Renewable energy tariffs are also referred to as ‘green tariffs’. The following links help to understand what these terms mean:

• What is renewable energy? – BBC Bitesize
• Green energy tariffs explained – Confused.com

Moving to a supplier of 100% renewable energy means that you can be assured that all the energy you use comes from a supplier who has purchased the energy from completely renewable sources. It is important to ensure that you are moving to a tariff that is 100% renewable.

Every energy supplier needs to display their Fuel Mix, which will tell you exactly where their energy comes from, and crucially, if it generates CO2 emissions. If it does, that might be an indication that the energy they use is not 100% renewable.

Finding a supplier of renewable energy for a home

If possible, get hold of meter readings for the last 12 months. This will help you calculate your fuel bills for the coming year.

Which? has guidance on green energy suppliers. They recommend several suppliers. Alternatively, the following online comparison sites may be helpful:

• Money Supermarket
• Switch Pal

Finding a supplier of renewable energy for a business

For a business, using a broker can be helpful. Forbes Magazine has some recommendations in the following article Top 5 Business Energy Switchers and Brokers | Startups. Additionally, some of the comparison sites listed for homes also have provide services for businesses. Alternatively, you can join an existing group supply arrangement. Both Charities Buying Group and ESPO provide the option to purchase green electricity along with optional additional services to help manage your electricity supply.

Make sure you have meter readings that cover the previous year. This will allow you to understand the estimated costs of each supplier and tariff.

Energy Tarrifs

Most energy suppliers offer several tariffs. The best tariff will depend on how much energy is used. Use what you know about a building’s energy consumption to ensure the tariff is suitable and offers value for money. Each tariff will consist of the following:

• A standing charge – the amount you pay each day for access to electricity
• The rate – the amount you pay for every unit of electricity used (measured in kilowatt hours kWh). N.B. the rate can change depending on what time of day or night electricity is used. Some tariffs offer fixed rates that are set for the duration of a contract, while others will be variable. Some tariffs offer the option to charge an electric car overnight at a low cost.
• Contact duration – the length of time that the supplier will provide electricity at the agreed terms.

Churches may be eligible for 5% rather than 20%: VAT for charities: What qualifies for VAT relief – GOV.UK. Any VAT relief would need to be reapplied for when switching energy suppliers.

Smart Meters and Meter Recordings

If you have a smart meter, your supplier will be taking accurate meter readings via the meter. If you have an older meter, your supplier will periodically send someone to read your meter. In between visits from the meter reader your supplier will estimate your readings unless you have taken meter readings yourself and sent these to your supplier.

You can find out more about smart meters here.

It is important that meter readings are accurate and up to date. This ensures you will pay the correct amount for your electricity usage.

If you think your supplier is billing you incorrectly, speak to the Net Zero Delivery Team for advice.

Radiant heaters typically are suspended from the ceiling and emit infra-red rays which will warm people and objects rather than the surrounding air.

They work in the same way as the sun shining on us and we feel warmer.

Modern radiant heaters use far infra-red which is safer than older near infra-red heaters, which tended to get very hot.

There are some useful articles for more information below:

• Radiant heating – a quick guide · Business Energy Scotland
• Benefits to buildings of using Infrared: drier, less condensation
• Heating Systems for Historic Buildings | Historic England
• The Complete Guide to Infrared Heating Panels | Eco Experts

Many churches use radiant panels or chandeliers. For example:

• St John’s Cathedral Oban have Flexel panels: FENIX – Electric heating for churches and places of cultural heritage.
• St Mary’s Cathedral Edinburgh have installed Herschel infra-red heaters – read about these here.
• Old Saint Paul’s Edinburgh have chandeliers installed by Electric Heating Solutions – read about these here.
• Read about the radiant heating systems at St Kentigern and St Thomas’ in Aberdeenshire here.
• Read a case study from the Church of England here.

Please note these are commercial websites; featuring here does not imply endorsement from SEC of products or businesses.

Heat pumps are powered by electricity to provide heating and hot water in buildings. They are becoming more common across Scotland and the UK for both residential properties and larger buildings. By using electricity rather than a fossil fuel, heat pumps provide an excellent opportunity to heat buildings while contributing to Net Zero.

Which? magazine has a useful article on heat pumps and how they differ from boilers, as well as a cost comparison.

Energy Saving Trust provides an in-depth guide to heat pumps, this is well worth reading if you are considering installing a heat pump in a domestic property such as a rectory or a small hall.

Another useful website is Your trusted source of information on heat pumps.

Historic England provide some excellent guidance on installing heat pumps in historic buildings and includes some churches as examples.

Check out the useful case studies below:

• Heat Pump Heroes stories (Home Energy Scotland).
• Kilmelford Church installed radiant panels and an air source heat pump (Historic Environment Scotland).
• Peedie Kirk United Reformed Church, Kirkwall installed solar PV panels, insulation and an air source heat pump (Local Energy Scotland).
• St Ninians RC Church, Dundee installed an air source heat pump, LED lighting and insulation (Local Energy Scotland).
• Saint Andrews, St Andrews installed solar PV, solar water heating panels, heating controls and insulation. 
• Fetteresso Church, Stonehaven installed solar PV, insulation and air-to-air heat pumps.
• Cairnlea Parish Church, Airdrie installed an air source heat pump in its B-listed community hall (Local Energy Scotland).
• St Anne’s Ings and Newcastle Cathedral installed heat pumps and other improvements (Church of England).

Solar panels, also known as photovoltaics (PV), capture the sun’s energy and convert it into electricity. Installing solar panels lets you use free, renewable, low carbon electricity. You can sell surplus electricity to the grid or store it for later use.

Useful advice from the Energy Saving Trust:

• Solar panels: costs, savings and benefits explained
• Solar panel installation: a step-by-step guide

Many churches, community buildings and homes are now using solar power, through adding PV panels to their roofs or on surrounding land.

Case Study: Installing Solar Panels in Scottish Episcopal Churches

Saint Andrews, St Andrews provides a great case study, which you can read about here. There is also an article available here about how planning permission was obtained, prior to installation.

You can read about cathedrals that have installed solar PV panels here and an article about York Minster here.

Many parts of Scotland benefit from huge potential for using wind as a renewable source of energy. The Energy Saving Trust has useful information including a wind speed predictor, to help understand whether a turbine might be suitable in your location.

Westray Parish Church of Scotland, achieved a Gold Eco-congregation Scotland award in recognition of their community-wide energy projects. These include community owned wind turbines, which you can read more about here.

An Energy Performance Certificate (commonly called an EPC) shows the energy rating for a building. It rates both the energy efficiency and the environmental impact of a building on a scale from A to G (A is very good and G is very poor). It provides a snapshot of the energy performance of a building at the time it was surveyed and identifies potential improvements along with information on the estimated energy use and associated costs before and after the suggested improvements.

The Scottish EPC register is publicly available and can be searched to download the EPC for any property that has one. Since 2009 all properties in Scotland have needed an EPC when being put on the market.

Controlling heating can provide savings on energy bills. Controls include thermostatic radiator valves (TRVs), wall thermostats, remote controllers such as Hive and much more. See Energy Saving Trust’s guidance here: Heating controls – Energy Saving Trust

Insulating roofs, floors or walls will improve the energy efficiency of any building. It saves energy and makes buildings warmer by stopping valuable heat from escaping through walls, ceilings, or floors. Once installed, insulation is maintenance-free with little or no ongoing financial commitment.

Different types of insulation are suitable for different properties, and advice should be taken on what is suitable in each instance.

Energy Saving Trust has information about insulation and draught proofing. For churches, halls, and cathedrals you can also visit Business Energy Scotland.

Historic Environment Scotland provide useful case studies and guidance on insulating historic buildings.

Ideally all doors and windows will be double or triple glazed with draught proofing. For more information on options, the Energy Saving Trust provides comprehensive information on windows and doors, including different glazing options: Energy efficient windows and doors – Energy Saving Trust.

Stained glass windows can often be thermally improved by adding secondary glazing. A quick google search will reveal a number of companies who offer bespoke solutions for stained glass windows.

Read a case study here of how the Good Shepherd Murrayfield improved the glazing of their rectory windows.

The University of Edinburgh and Edinburgh World Heritage have produced a useful document on how to retrofit sash and case windows:

Hot water is usually either heated and stored for use in a hot water tank or heated instantaneously when it is needed. The Health and Safety Executive advise that if storing hot water in a tank, the water should be heated to at least 60^oC to avoid the risk of Legionella.

Changeworks provide advice on using hot water in the home.

For hot water use in a church hall or similar premises, the main consideration will be how much water is needed. If water is required primarily for making hot drinks and washing up, an instantaneous hot water heater should be sufficient. If the demand for hot water is greater, it may be necessary to look at other options.

Historic Environment Scotland have produced informative videos on traditional building (i.e. those built before 1919).  

How to Improve Energy Efficiency | The Engine Shed | Part of HES 

How to Generate Energy in Older Buildings | The Engine Shed | Part of HES 

These provide information on a range of techniques and options that will be suitable for churches, halls and rectories. 

Their video tour of Holyrood Lodge in Edinburgh shows what improvements can be made to make a building more energy efficient. It will be particularly helpful for charges that need inspiration on how to improve their rectories. 

How to Make a Historic Building Energy Efficient: A Tour of Holyrood Lodge, Edinburgh 

The prospect of managing a building project is often daunting. It can involve managing contractors, appointing architects, raising funds, tendering for work and more. 

Before starting a project, have a read through the National Churches Trust’s webpages on developing and managing church building projects. These pages talk through the processes in a building project and will greatly help anyone understand the scope of their undertaking. 

Developing and managing church building projects | National Churches Trust 

Many older buildings are listed and/or in a conservation area. Usually, listed buildings need to gain permission from the local planning authority for alterations to the interior and exterior of a building where alterations are being considered. The situation is similar for buildings in a conservation area, but usually only applying to the exterior a building.

Many places of worship are listed but exempt from requiring permission to alter a listed building from their local authority (Ecclesiastical Exemption). Their religious body has been given the authority to make decisions about alterations to places of worship. The Scottish Episcopal Church has such authority to make decisions about its churches and this is administered through the Buildings Committee as detailed in Canon 35.

As with other buildings, planning permission may still be required and advice should be sought from the local authority or a competent professional.

The Scottish Government and Historic Environment Scotland provide further information at the following web pages:

• Guide to conservation areas in Scotland – gov.scot (www.gov.scot)
• Listed Buildings | Public Body for Scotland’s Historic Environment
• Ecclesiastical Exemption | Historic Environment Scotland | HES

Historical buildings may not be as resilient to climate change as newer builds that have been designed to withstand extreme weather events.

Historic Environment Scotland has produced a useful short guide.

Specific advice on sustainable drainage can be found here: CIRIA guidance