A practical path to 'Net Zero' for churches
Not all buildings emit the same amount of Carbon, so not all buildings will need to do the same thing to become Net Zero Carbon. The criteria is whether you use a lot of energy, and therefore emit at lot of Carbon, compared to the other churches in our diocese.
Busy and/or Larger Churches
The biggest Carbon reduction will be made by making change to those churches that are currently the highest energy users. The National Church has asked the diocese to identify and prioritise working with the top 20% to reduce their Carbon emissions. Only the top 20% of energy-consuming churches have been asked by General Synod to make an Action Plan.
Rural Churches
Most small, rural churches already have a smaller Carbon impact than larger churches. A typical small church, not used every day, has an annual carbon footprint that is significantly less than an average UK household.
If you are a small rural church, you won’t have to make an Action Plan unless you want to, but you can still take measures to reduce your energy use and Carbon emissions. Routine maintenance and switching off unnecessary heat and light will reduce carbon emissions. Switching to green energy tariffs will allow such buildings to be Net Zero Carbon for minimal additional cost.
Please go to the Energy Footprint Tool page to find out how to calculate your energy usage.
A practical path to 'net zero' for our churches - describes the changes you can make to your church’s Carbon Footprint.