Help your Church Act on Climate Change

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The Energy Footprint Tool (EFT) is now live and ready for churches to use! This simple online tool helps you measure your church’s energy use and carbon footprint. By joining this initiative, you’ll be taking an important step to care for God’s creation and support the Church of England’s goal to become net zero by 2030.

Meet Archdeacon Pete Spiers

To give a deeper understanding of the EFT, we sat down with Archdeacon Pete Spiers, who is playing a leading role in the Church’s journey to net zero.

Pete is a member of the Net Zero Carbon 2030 Project Board and has long been passionate about environmental issues. He was vicar at St Luke’s, Crosby until 2015 and Pete encouraged initiatives to reduce emissions and inspire community action in making the most of the church grounds. St Luke’s have continued with the Net Zero Carbon journey ever since and they have received a silver award from Eco church.

Here’s what Pete had to say about the EFT and its impact on churches:

What is the EFT?

“The EFT is a free, easy-to-use tool designed to help churches:

  • Understand their carbon footprint based on energy use for heating and lighting.
  • Completion of the EFT will be a key requirement for Church of England Net Zero Carbon funding grants, supporting projects that reduce emissions and promote sustainable practices.
  • Take meaningful action to protect the environment while saving energy—and potentially reducing costs.”

Pete explained that the process couldn’t be simpler:
“All you need to do is enter details from your 2024 energy bills into the Online Parish Returns System. Once submitted, you’ll get an instant report showing your church’s carbon footprint and how it compares to previous years.”

So Why Does This Matter?

Climate change is one of the biggest challenges we face, not just as a diocese but as a global community. Reducing your church’s carbon footprint is a key way to help. Pete shared his thoughts:
“By using the EFT, you’re not only helping to care for God’s creation, but you’re also inspiring others in your local community to follow your lead. Together, we can make a real difference.”

What’s New for 2025?

The EFT has been revised and updated to make it even more helpful than it has been in previous year…

  • New questions about all your parish buildings. Use the Building Scope Checker Tool to see which buildings need to be included.
  • Improved reporting, so you can see total carbon emissions for your parish and for each building.
  • Updated green tariffs: A refreshed list of approved green energy suppliers will be available later this year.
  • No travel data required this year, but be ready to record it in 2025.
  • Earlier deadline: Submit your data by 30 June 2025, so the results can be shared at diocesan synods in the autumn.

The Energy Footprint Tool is a key part of the Church of England’s Net Zero Carbon 2030 programme, which aims to drastically reduce carbon emissions across the church. For more information, visit the Diocese of Liverpool’s NZC2030 pages or the Faiths4Change project page to explore the broader environmental initiatives underway.

Getting Started

Getting started couldn’t be easier (especially when it is making such a huge difference to our community!). All you have to do is…

  1. Collect your 2024 energy bills.
  2. Log into the Online Parish Returns System.
  3. Enter your energy use and costs.
  4. Instantly receive your Church’s carbon footprint report.

It couldn’t be easier!

Need some extra support to guide you?

There is help, support and guidance for every step of the way:

  • A communications toolkit with tips, graphics, and templates to promote the EFT.
  • A Building Scope Checker Tool to guide your data entry.
  • Details on the Church Decarbonisation Grant for energy-saving projects.

Find everything you need to get started with the Energy Footprint Tool on the Church of England’s dedicated webpage: Work out your church’s carbon footprint to help care for God’s creation. To access the Parish Returns page directly, visit Parish Returns Online.

Join the Movement

Last year in 2024, the Diocese of Liverpool saw a 48% return on completion of the EFT! This is huge! But there is still loads more to do! Let’s make 2025 the BIGGEST sign up from the Diocese of Liverpool! Together we can reduce emission, save energy, and protect God’s creation for generations to come!

And lastly, a very massive thank you from Pete and the Net Zero team to all the churches that signed up last year in 2024! You are helping us make a real difference across the Diocese.

 For more information and other elated resources, visit the Diocese of Liverpool’s NZC2030 pages and our delivery partner Faiths4Change’s  NZC2030 Knowledge Platform.

Start the year with a green bang!

Supported by Benefact Trust

With thanks to our Net Zero Carbon 2030 programme funders the Benefact Trust, and partners Faiths4Change, Harbour Project Management, and the Church of England.