St John Wembley Vicarage: Code for Sustainable Homes level 6
This page forms part of the Diocese of London's Shrinking the Footprint microsite. For the introductory page, see here.
Route 2050 is the Diocese's long-term plan to reduce the carbon footprint of its buildings and property by 20.12% by 2012, 42% by 2020 and 80% by 2050, relative to 2005 – its primary purpose to plan and manage reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for which the Church in the Diocese is responsible.
Attention is also given to water use and waste disposal, wildlife and biodiversity, and lifestyle questions such as food. Emissions from transport by worshippers travelling to and from church are not measured; however advice is given for individuals to consider.
See God's world for us to share.
Route 2050 was launched by the Bishop of London at the event of the same name on 9 May 2011. See the news article here.
This page is an account of progress, outlining how to achieve the Diocese's targets over the next four decades.
Property and buildings contribute the overwhelming majority of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions which are the responsibility of the Diocese and churches.
Direct emissions from fossil fuels are taken together with emissions from non-renewable electricity generation. Water and waste also contribute to indirect emissions; for most churches this accounts for much less than 1% of total emissions. They still receive attention for qualitative reasons, including their other impacts.
Fuel use is also considered from the point of view of energy security and costs – though the effort to mitigate climate change remains primary.
The business of local churches is devolved to the PCC (Parochial Church Council) or a GCC or DCC (Guild Church Council or District Church Council), who are responsible for contracts for building works.
The Diocese provides advice and overall governance, but action in pursuit of environmental objectives is voluntary. There is a high level of commitment to environmental action around parishes and churches.
Church buildings and halls, parish rooms, vestries and church offices form the core of efforts to reduce energy use and emissions, as part of the Church of England's Shrinking the Footprint campaign.
Steps taken so far include reporting fuel consumption through Parish Annual Returns (see introductory page), and the Diocese's:
Baseline emissions were 22,600 tonnes of CO2e in 2005. Future targets are as follows:
It is hoped to achieve 20.12% savings at zero cost, rising to 42% with medium cost measures, and at least 80% after including capital investments. In practice each target will require a combination of measures. Some capital investment has begun, while some churches are less well advanced with zero-cost economies.
Planning will be supported by the outputs of Climate Action Plans and Generic Building Solutions (part of Climate Action Programme). Progress is monitored through Energy-saving Benchmarking (also part of Climate Action Programme).
No allowance has been made for future reductions in grid emissions factors. These will be contributed to by any church switching to green energy (reported at the reducing grid average – see Emissions factors and renewable energy, below), which should result in moving churches towards future targets beyond 2050.
St Paul's Cathedral is governed and managed by the Dean and Chapter.
A comprehensive environmental audit was undertaken in 2007 by a team of students at the Imperial College London Centre for Environmental Policy. This covered energy, carbon, water and waste, policy issues and communications to staff and visitors. Following this, an environmental policy was adopted.
A wide range of recommendations were made with opportunities for improvement identified. The Cathedral's new lighting system had already reduced electricity consumption. Since the review, improvements have been made in recycling and food sourcing, and in communications, including a regular column in the staff newsletter.
St Paul's Institute takes a lead in education upon environmental and sustainability – running events with speakers including Archbishop Rowan Williams, former UN Chief Kofi Annan, and Sir David Attenborough.
Read more about the environmental work of St Paul's Cathedral.
Probably the first diocesan organisation to formalise its response to environmental challenges was the Diocesan Board for Schools (LDBS), with a report on the environmental responsibilities of church schools in 1994.
The LDBS promotes education in the Diocese, and provides support services to church schools as well as establishing new schools. The LDBS and Diocesan Schools are committed to the Diocesan Environmental Challenge.
Church of England Schools take environmental issues seriously. Seventy-six of the Diocese's 149 schools are registered with Eco-schools - 51%. Forty-six have achieved Bronze or Silver Awards, or Flags of different grades, including Hackney Free & Parochial School which achieved its 4th Green Flag in 2008.
Within the Diocesan Religious Education Scheme, primary schools spend one term on relating the environment to God's World. Many schools have whole school initiatives on the environment, which often involve school councils and the children leading environmental awareness projects with practical outcomes such as savings on water, paper and electricity. Many schools including inner-city schools have gardens, so that children can be introduced to eating food they have grown, harvested and cooked by themselves.
Schools above the threshold size are required to have Display Energy Certificates (DECs). The current estimate of total carbon footprint for the stock is under review.
When capital is available, energy efficient boilers, new windows etc are installed. Replacement of boilers with modern efficient systems tends to be re-active rather than pro-active; governors tend to consider refurbishing toilets has a greater priority. Rainwater harvesting is another popular objective.
St Mary's Primary School in Finchley was the first Diocesan School to install photovoltaic panels, commissioned during 2010. This project benefited from a Low Carbon Buildings Programme grant. There is widespread ambition to install solar panels – though since the introduction of the Feed-in Tariff, capital has to be raised by the building owner; this constrains other schools in the absence of other grants and with restrictions on borrowing.
BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Measure) Very Good standard is commonly achieved for new schools. Recent new buildings have included ground source heat pumps, though teething problems have been experienced.
Diocesan property owned and/or managed by the London Diocesan Fund includes residential property, commercial property (including some residential lettings), and the diocesan offices at 36 Causton Street.
Energy consumption in commercial lettings is the responsibility of tenants. Common parts are small enough to be discounted within error margins applying to the estate as a whole.
The total carbon footprint of the residential segment is estimated at approximately 1,980 tonnes of CO2.
Future targets are as follows:
Targets would be adjusted in proportion to the number of properties held.
The total carbon footprint of clergy accommodation in 2005 is estimated at approximately 10,400 tonnes of CO2.
Future targets for clergy homes are as follows:
Work done includes low-cost measures such as draught exclusion, carried out with quinquennial maintenance works to 60% of parsonages so far. Boilers are replaced with energy-efficient models when they become due. Windows requiring replacement are replaced with new sealed double-glazed units.
Reductions are being estimated via EPCs (Energy Performance Certificates) from unimproved and improved properties upon sale or letting.
Current work programmes will continue. In addition:
The Diocesan Head Office occupies premises at 36 Causton Street, London SW1.
Carbon emissions from fuel and power were as follows:
| Year | CO2e - Gross | Net | Occupancy | Share - Gross | Net |
| 2005 | 207.2 tonnes | same | 100% | 207.2 tonnes | same |
| 2010 | 157.8 tonnes | 30.9 tonnes | 63% | 99.4 tonnes | 19.5 tonnes |
Since 2006, electricity has been purchased from Good Energy, which supplies to the grid 100% renewable electricity equal to that consumed by its customers. This is subtracted from Net figures.
Parts of the building have been let to other organisations, the residue of space continuing to be occupied by the Diocese of London (London Diocesan Fund and London Diocesan Board for Schools). Columns to the right have been discounted accordingly.
Savings achieved in CO2e were as follows:
Progress is as follows:
The findings of an environmental audit have been applied, including savings in water consumption, DOSs (daylight/occupancy sensors) have been installed, and the switch-on period for heating in winter months has been reduced, all in conjunction with simple management and awareness-raising.
A Display Energy Certificate (DEC) was commissioned in 2009 and Band C was achieved. This was on a voluntary basis, because those parts of the premises accessible to visitors do not exceed the threshold of 1,000 sq metres.
Use of recycled paper and biodegradable products is encouraged. The Diocesan offices use 'Evolve' and 'Steinbeis' recyclable paper (both from many suppliers). The latter is unbleached/chlorine-free; it is imported from mainland Europe.
The Diocese has a contract with an environmentally friendly taxi company. Car parking in 36 Causton Street is limited to 8 spaces. Use of public transport or bicycle is encouraged.
Waste from 36 Causton Street is commingled and recycled. Used IT hardware is donated for reconditioning for the developing world.
Property in parishes is also owned under a variety of trust arrangements, including for example church halls, and accommodation for church workers.
Energy use from church halls is included in reporting for churches. PCCs and trustees are encouraged to manage other property according to Shrinking the Footprint principles, ensuring that opportunities for energy-saving improvements are taken advantage of.
The following outline schedule is envisaged as necessary and has been embarked on (numbers relate to churches but similar proportions can be translated to other property):
The foregoing will require very substantial capital investment.
Climate Action Projects (see above) such as solar panels have been funded by a combination of parish funds, grants including the Low Carbon Buildings Programme, and since April 2009 the Feed-in Tariff. The Renewable Heat Incentive is now available for projects such as biomass boilers.
Incentives such as these provide a generous return on investment, but make it harder to raise capital without the grants they replaced. Some grants are still available, but in practice any shortfall may have to be made up from borrowing, with viability assessed against income from incentives.
Uncertainty is compounded by current and future reviews of government incentive schemes. Some are limited to residential accommodation and/or owner-occupiers (which may disqualify clergy housing).
Finance may be sought from banks, at a high rate of interest. Community cooperatives and peer to peer lending, at a rate between bank lending rates and the return on the lender's investment by other means, are being considered. This might include church trusts where terms permit. Limited loan facilities are available from the Diocese to parishes.
Developments incorporating renewable energy and other energy-saving measures may become viable in partnership with private capital.
The Diocese of London's short term target of 20.12% cuts by 2012 is simple to remember and proportionate to longer-term targets. The date is the terminus of the current phase of London Challenge.
The 2020 target of 42% is based on the advice of the statutory Committee on Climate Change (CCC), without any precondition on worldwide agreement.
The target of 80% emissions cuts by 2050 is also a UK national target. It is based on the 4th Assessment Report of the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 2007, which advised that worldwide emissions cuts of 50% were needed by 2050. 80% is the UK's share of that total (the UK's per capita emissions being more than double the global average).
All percentage targets are for cuts in emissions in CO2e (the amount of CO2 making an equal contribution to warming as the total of a 'basket' of greenhouse gases). The same percentages do not apply to energy use – changes in GHG emissions and in energy use differ, depending on fuel proportions.
The Church of England through its bishops in the House of Lords, including the Bishop of London, pledged to review our targets in the light of the latest scientific evidence. This has already occurred: the UK's target for 2050 was originally for a 60% cut, raised to an 80% cut on the advice of the CCC.
The Church of England's baseline from which cuts are measured is 2005. The worldwide standard baseline is 1990, but 2005 is the first year from which we have measurements, and an approximation for calibrating the Church's contribution to the national effort.
The UK's emissions fell by 16% from 1990 to 2005. The Church of England might be assumed to partake of that saving. However, only 6.8% savings were achieved in CO2, the anthropogenic greenhouse gas accounting for most non-industrial emissions. The UK's savings were largely due to switching power generation from coal to gas. Electricity contributes about one third of emissions from churches. Many churches have raised performance standards for heating (usually gas or oil).
Emissions factors for electricity, gas and oil (kgs of emissions of CO2e per kWh) are taken from tables published by DEFRA (the Department of Environment Food and Rural Affairs).
Rolling grid averages are used to assess gross emissions associated with electricity drawn from the grid, for any supplier or tariff, renewable or otherwise. This is because financial subsidies for investment in renewable electricity are contributed to by other suppliers (and some of their customers will be churches too). The investment in renewable energy should be reflected in a lowering of the grid average; the costs and benefits are distributed.
Net emissions for individual premises (including 36 Causton Street) may discount the proportion of renewable electricity (100% for electricity purchased from Good Energy).
Emissions from electricity generated on site (e.g. photovoltaic panels), are deducted at 100% of the grid emissions factor, after calculating the total consumed at the grid average.
Renewable heat will be treated as carbon neutral for gross and net calculations (though there may be a contribution from electricity e.g. to power a heat pump, assessed as other electricity). Any gas-fired CHP (combined heat and power) system will be assessed according to emissions from gas consumption, with electricity generated credited on the same basis as photovoltaic panels.
