The fifth mark of mission of the Anglican Communion calls us “to strive to safeguard the integrity of creation, and sustain and renew the life of the earth.” Unfortunately, we continue to see the increasingly catastrophic effects of climate change and need to respond to the call more than ever. The Church of England has committed to working towards a target of Net Zero Carbon Emissions by 2030 across its Churches, Offices, Clergy Housing, Cathedrals and Schools. In November 2023 the Diocese responded by endorsing its own Net Zero Action plan. Since then the Diocesan Team have been working with Churches to implement the plan.
A range of projects across the Diocese
While there is much to lament around our climate, there are also reasons to celebrate. Many churches in Diocese of Sheffield have started to develop their own Net Zero action plans. There are many ways to reduce carbon emissions and there have been a variety of different projects and works in Churches across the Diocese.
One such project has been undertaken by The Vine Sheffield. Last year they installed solar panels (solar PV) and battery storage at St Bart’s Church after successfully applying for a “levelling up” Low Carbon Fund grant. As well providing clean, renewable energy, solar PV can also save money on energy bills and costs can be recouped through selling energy back to the grid. Not only is this installation part of The Vine’s ongoing Eco Church and decarbonisation journey but they regularly cover all their electricity usage costs.
The Church of England’s Demonstrator Churches Project aims to enable 114 churches across England to install low carbon heating and lighting such as heat pumps and infrared heating, LED lighting, and solar panels. St Paul’s Masbrough are nominated as one of the Demonstrator Churches and plan to move away from carbon-emitting gas heating. Plans include under pew heating and radiant heaters. Along with the other churches involved in the project they will become a case study to inform the decarbonisation plans of others.
St Thomas’ Church Kilnhurst has also been nominated for a grant from the Church of England. The Boiler Replacement Hardship Fund aims to support churches with limited budgets with the costs of replacing a broken gas boiler with an alternative low carbon heating system. St Thomas’ plan to use the grant to fund an Air Source Heat Pump system, to allow them to move away from using gas, saving about 10% on heating cost and 95% on carbon emissions. The Church of England hope to be able to offer another round of this grant next year, subject to available funding.
Work has taken place to begin decarbonising the Diocese’s Clergy Housing. In 2022 the Diocesan Mission and Pastoral Committee released £100K from restricted funds for trials of solar panels and enhanced insulation in a number of Diocesan properties. 10 properties have now been retrofitted and the results of the trial are being monitored. In addition, the Vicarage at Wickersley has been fitted with an Air Source Heat Pump (ASHP) and Solar PV panels.
A separate Demonstrator project for Clergy Housing has also been undertaken, funded by Archbishops’ Council. Manor Vicarage was nominated for this and has been fitted with new insulation, Solar PV panels and an ASHP.
Quick Wins
Net Zero Actions Plans often do not need to be complicated. A lot can be achieved through small steps, for example effective building maintenance, draught-proofing and use of green energy supply tariffs. The Practical Path to Net Zero is available through the Diocese and Church of England websites and provides guidance on the key actions that churches can take.
Churches can apply for funding to support these projects through the Net Zero Quick Wins Grant. £58,000 has been awarded to the Diocese by the Church of England Net Zero Programme to support Churches with small-scale decarbonisation projects. So far 9 churches have been awarded grants to support works such as LED Lighting, insulation and roofing and fitting of smart heating controls. 50 churches who completed the Energy Footprint Tool for 2023 also received a £100 grant towards LED lighting. One church that benefitted from the £100 grant was St Peter’s Hoyland, who replaced all the lights in their upper room with LEDs. The fund is still open for applications, contact the Diocesan Environment Team for further information.
Churches are reminded to check the permissions required for any works, big or small! If you are unsure, contact your Church Buildings Officer for advice.
How can churches get started?
All churches are different so the first step is putting together a Net Zero Action plan is to understand your church building, energy use and needs. Many churches have been able to receive a free or subsidised energy audit to support them in providing a plan to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions while improving comfort for people. The Diocesan Team continue to work to identify churches who would benefit from this and will contact those eligible, but churches can also contact the team to enquire about an audit.
It’s also important to measure your church’s carbon emissions via the Energy Footprint Tool (EFT) which is completed through the Parish Returns System. Churches complete the EFT to measure their own carbon footprint and to provide data to both the Diocese and National Church. The return for 2024 is now open and there are resources to help churches complete this – please ask the Environment Team.
Support from the Diocesan Team
Reaching Net Zero Carbon is a challenging task. Big projects in particular can be costly and complicated for churches. The Diocesan Team are here to support Churches in taking this action.
As part of this there is an annual Net Zero Open Meeting for clergy and members of church teams with responsibility for buildings and energy use. This year’s event will take place on Tuesday 6th May at St Francis of Assisi Church, West Bessacarr from 9.30am-1.30pm. The focus will be on examples of work across the Diocese and information about funding and fundraising will be provided by the Mission Area Support Team. There will be an opportunity to meet and talk to members of the Diocesan Team, and to receive help with your Energy Footprint Tool return. This is a free event but participants need to register in advance- for more information and to register, please contact Sally on the email address below.
For information on any of the above or for support from the Diocese, please contact Sally Hunter on environment.admin@sheffield.anglican.org.
You can also read a version of this article in our latest Network magazine: sheffdio.org/NetworkSp25.