Historic Churches 2022

6 BCD SPECIAL REPORT ON HISTORIC CHURCHES 29TH ANNUAL EDITION REACHING THE TARGET How historic places of worship can become net zero carbon Matt Fulford T HE CHURCH of England has set a target for the whole of the church to be net zero carbon by 2030, with many other faith organisations setting similar ambitions. This means that within 7½ years most of the nation’s historic places of worship will need to find a way of functioning without burning fossil fuels (gas, oil, LPG or even coal). Is this even possible and, if it is, what needs to be done to achieve net zero carbon (NZC)? According to Catherine Ross, Open and Sustainable Churches Officer for the Church of England, this landmark decision was passed by the General Synod in February 2020 because of the climate crisis and the fundamental injustice that it impacts hardest the poorest countries and the poorest people. “Since then”, she explains, “our shoulder has been to the wheel, measuring our emissions, creating plans, revising our rules and our guidance, seeking funding, and – more than anything – engaging people around the country.” From hundreds of energy audits that have been conducted across church buildings it is clear that it is the fossil fuels used for heating that is by far the major contributor to climate changing greenhouse gases. In most cases over 90 per cent of the energy and carbon emissions of a church are from the heating. The challenge of delivering net zero carbon is therefore a challenge of moving church heating away from oil and gas and to use electricity instead. The good news is that we are not starting from scratch as there are already many net zero carbon churches. Back in 2010, St Michaels, Withington became the first in the modern era to convert itself to an NZC church. As Catherine points out, “Net zero carbon isn’t just a nice theory. Of the 4,000-plus churches completing our Energy Footprint Tool, seven per cent are already net zero carbon. They have generally got there through making sensible changes to cut energy use, such as LED lighting and fixing broken windows, and they have electric heating which is being powered by a 100 per cent green electricity tariff and/or solar panels.” So achieving net zero carbon in churches is not only possible – it is already a reality. Most churches that are already achieving NZC are smaller churches that are used once a week, which have direct electric heating and procure their electricity from 100 per cent renewable sources. Inspired Efficiency was recently commissioned by the CofE to conduct a practical research study to review the energy saving and decarbonisation solutions in its larger, more frequently used buildings. This study sought to determine if the achievement of NZC was possible in larger churches (as well church schools and theological colleges), and we found it is. Different solutions and approaches are needed within different buildings. There are a number of issues to consider and technical solutions to work through. The nave of St Andrews Church, Chedworth, Gloucestershire: like most parish churches with high ceilings and large planes of leaded lights, it is difficult to heat efficiently.