As stewards of the earth, Presbyterians are increasingly becoming aware of our need to walk more gently on the earth, to use energy wisely and not squander the financial resources we have been given. But while most citizens of Canada have been pushing governments to move toward sustainability, many congregations have been reluctant to invest in measures to save energy. However, now that energy prices have begun to increase at rates far above inflation, congregations and individuals have begun to realise the value in energy conservation and renewable energy sources. Congregational budgets are already tight enough without paying higher heating bills.
Two main barriers typically slow congregations from making the needed investments. The first is money. The second is a lack of understanding or knowledge about what is possible. Fortunately, once congregations begin to grasp what is possible, and the savings that can be had (not to mention the theological imperative for stewardship), then the concerns about money tend to fade away. (For individuals and families there is another barrier to making changes: lifestyles. But this is a subject for another article.)
The cost of the status quo
Let us first talk about the cost of not making needed changes to the church building. For those who are heating with oil: treasurers already know the painful reality of the price hikes. While a recession in the United States will help to dampen prices in the short term, the long-term outlook is not cheery. The reality is that the world has been using more oil than has been discovered for more than a quarter of a century; the demand is now beginning to outstrip the supply. Prices can only go up as long as this trend continues.
Once demand routinely exceeds supply, prices will rise very quickly. When the United States experienced the Organizaton of Arab Oil Producing Countries embargo in 1973, the resulting five per cent shortfall of crude oil supply resulted in prices spiking more than 200 per cent.
Natural gas is only a few years from reaching the same point. Electricity prices have been moving up rapidly in most provinces, and will continue to do so, even in hydro-electric-rich provinces such as British Columbia.
Unless there is a major world-wide depression or depopulation, the reality is that the cost of fossil fuels, and the electricity produced by them, will begin to outstrip the ability of many congregations to keep their buildings heated and lit. Such price increases have already contributed to the closure of some smaller churches.
Alternative sources of heating
Wood – Newer technologies have created wood-burning devices that operate just like today's oil or natural gas furnaces. Wood waste is turned into compressed wood pellets that are used in northern climates to heat both homes and commercial buildings. The pellets are automatically fed into a burning chamber when the programmable thermostat calls for heat. Pellets are delivered just as is heating oil.
Heat Pumps – Usually attached to the current furnace, these pumps work just like refrigerators, but in reverse, extracting heat from the outside air and pumping it into the interior of the building. During the summer this process can be reversed, offering low-cost air conditioning.
Air-source heat pumps are reasonable in price as compared to ground-source heat pumps (otherwise called “geo-thermal,” requiring digging wells or excavating a large field), and are very inexpensive to run. Ground-source heat pumps can pay for themselves through their much reduced energy costs, in larger buildings, in less than 10 years. After that the savings keep on adding up.
Solar energy – Unfortunately the high cost of solar voltaics (which turns sunlight directly into electricity) presently makes this technology unaffordable for most consumers. Thankfully it appears that prices will fall in the next few years as new technologies drive down the price of this energy source.
Solar hot water, however, is far more affordable, especially for multi-residential units and buildings that use a fair amount of hot water. These panels or tubes have become very efficient (converting as much as 90 per cent of the sun's energy into hot water). Church buildings that utilise radiant heat can easily take advantage of the sun, especially if they are located in a sunnier part of Canada. Even if the sunshine is iffy at times, solar can be matched with the current heating, reducing operating costs and improving the environment.
Even buildings that are currently heated with electricity can be retrofitted with mini-radiators, fed by standard-sized copper tubing, greatly reducing the heating costs.
Another very simple yet effective method of tapping into the sun's energy is through drawing air through sun-exposed panels, which pre-warms the air before it is pulled into the building. Ideal for larger buildings that have a central location for drawing in air (such as a furnace or other ventilation system), these devices can make a huge difference. In addition, during the summer the fan can be reversed – thus cooling the otherwise warmest wall of the building.
The wonderful thing about solar heating is that once the equipment has been installed, the system is virtually inflation-proof. Relative to other heat sources, a solar system will increase its rate of return every year. And, if needed, such systems can be moved to a new church building. All that is required is an unobstructed southern exposure.
Energy efficiency
Being efficient is by far the most cost-effective way of approaching energy challenges, one that simultaneously reduces both pollution and greenhouse gases. When considering different options for any building, this should be the first place to begin.
Furnaces – Many congregations and homeowners have smartly invested in higher-efficiency furnaces and boilers, appreciably lowering their energy costs. Most newer natural gas and oil-fired furnaces now operate at efficiency rates of 85 per cent or higher, a far cry from the 50 per cent rates common to many older furnaces. The only caution is to ensure that such buildings have an adequate ventilation system (also important to heat pumps) to handle this newer technology. Without enough air movement through the furnace or air handler, the equipment suffers premature failure.
Lights – A major user of energy in church buildings is lighting. Here, too, new technology is resulting in considerable energy savings, even while providing superior light. Schools and shopping malls, for example, are finding that replacing old flourescent tubes with the newer technology tubes saves 40 per cent or more on electricity bills. Compared to incandescent fixtures (the common light bulb), the savings are about double. Replacing lighting is an especially important measure in those parts of the building that are frequently used.
Windows – Glass insulates even more poorly than an uninsulated wall. As a result, windows are typically the coldest surface of any building. This is even truer of single-pane leaded glass.
While most of us love the look and atmosphere provided by stained glass windows, such windows are horrible wasters of heat. I do not think that Jesus would approve of such a poor stewardship of energy.
However, the good news is that it is very possible to attach window-grade acrylic (clear plastic) panels to these windows, allowing the beauty of the window to shine through while potentially quadrupling (or better) the energy efficiency (and resulting warmth). While the window-grade acrylic is more expensive than glass, it is also about four times as warm, and won't deteriorate (no yellowing, cracking, etc.). Such additions can also help to protect those invaluable stained-glass windows.
Even double-paned windows can be improved considerably by adding these panels. What about windows that open seasonally? The panels can be used as “storm windows,” added to either the outside or the inside of the current windows. While more expensive, the double- or triple-paned argon-filled, low e-squared windows are also excellent choices, since they are up to twice as warm as older double-paned windows.
Seal and Insulate – Uninsulated basement floors and below-grade walls rob buildings of significant amounts of heat – potentially as much as does the ceiling.
One of the most neglected areas in buildings is heat loss due to drafts. While it is important to have some supply of fresh air, especially in homes and offices, most of our buildings are too drafty. Seldom-used areas, such as sanctuaries and church classrooms, do not need to have air leakages (classrooms do need air from the rest of the building).
Sealing air leaks is the least expensive option for saving money and the planet. While they are often labour-intensive, such measures can easily be learned and employed by volunteers within the congregation. The most typical places to examine are window and door casements (the hidden space between a door frame and the wall), leaky windows (the old aluminum sliders are still too common), gaps where the walls meet the floors, light switches and outlets on outside walls especially, leaks where chimneys meet the upper floor ceiling, gaps around services that come through outside walls (such as gas lines, phone lines, etc.), and plumbing that runs through outside walls. An investment of less than $200 can pay for itself in less than a month.
Because buildings act like chimneys, drawing in cooler air on all floors and pushing warm air through into the attic and leaks in the cathedral ceiling, it is very important to seal any places where air can be forced through. Watch especially for light fixture bases (pot-lighting and flush flourescent fixtures are the worst) and any breaks in the top-floor ceiling.
One of the most energy-efficient appliances available is the lowly ceiling fan, as it pushes that warmed air back down to where it is needed, slowing the process of losing the heat to the outside. Ceiling fans also help to cool people in the summer.
Church buildings that have “fireside” rooms with a real fireplace have discovered that sealing up the chimney can save hundreds of dollars every year. Even chimneys with dampers are very leaky. If you wish to keep the fireplace, then have an efficient insert added. These inserts are several hundred times more efficient in burning wood and providing heat than are open fireplaces. They also pollute a lot less. In the not-so-distant future, municipalities will require all fireplaces to have such inserts.
Another area to consider is the often-forgotten hot water system. Many hot water heaters are poorly insulated, the hot water lines are usually uninsulated, and virtually all our drain lines happily carry away all that hot water back into the cold ground from which the incoming fresh water lines came. If we need an example of how wasteful we North Americans are, one need look no further.
Wherever possible, hot water lines need to be wrapped with the correctly sized pipe insulators (very inexpensive to purchase, but very effective). If the hot water heater feels warm to the touch then it needs to be wrapped with a “blanket” (ask any hardware store). If your church does not use hot water on a daily or frequent basis then consider replacing that old hot water tank with a “tankless” (or “demand”) water heater. These units heat the water only when it is required, saving a lot of unnecessary heating between uses. Coupled with a solar hot water system, these units can save 75 per cent of the cost of heating water – a significant energy user in homes in particular.
A very low-tech device helps to capture some of the heat that would otherwise go down the drain. Called a drain water heat exchanger, the most common type passes incoming cold water over the surface of the drain, pre-warming the cold water in the process. They are safe to use, as a double-wall keeps the waste water from contaminating the fresh water. These heat exchangers cost only a few hundred dollars, but capture a lot of otherwise wasted heat.
Other ideas include building a “green wall” or “green roof” (with live plants), installing water-saving toilets and urinals, planting native shrubbery that requires less watering, and using more natural lighting so as to reduce the need for lights.
ecoEnergy – All of these ideas are cost-effective for buildings if used in the appropriate situation. But here is the best part: if a congregation wishes to take the appropriate steps, fully 25 per cent of the cost of instituting these upgrades can be reimbursed by the federal government! (Search ecoEnergy online, relating to commercial buildings.)
This means that congregations can save energy, reduce their monthly bills, increase the value of their property, and become better stewards of the resources we have been blessed with. Also, Canada can come closer to meeting its international goals as well as move one step closer to becoming energy-sustainable. A win-win solution for all.
But don't stop there – Consider how people living in similar areas can car pool to worship and other events. This old-fashioned idea improves members' sense of community and fellowship, increases participation and attendance (and finances), and greatly reduces pollution and injury on the roads, while increasing health and longevity.
Some urban congregations have opened some of their land to be used for community gardens. This gives churches an opportunity to meet their neighbours, provide a needed service, improve the quality of the food people are eating, and greatly reduces the amount of pollution, pesticide use, and other negative consequences of our modern agri-business food production system.
A few downtown churches are being approached by developers to better utilise the church property, rather than continue urban sprawl. Such buildings are likely to be far more energy-efficient, can provide heat for the sanctuary for a lower price, and reduce other costs.
Churches can also play a key role in spearheading community solutions, such as creating community/collective heating/cooling, building a local wind turbine, forming an energy co-operative as is commonly done in Europe, and playing a pivotal role in educating their own members on energy conservation.
What is perhaps more important is that congregations engage in another form of energy: to become energized by the possibilities and the resulting enthusiasm of saving our pocketbooks as well as the planet.
This kind of energy, we Christians know, is called the Spirit of God: the author of all energies; indeed of life itself.
