While concerned churches have already taken small steps to reduce their environmental footprint, most of the damage comes from the energy buildings use. Typically, the grander the architecture, the harder it is to heat, power and light efficiently. With our better understanding of environmental issues and the higher cost of fuel, many congregations would build very differently if they had a chance to start from scratch. Here are some simple steps that can make a significant difference.
Plan your energy use
Portions of the building that are used in different ways at different times of the week should be on different temperature controls and might well need to be insulated from one another. Look through your weekly schedule and plan out the energy needs of each group and activity that meets in the building each day of the week. Planning out this kind of grid will help you ask questions not only about separate heating options, but also about scheduling. If the session and the board of managers are already meeting on Monday, perhaps it's more efficient if the other group meeting solely on Tuesday might switch to Monday so the building doesn't have to be reheated for a second time for a two-hour meeting.
Heating individual rooms at different times on different days of the week used to mean a caretaker had to come a few hours before the meeting to fire up the furnace, but inexpensive programmable thermostats are now available that can be retrofitted to most kinds of heating systems.
Update your insulation
Recent improvements in building technology mean that as your maintenance team replaces a door or a window, re-shingles a roof or just re-finishes a wall, you can opt for materials with better insulation values.
There should also be a complete insulation inventory of the building, checking everything from heat loss in the attic to the weather stripping on doors and windows.
Stained glass windows look great but do a poor job of keeping the heat in. New technology offers alternatives to plastic sheeting and masking tape.
Consider updating your equipment and appliances
When Hebron Baptist, Dacula, Ga., replaced the conventional bulbs that were burning 24 hours a day in more than 300 emergency exit signs around their facilities with longer-lasting screw-in fluorescent tubes, there was an immediate energy saving and an ongoing maintenance saving on bulb replacement.
Look closely at the energy consumption label when buying appliances for the church kitchen. Since fridges and freezers are very expensive to run half empty, using water-filled jugs and plastic containers to fill them up can add up to dramatic savings over a year.
Regular maintenance, which would include a yearly cleaning of ducts and a tune up for oil furnaces, is a must. The next time a cleaning is scheduled, have someone from the building committee sit down with the technician to talk about new alternatives.
Heat pumps are one of the most popular recent additions since they not only lower heating costs in the winter but also allow for some interesting cooling options during the summer.
Saving energy = saving money
As you listen to suggestions and consider your options, keep an eye on the budget and another on the environment. You would be surprised how often energy conservation and cost efficiency go hand in hand. Can you imagine getting some bold recommendations from your building committee that would get the approval of your budget conscious seniors, excite your environmentally conscious young people and please the Creator who entrusted both resources to you for considerate care?
