A high-efficiency furnace seems like a good choice for any aging building. But two?
That’s right, says Rev. Robert Lemon of St. John-in-the-Wilderness church.
When he and his congregation in Bright’s Grove decided it was time to “go green” they opted for two new furnaces so that portions of the church, hall and office can be separately heated.
In one year, the church has saved about $700 in natural gas consumption, making the investment economical as well as ecological. “That’s very good and over time it means the furnaces will pay for themselves,” Lemon said.
St. John-in-the-Wilderness Anglican church is 152 years old and has had numerous upgrades over the years. But in 2006, when an office was added, the congregation began to take energy efficiency seriously.
“We realized we could do better and we began to make changes,” Lemon said.
Before we all start screaming about the MDGs, let’s notice that there’s nothing in this piece that says these people have stopped preaching the Gospel.
I shudder to think about the amount of paper and plastic used at my church for coffee hour. But then, when I was a kid (more than a few decades ago), we always brought our own dishes and silverware to church potlucks.
good point elle, i long to see more conservative churches take up the cause in addition to preaching the gospel. my personal peeve is styrofoam. i don’t get what is so difficult about using real dishes and just washing them afterwards, are we really that lazy? we don’t eat off that stuff at home. and long after we have passed on those styrofoam plates and cups will still be hanging around…
If they had truly wanted to conserve energy and economize they should have opted for a geo-thermal system. They’re rather expensive to initially install, but very low maintenance and pay for themselves in just a few years. I once had a Church in northern Minnesota and they had four forced-air natural gas furnaces in the church. It took forever to heat and was entirely inefficient. Your much better-off with an high-efficiency hot-water boiler system or the geo-thermal sytem. But then again what do I know, I’m Canadian.
I take my own travel mug with me to church for coffee or tea or lemonaide, etc. rather than have them use a disposable cup (plastic or styro). I get funny looks, but some people look and say “good idea!”.
Actually, I have a dual purpose: I can take some with me for the car ride home. 🙂