Energy Footprint Tool

Bishop Jonathan writes:

“Recent global climate events, such as the extreme heat, wildfires and floods in many countries last summer, and the usually high number of storms in the UK this winter, speak more eloquently than I ever could about the need for us to unite and play our part in protecting God’s creation and addressing climate change. Completing the Energy Footprint Tool (EFT) for your parish is an important step you can take in doing that. As well as helping us care for the environment, the data you collect from the EFT will help you better understand your energy use which can help inform net zero action plans and may even make you eligible for carbon-reducing grants.

“Every parish has a responsibility to fill in the EFT. It doesn’t really matter who it is – the PCC Treasurer, Church Warden or Administrator – as long as one person is assigned the responsibility of gathering the data and submitting the entry.”

What do I have to do?

Simply enter your church’s energy figures from the year before. Once you have entered all the data, you will immediately receive a report and results on your computer or smartphone.  This includes:

• The church’s carbon footprint in CO₂e (carbon dioxide equivalent)  
• A simple assessment of your buildings’ efficiency, in graphical form 

What do I need to get started?

You will need your utility bills for the year before: electricity, gas, oil, or whichever other fuel you use. For example, if you are completing it in 2024, you need your 2023 bills.  If you have solar panels, find information on their generation over the preceding year.

If you want to include a separate church hall or other building, then you need the bills for this too.  If you want to exclude an area which is permanently rented out to tenants and sub-metered, you will want this information to hand.

For most churches, we already know the floor area. If we don’t already hold this information, you will need a sensible estimate of the m² floor area of the church, and any other associated buildings you are inputting, such as the church hall.

You will also need a sensible estimate of the number of person-hours that the church is used throughout the year. Please remember when entering this data that a good estimate is fine – these numbers do not need to be 100% accurate, and long as they are in a relevant ball park.

The system is open until July 31, 2024, and you can find it on the online Parish Returns system.