Every year, each charge is asked to complete the Energy Footprint Tool (EFT). It asks how much electricity, gas or oil your charge used in the previous calendar year. It also asks whether your church is on a renewable energy tariff.
- What is renewable and non-renewable energy? BBC Bitesize
- Green energy tariffs explained – Confused.com
These simple pieces of information provide a lot of data, which helps track the Provincial journey toward Net Zero, enabling the Net Zero team to better support each charge in reducing both its carbon footprint and utility bills.
The information is also collated by Diocese and Province to tell us what is happening overall. For example, in 2024, the use of renewable energy reduced the Province’s carbon footprint by one third.
It can also confirm what we already suspect – in 2024, a quarter of charges in Argyll and the Isles used oil for heating, but in the Edinburgh Diocese, very few used oil whilst three-quarters of charges used gas. This enables us to direct resources and help secure grant funding for the transition to cheaper, cleaner energy sources.
The EFT also helps charges, dioceses and the Province track carbon emissions over time. For charges, the EFT helps provide evidence of carbon reductions after Net Zero work has been undertaken, which is often a condition of grant funders.
The EFT also allows the Net Zero team to report back to General Synod and provide updates on the progress toward Net Zero.
If you haven’t already, please do fill in the 2025 data for your charge, to help us improve our datasets and to help your charge on its journey to Net Zero. You can access the tool here: Energy Toolkit
Neil Rawlins, Carbon Data and Projects Officer; Edited by Bethany Nelson
