St Mary’s Stoke d’Abernon Church Hall have reduced their energy bills whilst contributing to Surrey’s target for clean air and lower emissions by switching to a green energy tariff, installing a heat pump and replacing fluorescent tubes with LED lights. Likewise, when rebuilding Peper Harow church in Godalming after a fire, members took the opportunity to integrate new technology. The air source heat pump, two water tanks and a control panel were able to fit unnoticed into the new building by hiding them in the tower.
St Paul’s Church in Nork faced their challenge of a broken oil boiler and hefty quote to replace it by collaborating with the parish and Diocesan team. They secured part-funding for an infra-red system and were able to adopt a ‘heat people not spaces’ approach to reduce their bills by only using energy when needed, whilst keeping their congregation warm.
But reducing church heating bills doesn’t need to be an expensive investment, or even rely on new technologies, sometimes an old idea works just as well. This is what St James church in Shere has embraced, by greeting the congregation with a warm blanket and cushion each to keep them warm during the service. Then, after 20 minutes into the service the heating goes off, saving energy and money whilst the congregation remain warm all wrapped up.
Surrey churches and congregations are increasingly adopting the Eco-Church model which goes beyond just sustainable energy options, but also inhabits the Creation Care mindset. This is a scheme that encourages households to make changes that benefit the local community, the earth as a whole, and also individuals, such as Hannah Mayo at the Parish of Wescott, near Dorking discovered. As a Self-Supporting Minister, she grew in confidence and faith as she established her Eco-church, which led to her becoming an ordained deacon. Now, the environment remains at the core of her church and initiatives she set up, such as the Forest Church, have been a platform for others to develop their skills.
St Mary’s in Chiddingfold, discovered through a consultation just how many individuals their church impacts through the use of the churchyard. From parents on the school run, wheelchair users, dog walkers, conservationist, bereaved relatives visiting graves and local residents, the vast array of stakeholders interested in how the area was managed came as a surprise. To oversee this, the church enlisted the help of God’s Green Acre to support the balance of these sometimes conflicting needs. The results saw the churchyard divided into different zones with space for flowers, gravestones, lawn, paths and more, benefiting both people and nature.
As church congregations focus on maintaining their buildings, they can do this in ways that benefit their communities more broadly.
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Save money
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Improve local air quality and reduce the church's impact
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Increase biodiversity
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Work with other groups within the community e.g. schools
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Teach members of the church to be caretakers of both their church and the planet, especially younger members
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Inspire members of the congregation to take action in their own homes and places of work
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Learn new skills
