also been launched to foster energy efficiency and reduce carbon footprints. The scheme, having surpassed its initial expectations, collected £938,000 from 127 churches. Its success has led to its expansion across all 42 dioceses of the Church of England.
St Paul’s Church in Sunderland serves as a prime example of these efforts. Collaborating with Community Action Northumberland (CAN), the church installed solar panels at a reduced cost. Furthermore, St Paul’s replaced its outdated oil boiler with a modern heat pump, supported by the Church of England’s boiler replacement hardship fund.
Canon Tony Macpherson, Priest in Charge at St Paul’s, remarked on the transition by stating, “Our old oil boiler did sterling work but its age and condition made replacement essential – and looking towards a greener heating solution was absolutely vital.”
Echoing this sentiment, Carol Griffiths, the Eco Champion for the Church, shared insights on the old system’s inefficiencies: “The old oil fired boiler was installed in 1979 and for the last couple of winters, on windy days the wind would blow it out. We had it serviced every year and the company that did this told us in the last few years that it was on its last legs. The air source heat pump will use subsidised electricity.”
This article was originally written by www.christiantoday.com
