Caring for the Environment

We are all aware of the challenges facing us as a planet. We hear often about climate change, and its effects. We are frequently challenged to modify our lifestyles in order to do our bit for the sake of the earth. And while we have noticed changes in our own climate: in rising temperatures, flooding and unseasonal weather; it is the poorest areas of the planet that are most dramatically affected by climate change. However, it is the richest parts of the world whose culture, lifestyle and spending power have helped accelerate those changes.

The Silsden Methodist Church has been awarded

The Silver Eco Church Award

The Yorkshire West Methodist District Synod in September 2022 challenged churches to raise issues about climate justice by gaining an A Rocha Eco Church award.

Silsden Methodist Church is committed to caring for the environment and over the past few months has been working towards applying for an A Rocha Eco Award. This is an ecumenical scheme which assesses environmental performance across a number of areas of Church life -
Worship and Teaching, Building, Land and Gardens, Community, Lifestyle

Silsden Methodist Church Energy Use

The graphs below demonstrate the reductions in energy use we have achieved at Silsden since 2015.
Gas
The reduction in gas usage is mainly due to the fact that in 2015 we started to switch off the boilers in the summer as not required for general heating. Electricity is used to heat the hot water required in the kitchen and toilets and is mainly generated by the solar panels. This resulted in a reduction of 20% in gas use.
There was a slight reduction during the limited activity in the covid lockdowns, but we always thought it better to keep minimum heating in the building. In 2022 and 2023 we have used 15% less gas than
pre-covid with similar levels of activity in the building, a result of running slightly lower temperatures and maybe slightly higher outside temperatures.

Electricity
The reduction in electricity purchased is due to the installation of a 10kW capacity solar panel system in late 2015. You can see in the graphs we have generated each year more than was predicted by an average of 6%, with 2022 being the best year to date. The impact of the solar panels was a reduction of 33% in electricity purchased.

Covid and its impact on activities in church has obviously affected usage in 2020 and 2021 but 2022 and 2023 has remained at the lower level probably because we have changed all the lighting to LED, and we are also being more aware of when items are switched off. This represented a further saving of 36%.

Financially the feed in tariff from the government plus the saving in electricity over the last 7 years will cover the cost of the investment of £17,000 in the solar panels. The feed in tariff continues for a further 13 years with a potential income of £20,000.
It is difficult to predict electricity cost savings due to the current price volatility but based on 2023 prices, the difference in electricity costs pre solar panels and 2023 is approximately £3,500 per annum.

graphs.pdf

Recycling bins for Bras, Stamps, Knitting wool and candle wax. (Unfortunately we are unable to take Blister Packs) and a collection basket for
The Keighley Salvation Army Foodbank

Carbon Footprint
The average carbon footprint for a single person in the UK is 5.4 tonnes which includes energy use in the home, plus other areas such as travel by car and aeroplane, CO2e generated in the manufacture of the things we buy and the creation of the food we eat.

We have calculated the Carbon Footprint for the church energy, gas and electricity used at church for a year and it comes to 10.5 tonnes of CO2e. This may not seem large considering the size of the building and it’s use when compared to the individual’s average and it obviously reflects the reductions in energy use we have made in recent years.To counter this amount of CO2e it requires approximately 400 living trees so it still has an impact on global warming, so we need to do all we can to reduce it further.