Our Net Zero Carbon 2030 Programme team is dedicated to supporting churches on the journey to net zero carbon.
In partnership with Faiths4Change, we provide resources all churches can access to help reduce your carbon emissions.
We work closely with committed churches to understand your energy use, carbon footprint, and find practical solutions for your buildings and church life.
Each church’s path to net zero is unique. Key steps include:
Understanding your carbon footprint – you can work this out and track progress annually, by entering information from your energy bills into the Energy Footprint Tool, part of the Parish Returns system.
Reducing emissions – we need to minimise reliance on burning fossil fuels like coal, gas and oil, through measures such as switching to green energy suppliers, using eco-friendly heating systems, improving lighting efficiency, installing insulation, and even turning down thermostats by one degree – often small changes can make a big difference.
Balancing remaining emissions – any unavoidable remaining carbon emissions can potentially be balanced, by supporting reputable carbon removal schemes such as land management and tree planting. This should be no more than 10% of the church’s current carbon footprint, to align with the national church’s net zero commitment.
Churches participating in our Net Zero Carbon 2030 Programme are guided through a process, including:
- Your PCC making a commitment to net-zero.
- Using the Energy Footprint Tool (EFT) which is part of the Parish Returns system, to work out the carbon footprint of your church. This will give you a benchmark to measure progress against year on year, and it enables us to better understand needs across the Diocese.
- Identifying a group from your church to complete the ‘Practical pathway to net zero’ survey and checklist.
- Your PCC to develop a net-zero plan and then implement it and compare progress against your benchmark each year.
- Taking steps to become an Eco Church, and work towards your next Eco Church award.
Our focus is on building relationships with church teams, providing support and advice to help you achieve net zero carbon and Eco Church goals.
While we don’t fund individual projects, we share information about available funding opportunities and offer targeted fundraising advice.
We are engaging expert consultants to explore technical solutions, such as alternatives to gas heating, installing Solar PV and EV chargers, and improving building fabric through solutions such as insulation, double or secondary glazing.
Our insights equip churches to develop your own net zero plan, inform decision-making when commissioning expert surveys, applying for funding, and making DAC applications to carry out future church building works.
Access information on submitting DAC applications for alterations to church buildings, taking Net Zero Carbon into consideration here: Application process – Diocese of Liverpool (anglican.org). A printable flowchart to guide you through the process is here: dac-flowchart-v2.pdf (faiths4change.org.uk)
Work out your church’s carbon footprint to help care for God’s creation
The Church of England’s Energy Footprint Tool enables churches to work out your carbon footprint by entering information from your energy bills from the previous year.
The data collected from the tool will help your church understand its carbon footprint and will mean you may be eligible for grants to help kickstart your net zero projects.
This work is an essential part of caring for God’s Creation, by helping to combat global heating and climate change.
The easy-to-use online tool will tell your church what your carbon footprint is, based on the energy you use to heat and light your buildings.
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
Watch a video of quick-fire questions about the Energy Footprint Tool here:
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 have a separate church hall you will need to add this building, and enter 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 31 July each year and you can find it on the online Parish Returns system: https://parishreturns.churchofengland.org/diocese-menu/verify-data
How to fill out the Energy Footprint Tool – you can watch a detailed screen by screen walk through to help you fill out the tool here:
Get in touch if you need help:
Need support or have questions with the technical aspects of your net zero carbon journey? Contact Phil Leigh, our Net Zero Carbon 2030 Programme Lead and Diocesan Environmental Officer: phil.leigh@liverpool.anglican.org or email: nzc@Liverpool.anglican.org
Read more:
Energy Footprint Tool | The Church of England
Join Us!
Please get in touch to find out more about joining our Net Zero Carbon 2030 programme for churches – email: nzc@faiths4change.org.uk
Need support or have questions with the technical aspects of your net zero carbon journey? Contact Phil Leigh, our Net Zero Carbon 2030 Programme Lead and Diocesan Environmental Officer: phil.leigh@liverpool.anglican.org
Find further advice and guidance here:
With thanks to our Net Zero Carbon 2030 programme funders the Benefact Trust, and partners Faiths4Change, Harbour Project Management, and the Church of England.
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.
