Energy inefficient churches are plagued by skyrocketing power bills.  Let’s face it, church production takes a lot of power.  Not just “Holy Ghost Power”, but power company power.  While a lot of energy is used during production, inevitably a percentage of that energy is wasted. I’m willing to bet a lot of church buildings have terribly inefficient systems. It’s possible most church leaders are unsure of where their power is even going. I’m concerned that churches have come to accept the notion that high energy bills are simply the cost of doing ministry. The truth is, it’s not out of your hands. You can take responsibility for your church’s energy usage.

The first step: Understand where you energy is going.

“If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it.” – Lord Kelvin

The two most important numbers on your church’s energy bill are usage (kW/month) and payment due ($$$). This tells you the overall amount of energy used, and how much it’s going to cost you. What the bill doesn’t tell you is the breakdown of usage in your building.  It’s critical to know where your energy is going so that you can identify potential places of improvement.  Don’t worry.  This guide will get you pointed in the right direction.

Four common culprits of energy waste found in churches:

1. HVAC:

Church heating and cooling systems are by far the biggest offender of energy waste. It takes a lot of energy to heat/cool large venue spaces. Church sanctuaries are no different. Some HVAC systems need to run for hours prior to service to get the room to a comfortable temperature for attendees. You’d be surprised at how inefficiently some of these systems are running.  The first place to look for a quick solution here is at the HVAC management system. Commercial grade smart thermostats from the best in the industry are becoming widely available and resemble features seen in intelligent thermostats for the smart home market. Changing out an archaic HVAC regulator with smart products will give you the fastest reduction of energy waste for minimal investment.  Talk about bang for your buck.  In the next post I will go more in-depth about addressing larger HVAC waste issues.

2.  Lighting:

Another large contributor to energy waste at your church may be your lighting systems. If your church has yet to convert from the old school gym flood lights and fluorescent tubes, you are missing out on significant energy savings. There are tons of new energy efficient options on the market right now including CFL, LED and Induction fixtures.  Upgrading your lighting is another fast way to reduce energy usage throughout your church buildings.  Another benefit of switching is the increased life of the new technologies.  These new fixtures will require far less maintenance and bulb replacements than ever before.  Doing the whole building in one go may not be cheap.  Consider doing it in phases.  The good news is that prices are dropping.

Next consider smart zone control.  Many churches are now benefitting from using smart motion censoring technology to control lighting in classrooms, meeting spaces, and auxiliary areas.   Scheduling and way finding software can be integrated into smart lighting systems to ensure that you have light only where you need it.  These technologies are especially effective in energy reduction during non-peak hours.

Lastly, consider LED stage lighting fixtures for production. LED’s fixtures offer lower wattage, multi-color, multi-pattern options to lighting designers and don’t require power sucking dimmer packs.

3.  Phantom devices:

Phantom devices are anything that stays on 24/7.  Do you know how many devices in your church are NEVER turned off? These are most likely computers, AV, IT, emergency, and security devices that may or may not go into “sleep mode” and never fully turn off or unplug.  While the sleep mode feature does add the convenience of short wake up times, certain devices need not be on 24/7. Identifying the devices that can be completely shut off and connecting them to smart power strips that will decouple the device from the outlet when off is a great first step.  Some smart power strips can be connected to scheduling software so that they are on when you need them and completely off when you are gone.

4.  AV:

Audio visual manufactures have been producing more energy efficient devices over the last 5 years. The advent of class D MOSFET amp has significantly improved the efficiency, output, and reliability of modern audio amplifiers.  A lot of those devices have integrated control features allowing users to remotely monitor energy usage.  Old-school workhorse amplifiers, CRT tube TV production monitors, and large projectors not only require a lot of energy, they also produce tons of heat.  In each upgrade, consider the energy rating to maximize efficiency in your AV systems.

Next Steps:

If your church has been discussing upgrading any of these four systems sometime in the next 5 years, make energy usage and waste apart of the discussion.  If you really want to get a handle on your church’s energy (and energy bill), I’d highly recommend getting a commercial grade energy audit.  Next time we’ll break down what you can expect to learn from a church energy audit.