PATHWAY TO NET ZERO FOR METHODIST CHURCHES

YORKSHIRE NORTH & EAST METHODIST DISTRICT

BACKGROUND

The UK Government allocated £7m funding to a programme of Capital and Revenue projects in order to deliver significant carbon reductions and contribute to York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority’s (Y&NYCA) ambition to be Net Zero by 2034.

The Pathway to Net Zero for Yorkshire North & East Methodist District Churches project was successful in receiving a slice of these funds by demonstrating how the transition to Net Zero could be achieved in five very different church building types across a range of communities.

OUTCOME

Having produced Decarbonisation Plans for each of the Churches, our scope of work for this project included RIBA Stages 3 & 4 - Spatial Coordination, Technical Design and Planning Applications followed by RIBA Stage 5 - Construction.

Carrying out multiple roles as Designer, Project Manager and Principal Designer our responsibilities included:

•  detailed building fabric and M&E surveys

•  recommendation of energy saving measures, low carbon heating options and renewable energy installations

•  designs, drawings and specifications for submission of Planning Applications

•  issuing and subsequent assessing of a tender packages

•  project management and contract administration of the construction phase.

Works encompass the installation of solar PV and batteries at all five churches and new insulation, windows or secondary glazing, LED lighting and suspended ceilings in some. Heat pumps will also be installed which, notably, will bring Northallerton Church to its Net Zero target as per our Decarbonisation Plan.

With works due for completion in mid 2025, targeted outputs from this project, to be achieved by March 2028, include:

•  over 22,000 kg/year reduction in CO2

•  59,845 kWh of renewable energy generated through solar PV

•  13,996 kWh reduction in energy demand through energy saving measures

•  62 kW rooftop solar PV installed

•  72kWh battery storage systems installed

• 4 heat pumps installed