Pray follow the example of an award-winning cathedral

Posted 16/09/2024

British cathedrals should follow the example of Ely which has cut its carbon emissions by 42 per cent in five years, says Midlands green energy expert Ron Fox.

Ely in Cambridgeshire is only the third cathedral to receive the gold Eco Church Award from the Christian conservation charity, A Rocha UK.

“It is setting a fine example of how to make a large building environmentally friendly,” said Ron, of Noreus Ltd on the University of Keele Science and Innovation Park.

In its latest annual report, the cathedral says 2023 was the best since it began cutting its CO2 levels in 2019.

The cathedral has:

Cut paper use by using downloadable service sheets.
Managed the gardens around the cathedral for nature.
Carried out regular litter picks.
Worked with the charity Fareshare to turn surplus food into meals.
Planted hedgerows.
Created a release site for rescued hedgehogs.
Drawn up plans to plant an orchard.

Helen Stephens, the church relations manager at A Rocha UK, said: “Our huge congratulations to Ely Cathedral on their well-deserved gold Eco Church award.

“Everything about their approach sets them out as an exemplar of what it means to be a gold awarded church and their strong engagement in local networks provides opportunities to share their learning and experience.”

The Very Reverend Mark Bonney, the Dean of Ely, said the award was “enormously gratifying.”

Ron said all these moves by Ely Cathedral were excellent but he said there was one other area large old buildings with poor insulation and high ceilings could reduce their carbon footprint as well as cutting their winter heating bills.

One simple solution is to install infrared panel heaters that can reduce costs by up to 70 per cent.

“They are a relatively new way of heating churches,” said Ron “as they deliver warmth directly to people and furnishings rather than trying to heat the entire area and so are more energy efficient.”

Other advantages include:

As the infrared panels are stand-alone units, without any pipes, they can be positioned to fit the layout of the church, or even be hung on the ceiling so that they point down to the people below.
They’re cheaper to buy and to run than gas heaters, especially as spares for gas boilers won’t be so readily available in future.
It takes only 30 seconds for them to reach their optimal heating temperature whereas in some churches they put the heating on Saturday night to ensure the building is warm for the Sunday service the next morning.
They are particularly effective in older buildings such as churches which have large areas with high ceilings and poor insulation.
Also, many churches are unsuitable for air source heat pumps as they are usually too draughty and the radiators would have to be replaced with aluminium ones.
They are ideal for churches who want to just heat an office or a hall.
Condensation, mould and dampness can be eliminated.
They do not dry out the air so is good for allergy and cold sufferers.
Infrared heating is completely safe – it is UV (ultraviolet) rays that can cause some problems.
The units are British manufactured and made with stainless steel and have a 10-year warranty.
The panels are easily installed by experts leading to minimum disruption for church members.

For more details about making cathedrals, churches and old building more environmentally friendly call Ron on 0845 474 6641.

Caption: Gold star winner – Ely Cathedral.

Picture: Courtesy of Ely Cathedral.