Energy For Places Of Worship
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Places of worship are vital to community wellbeing and cohesion; however, they can be expensive to run and striking the balance between energy cost efficiency and carbon saving can be tricky. With that being said, there are some easy changes you can make that will reduce overheads and Co2 output.
It’s always a good time to consider switching energy plans to one that’s more suited to your individual usage requirements – the sooner you switch, the more savings you could see, freeing up the resources you need to better serve your community.
How Much Energy Does A Place Of Worship Use Every Year?
Typically, places of worship will have a significant multi-site energy contract in place every year because of their size and usage.
It’s estimated that an average-sized place of worship will use around 22,000-30,000 kWh of electricity per year – around nine or ten times higher than the average domestic home.
How Can Places Of Worship Benefit From A Business Energy Deal?
As with domestic and commercial properties, a place of worship requires regular heating and lighting. However, there are other challenges to overcome in these buildings owing to their size and usage, when compared with other domestic and commercial spaces. Issues with damp and mould can be common.
Like businesses, places of worship require special energy supplier deals to compensate for different energy usage styles, and, like businesses, they usually require a rollover contract. A rollover contract is an energy deal that provides continuity between the end of the energy supplier deal and the new one, reducing any out-of-contract fees.
How To Reduce The Energy Bills For Your Place Of Worship
Set heating timers for services/gatherings
Places of worship can be difficult to heat effectively, owing to the sporadic nature of services and events. Still, it’s vitally important that places of worship keep that building comfortable for services and warm at all other times, so the building doesn’t suffer from damp. That’s where heating timers can help.
Set your heating timers to come on before your gatherings for however long it takes to bring the place of worship to a comfortable room temperature. Gatherings are usually predictable, so you can set them to turn off at a particular time, too; when the room gets colder, it’s also a good indicator of the time.
Install energy-efficient lights
Lighting is often overlooked as a source of energy consumption, partly because the lights are out of sight and they don’t seem to consume much electricity. However, LED lights consume as much as 75% less electricity than incandescent bulbs – switching bulbs could save a substantial amount on your monthly bill.
Switching your lighting from incandescent bulbs to LED lighting is simpler than you might imagine; you don’t have to change your lighting infrastructure at all – just invest in screw-in LED bulbs that fit the same sockets as the traditional incandescent ones.
Improve building insulation
Creating an energy-efficient place of worship is not only about finding the best energy plan to reduce your overall heating costs; it’s also about improving the infrastructure of your building so that less heat is lost. Around 25-35% of the building’s heat is lost through the walls and the roof.
If the insulation in your building has not been improved for some time, it’s likely that your insulation will need updating. Nowadays, the most efficient and cost-effective insulation for commercial buildings and places of worship is spray-foam insulation that insulates cavity walls and closes gaps.
Clean out the ventilation system
It might surprise you to know that the ventilation system in your place of worship can also help you save on your energy costs and your Co2 emissions. Sometimes, a ventilation system is designed to channel air out of the building; other times, it recycles air and heat.
Find out what kind of ventilation system you have and research ways to make it more efficient. Heat naturally rises, it also transfers naturally into colder spaces, so if you have vents on the ceilings that transfer the warm air back to the basement viaducts, it is effectively recycled.
Look out for damp issues
It is not only the energy bills you need to look out for when attempting to create an efficient low-carbon place of worship; unless you look after the basic infrastructure of the building, you could face unforeseen costs and issues relating to mould and damp which occurs with excess moisture.
Damp issues start to occur when the building becomes cold for long periods. That’s because the moisture created in the building isn’t evaporated and instead gets into the walls and materials, making them mouldy. Mould is not only a sight for sore eyes, but it’s also a health hazard so keep your heating on low.
Compare Energy Deals At Business Energy UK
Running a place of worship is time-consuming, but there is a responsibility to run the place ethically and cost-effectively. Making small changes not only reduces the running costs and the carbon output of the building, but it means that community donations have more impact and can provide a better service.
You can compare the market for energy deals in seconds here at Business Energy UK – our handy comparison tool analyses the market in seconds, giving you results you can depend on
We’re an online platform that lets you compare the market for business electricity and gas rates in the UK in under a minute. Not only that, our knowledge hub gives you all the information you need to make an informed choice – leading to great deals for your place of worship.