All Saints Fulham
The Diocese of London has launched an innovative programme of action to meet its target of cutting the energy use of churches across the Capital by at least 20.12% by 2012 and 80% by 2050.
Three initiatives have been launched:-
Environmental Audits
Generic Building Solutions
Energy-saving Benchmarking
These projects will offer parishes across London useful information on how to make big energy savings.
All these three projects form part of an integrated Climate Action Programme.
The programme will help the London Diocese achieve its commitments under the "Shrinking the Footprint" Campaign – the Church of England’s national programme of climate change measures. Chaired by the Bishop of London, Dr Richard Chartres, the campaign asks churches to take steps towards the long-term aim of reducing carbon emissions by 80% by 2050.
With 479 churches and 147 schools which reach out to a community of 3.6 million people, the Diocese of London has the potential to make a huge difference to the Capital’s carbon footprint!
Working alongside environmental consultants Aardvark EM Ltd, environmental audits to measure energy, carbon, water and waste in individual churches are being carried out, with a view to meeting the Diocese’s interim target of 20.12% reductions by 2012.
Two thirds of churches have signed up; it is hoped to recruit every church.
More than one third of audit visits have now taken place, and the first draft reports for participating churches are now starting to appear.
This programme is generously in the Two Cities area supported by grants arranged by the London Archdeaconry office, supplemented by small contributions from parish and guild churches.
Aardvark EM are the winners of a DTI Smart Award for Innovation.
Read more about Environmental Audits in the Climate Action Programme.
In partnership with the Carbon Trust a sample of churches from around the Diocese will be used to devise typical solutions for radical change to buildings, so as to move rapidly from the 2012 target towards the longer-term aim of at least 80% savings by 2050.
The churches sampled will be representative of a range of different buildings in order to generate guidance applicable to churches across the diocese, and nationwide. No charge will be made to the churches sampled.
The Carbon Trust is an independent company set up in 2001 by Government in response to the threat of climate change, to accelerate the move to a low carbon economy. It works with organisations to reduce carbon emissions and develop commercial low carbon technologies.
Read more about Generic Building Solutions in the Climate Action Programme.
In partnership with Rickaby Thompson Associates this project will create a computer spreadsheet from data gathered in the previous two projects, and from parish annual returns.
Average consumption and carbon footprints for churches in the Diocese have already been estimated. But there is no such thing as an average church! Benchmarking will enable plans to be produced for individual churches according to their size, attendance and the various activities which take place there. The benefits of this project will be free to any church in the diocese.
Rickaby Thompson Associates is a specialist energy and environmental consultancy with long technical experience in the UK and EU building and housing industries.
More information will be posted on this interesting project in due course.
