Energy-efficient green churches have more money for ministry

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Posted: 9/29/07

Energy-efficient green churches
have more money for ministry

By George Henson

Staff Writer

WALKERTOWN, N.C.—Churches gradually are becoming more environmentally conscious about their facilities—and that green-consciousness is growing.

In some cases, business people in churches have seen the economic benefits that come with energy efficiency at work. Some members have heard news coverage about global warming and the need to conserve natural resources. Other congregations have members interested in the creation care movement that teaches God gave people responsibility of caring for the environment, and it is time to do a better job.

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All that translates to more churches feeling an urge to do a better job with energy efficiency, said Bob Adams, a church consultant with the JH Batten design/building firm in Walkertown, N.C.

Adams, who for 23 years served on church staffs in Kentucky, Georgia and North Carolina, offers another reason—every dollar saved through energy efficiency can be spent on ministry.

“It’s really a stewardship issue,” he asserted.

Because of that, congregations need to investigate the most efficient way to build new buildings. The considerations are different than they were in the past.

“There are many more ways to build a church than there were 20 years ago and many more choices of building materials. And in some cases, all those choices can lead to more confusion,” he admitted.

A key for new church construction is flexibility.

“The utilization of a church building is much broader than it was 15 years ago. They once were used strictly as worship and education space for a few hours a week, but churches are becoming more of a community center and need to be designed as flexibly as possible to facilitate those uses,” Adams said.

Many churches are used for ministries not in place at the time of construction, he said. Since there is no way to foretell exactly how the building may be used, it needs to be adaptable to multiple possibilities.

As green churches and green buildings in general constitute a larger segment of the construction business, Adams said the cost of constructing energy-efficient buildings has gone down. As what was once a small niche grew larger, more companies and newer technologies have driven down prices.

While he admits the initial construction costs still are a little higher for green buildings, he counsels taking a more far-reaching look.

“Churches are notorious for thinking about the initial costs and forgetting about the operational costs. Businesses have seen the flaw in this for a long time, but churches are still drawn to lower initial costs and having to pay more in the long run,” Adams said.

“Also, the constant introduction of new products and technologies are bringing costs down quickly and the payback period for recouping those costs is being reduced.”

Churches wishing to do a better job with the buildings they have should start with lighting. Simply changing fluorescent light bulbs to smaller diameter energy-efficient bulbs can save dollars. Also, motion-sensitive switches can be installed that turn off lights when no one has been in a room for a pre-determined time.

Replacing mechanical ballasts with electrical ballasts also will help recoup costs in a short time.

Another way to help maintain energy efficiency and keep costs down is to maintain a regular cycle for changing filters on air-conditioning and heating units.

Also, make sure toilets and water fountains are functioning properly—not continuing to run and using excess water.

“Really, it’s your home environment times 10,” Adams said. “The same things that we should take care of in our homes, we need to make sure are done in our churches.”

A good resource is an energy cost analysis included in an 86-page document written especially for churches by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, he noted. The document can be downloaded at www.energystar.gov/congregations at no charge.




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