Mossley Hill Vicarage is set to become the first fully decarbonised clergy home in the Diocese of Liverpool, marking a significant step forward in the Diocese of Liverpool’s and The Church of England’s journey towards net zero carbon.
The project has been made possible through a national demonstrator grant, awarded to help explore how clergy housing can be made more energy efficient, affordable to run and environmentally sustainable, all in the effort to help preserve our churches and environment for generations to come, so all can worship in an eco-conscious community.
Work on the vicarage began in May 2025 and is due to complete in May 2026. So far, it has been retrofitted with an air source heat pump, solar panels, battery storage and upgraded radiators, with double glazing due to be installed in April of 2026. Once complete, the home is expected to be fully decarbonised, with energy bills reduced by around 70%. Ultimately making it cheaper for the diocese to run and with the hope that changes like this can be rolled out further across all corners of our diocese.
Alongside transforming the vicarage, the grant is also supporting Mossley Hill Church as it begins to plan its own journey towards net zero with the long term aim to have a net zero church and vicarage fully decarbonising the outputs from both buildings to truly live out the fifth mark of mission to care for creation.
Revd Rachel Archer, Vicar at Mossley Hill Church said:
“We are delighted to have been chosen as we recognise the huge challenge it is to even begin to consider how we can make our church net zero by 2030. We need all the help we can get and this grant will enable us to contract experts to survey our church and report on what is possible.
“The demonstrator grant has been carefully thought through by the national church as it recognises that the expert reports coming back will require significant financial input from churches, which is simply unrealistic. We are therefore also in receipt of fundraising advice and help from fundraising experts.”
The funding will help the church develop a clearer plan for the future.
The Revd Rachel Archer added: “We hope the grant will give us a road map, as it were, in how to reach the national church’s ambitious target of becoming net zero, and therefore doing our bit to ensure we are good stewards of God’s marvellous creation.”
The project is already having an impact within the congregation, with growing interest in sustainability and the church’s environmental work.
“The congregation are delighted on our behalf for this additional support. We are currently trying to recruit more volunteers to join our small but dedicated Eco team so we can bring all things eco-sustainable and net zero to the forefront of our church life,” she said.
As one of the Church of England’s demonstrator projects, Mossley Hill will also help build knowledge and experience for the Diocese of Liverpool and neighbouring diocese such as Chester and Manchester, offering a practical and completed example of how churches and clergy housing can move towards a lower-carbon future.
