How to achieve Net Zero goals in your capital projects

As part of their Net Zero goals, the Methodist Church employs Net Zero Property Officer Anna Newlove as a point of contact for all capital projects with a carbon reduction element. You might wonder what the connection is between Net Zero and the church, but there is a strong faith aspect to this work: many, including Anna, feel called to take care of creation as part of their faith, and this is one way in which they can contribute. The Methodist Church is responsible for a considerable amount of property across the United Kingdom: some 3,500 churches, plus several thousand ‘manses’ or residences for clergy – so Anna has plenty to keep her busy.

Anna Newlove recently shared her expertise with the Chell Perkins team, who regularly support churches and charitable organisations with funding applications that incorporate Net Zero aspects.

Targets – what does Net Zero involve?

Net Zero means ensuring a balance between the carbon emissions being released into the atmosphere and the amount of carbon being absorbed, for example by trees or carbon capture technology. This can be achieved either by significantly reducing the emissions we produce, or by offsetting any emissions that can’t be eliminated through any other method by funding CO₂ removal schemes elsewhere. A common misconception is that we should be investing heavily in offsetting carbon emissions, but in fact the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) recommends aiming to reduce our emissions by 90% first of all – therefore offsetting should only account for 10% of emissions.

‘Fabric first’ approach

With this in mind, our priority in capital projects ought to be improving the fabric of the buildings in our care, both to improve the energy efficiency of the infrastructure and to reduce our energy consumption. Anna calls this a ‘fabric first’ approach. This might look like:

• Resolving damp issues – damp walls lose 30% more heat

• Installing double glazing – this can reduce window heat loss by 60%

• Insulation – buildings can lose around 25% of their heat through an uninsulated roof

• Replacing incandescent lightbulbs with LED bulbs – LED bulbs use about 10% of the energy of traditional bulbs.

It makes sense to prioritise these baseline improvements before progressing to more advanced technologies, such as solar panels or alternative heating systems. Approaching these issues in the wrong order could mean you end up paying too much for e.g. a heat pump system, as you may not need so much heat capacity for your newly improved energy-efficient indoor environment.

Renewable energy options

Once you have addressed all of the areas above, and you have a better picture of your building’s energy demands in its more energy-efficient state, it is time to think about what else you can do to reduce its carbon footprint. One option is the generation of renewable energy onsite, for example through solar panels or a heat pump.

Anna is quick to caution that these solutions are not necessarily right for everyone. Modern solar schemes tend to cover the cost of your on-site energy consumption (rather than aiming to produce excess energy and sell it back to the grid), so it’s important to plan for a set-up that’s in proportion with the scale of your energy requirements. If your building isn’t used much outside of weekend services, for example, it’s probably not worthwhile investing in solar panels or a heat pump and you would be better off just ensuring that you’ve chosen a certified renewable energy provider. On the other hand, if you have a range of groups using your premises throughout the week, solar panels are an obvious choice, and for unlisted buildings these are often considered within the remit of Permitted Development.

It’s worth bearing in mind that this usage distinction is also relevant if you’re intending to fundraise for your project: you will likely have to justify the need for funding by evidencing how frequently your building is used by a range of local community groups (for example food banks, toddler groups, meet-ups for elderly people, etc.). 

Challenges

As with anything, there can be obstacles to completing Net Zero projects. For instance:

• Planning permission: if you think your project may get held up or require permission, the best approach is to have conversations with the relevant authorities early on in the process to avoid late-stage delays. Within the Methodist system, Anna recommends speaking to your District Property Secretary and asking if your district will need any particular evidence to support your application, since insufficient detail can itself be a hurdle to obtaining approval.

• Listed buildings and conservation areas: modifications to a listed building, such as the addition of solar panels, can be more complicated, but they’re certainly not always impossible; the process might just take longer and require more paperwork.

• Plan comprehensively: try to plan ahead in detail to avoid last-minute hurdles, for example if you will need a battery for solar panels, where will you position it – indoors or outdoors? If indoors, consider potential fire risks and insurance costs; if outdoors, consider protection from damage or vandalism. It can drastically slow things down if you need to change these things mid-project.

• Contacts: if you are managing a capital project in a church context, Anna recommends having more than one contact within the church in order to maintain momentum.

If you’re thinking about spearheading a Net Zero project of your own

For anyone outside the Methodist loop looking to reduce their carbon footprint, the same process is still relevant: 

• Begin with a retrofit assessment (this is the same as an energy efficiency survey or energy audit) to determine how you can make your property more energy efficient. The auditor will also consider the usage pattern of the building, and discuss comfort levels with users, in order to create personalised recommendations. They will also recommend what not to do. Additionally, the report will be helpful in supporting any related funding applications.

• Follow Anna’s ‘fabric first’ approach before considering renewable energy.

• Consider whether renewable energy is a good fit for your building – what time of day is energy primarily being used? Will you need a battery, or several? Does your building see enough use to merit replacing the heating system?

• Read through the case studies on the Methodist Church website, which detail successes and challenges, along with solutions, costs and local/specialist businesses used – with projects from all over the UK, there may be providers local to you.

• Look for an online carbon footprint calculator to measure your impact across the fields of energy use, travel, water, food and waste disposal (the Methodist Church uses 360° Carbon, who work with churches and charities) and think about how you can reduce your footprint in each of these areas.

And if you’re already planning a capital project that will entail major upheaval, maybe now is a good time to build in some sustainability measures for the future? For example if your boiler is relatively new, Anna doesn’t recommend replacing it unnecessarily. However, if you need to lift the floor for another purpose, it may be worthwhile to install underfloor heating in the process, so that you can switch seamlessly to a heat pump whenever it becomes necessary in the future. 

Recalling what Jon Hodges of the National Churches Trust discussed with us earlier in the year, Anna emphasised the importance of investing in our buildings and in climate change alleviation measures now, for the future.

Lastly…

It can be overwhelming to think about Net Zero targets, so the best approach is often to break them down into smaller, more manageable goals. You can’t fix everything at once, but what steps can you take now to ensure greater energy efficiency and sustainability in the future?

And if you're interested in pursuing a capital project and need support with fundraising for it, you've come to the right place! Drop us an email at hello@chellperkins.com, and let's have a chat to see how we can help you.