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Getting your Building Down to Net Zero

The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.

Genesis 2:15

As Christians, we are called to be stewards of God's creation. There are many ways to do this, from protecting biodiversity to making lifestyle changes. You can find more about on our Action for Hope pages.

One way we care for creation is through our work to reduce carbon emissions and reach Net Zero, working towards the Methodist Church's aspirational target to reach Net Zero by 2030. Net Zero means the amount of greenhouse gas emissions added to the atmosphere is no more than the amount removed. This is reached by significantly reducing the emissions from our buildings & travel and removing any residual emissions, through purchasing renewable energy and offsetting.

Reaching Net Zero can feel daunting and so a set of practical steps have been created to help churches. There are four phases, which a church can work through at their own pace. These are;

  1. Assess Your Building and Energy Usage
  2. Take First Steps
  3. Make a Bigger Impact
  4. Down to Net Zero

Phases 3 and 4 may not be feasible in their entirety for every church, but there may be ideas you can use. Paired up with the four phases is the Net Zero Checklist for Churches, designed to help your church identify what you're already doing and what actions to prioritise next. The concertina below contains links to all Net Zero resources.

Energy Audits

Energy audits assess a church's current energy use and building condition, and provide details of the energy efficiency and generation works that are suitable for the church to reach net zero.

There's more information on what an audit is, why to get one for your church and what to do once you receive the report on the Energy Audit page. There's also Guidance for Auditors and a Directory of Energy Auditors.

Net Zero for Manses

Alongside the guidance for churches, there is information available to support circuits who are looking to reduce the carbon footprint of their manses. There's a Net Zero Checklist for Manses, case studies showing what's possible and information about funding sources. You can find this all here.

Fundraising and Grants for Net Zero Projects

For information on funding opportunities, as well as guidance on typical application requirements, see the Funding and Grants for Net Zero Projects page.

Resources
Contractor Directories
Case Studies
Checklists