Church Energy Audits
We’ve allocated funding to subsidise the cost of energy audits to help churches within the Diocese of Exeter work towards net zero.
The audits will be carried out by Inspired Efficiency who have delivered hundreds of audits for churches across the country. The audit will include advice on how to use the building most efficiently based on your needs, identification of better control settings and also potential for draught proofing, LED lighting, insulation and low carbon heating systems appropriate for your church. The audit will also give you the answer as to whether solar PV is a suitable option for your church.
Following the audit, your PCC will receive a decarbonisation report, this is a detailed report which will advise how your church could become net zero. This report will also enable you to be prepared when your current heating system is coming to the end of its life and will assist you in applying for funding towards the cost of a lower carbon heating system. Although we hope that PCCs will choose to proceed with recommendations, there is no obligation to do so and we recognise that PCCs will need to decide on which steps are most appropriate and achievable with the resources available to them. The information will also be shared with the Diocese of Exeter to help us plan our wider support for churches towards net zero.
We would expect that churches receiving an audit will complete the Energy Footprint Tool before the audit takes place, but you do not have to do this before registering interest.
By coordinating groups of churches together we can reduce the audit cost from £700 to £450. Then we will further subsidise the audit by 50%, so the cost to your PCC will only be £225 +VAT. A church hall can be included if it is part of the main church building, however if it is separate with a separate heating system it will have to be treated as a separate audit and require another fee.
You can watch a webinar with Matt Fulford from Inspired Efficiency here. We are very fortunate to have IE on board, they are much in demand across the country as they are widely recognised as providing the best church audits which are fully aligned with the National Routemap to Net Zero by 2030.
If you are interested in an energy audit or need advice or support, please do not hesitate to email Emma Kemp (emma.kemp@exeter.anglican.org).
It is our understanding that the VAT on energy audits can be reclaimed via the LPW (Listed places of worship) grant scheme.
Links:
Energy Footprint Tool info: https://www.churchofengland.org/about/policy-and-thinking/our-views/environment-and-climate-change/about-our-environment/energy-footprint-tool#na
Inspired Efficiency: https://www.inspiredefficiency.co.uk/
Routemap: https://www.churchofengland.org/about/environment-and-climate-change/net-zero-carbon-routemap
