Energy Audits
One of the most important first steps on your church's Net Zero journey is to commission an energy audit. An audit assesses your building’s current energy use and condition, helping to identify the most suitable energy efficiency improvements for your church. It will also highlight measures that may not be appropriate because of the building’s heritage, construction or patterns of use.
Why Get an Energy Audit?
An energy audit provides the information you need to plan your next steps with confidence. Recommendations can range from simple energy saving measures through to larger projects such as low carbon heating systems. The resulting report will give your church clear, practical actions to help reduce energy use and move towards Net Zero. There is no need to implement every recommendation immediately. The report can be used as a roadmap to guide future improvements over time.
Planning Ahead
An audit can also strengthen future funding applications. Many grant schemes require detailed information about a building and proposed works, and application windows can be short. By completing an audit in advance, your church will have the information and evidence needed to support funding applications when opportunities arise. It also demonstrates to funders your commitment to reducing carbon emissions and improving sustainability.
Planning ahead can be particularly valuable if your boiler is approaching the end of its life. An energy audit can help identify suitable replacement options before a boiler fails, reducing the risk of having to make urgent decisions under pressure.
Funding may be available to help meet the cost of an energy audit. Visit our Funding Your Net Zero Project page
Working Together
As you begin planning projects, it is also worth exploring opportunities to work with other churches in your circuit or district. Churches often face similar challenges and may be considering comparable Net Zero projects. By sharing knowledge, experience and resources, or even applying jointly for funding where appropriate, churches can support one another and increase their collective impact.
What Happens Next?
Once you have received your energy audit report, take time to review the recommendations and identify which actions are most appropriate for your church. Some measures may be low cost and easy to implement, while others may require further investigation, fundraising or professional advice. The report should be used as a roadmap to guide improvements over time rather than a checklist that must be completed immediately.
Measuring Your Carbon Footprint
Understanding the carbon impact of your church is an important part of your Net Zero journey. An energy audit assesses how efficiently your building uses energy and identifies opportunities to reduce waste and improve performance. A carbon footprint, by contrast, measures the total greenhouse gas emissions associated with your church's activities, including energy use, travel, food, waste, water and other expenditure.
You can measure your carbon footprint using a tool such as 360°carbon, a free, collaborative platform that enables churches and charities to calculate emissions across these different areas.
Measuring your carbon footprint each year can help you establish a baseline, track progress and identify areas where further reductions can be achieved. It can also support your Eco Church journey, provide evidence of progress and help inform future Net Zero planning. Many funders and environmental programmes value evidence of measured carbon reductions, making regular monitoring a useful tool for demonstrating progress.
Ready to get started? Contact Jacqueline Geary, Net Zero & Grant Enabler, to discuss commissioning an energy audit and the funding options available.