Officials from historic England churches are turning to heat pumps to ensure their choir boxes, pews, and balconies are comfortable.
It's part of a unique trend among the tabernacles to replace aging wood chip or dirty fuel furnaces with systems that can cut air pollution and energy costs throughout the year, according to Wired.
"We're all very happy," Karen Crowhurst, a leader at St. Mary's Church in Lawford, Essex, said in the story. Parts of the church are more than 800 years old. "We want to get through winter knowing that we're going to have a nice warm church."
Popular air-source heat pumps work by moving warm air inside or outside — depending on the season — using a compressor, refrigerants, and piping. Modern systems can reduce electricity use for heating by up to 75% as part of overall superior performance, according to Energy Star and the U.S. Department of Energy.
The technology has been improving greatly, making heat pumps great options for sanctuaries or households in nearly any climate, including England or America's Northeast, experts reported.
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In Egham, St. John's congregation also added a heat pump to the 200-year-old structure. The faithful there might have gone the geothermal route, as Wired described trenches that were dug for pipes. Geothermal units leverage warm air that's pulled from shallow ditches, instead of ambient air like other setups, per the DOE.
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The church work included some obstacles that won't be a factor for most households: bones from centuries-old cemeteries.
"We had archaeologists supervising," church volunteer Chris Gray said in Wired's story. "You just rebury bones. It's a churchyard, that's what they're there for."
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Definitely 💯 He has been surveying his fellowship of faithful to see if everyone is satisfied with the work. The response has been good.
"That you can go green without compromising on comfort was, apparently, a surprise to some," he said.
Many congregational leaders cited environmental stewardship as a leading reason for the projects. The efficient units nix planet-warming air pollution that's spewed when dirty fuels are used to provide the heat. NASA's experts said the fumes are creating greater chances for extreme weather that is impacting our food supply, insurance premiums, and ocean health.
"I'm a great believer that resources are not infinite and therefore we have to manage them responsibly," the Rev. Barry Knott, rector of the Lympne and Saltwood Benefice and a regional religious leader, said, per Wired.
A great next step is to add a rooftop solar system, which can create more savings by converting free sunlight into electricity to power the heat pumps. TCD's Solar Explorer has a menu of partners to help you secure quotes and find the right installer. Palmetto's Home app is another great tool to unlock up to $5,000 for household upgrades with some simple steps.
In England, some churches are adding or already have solar, according to Wired. The work is proof that a building's age isn't a hurdle for modern upgrades. Electricity supply for very remote sanctuaries can be a hurdle for certain projects, Haier HVAC Solutions expert Graham Hendra said in the story.
But most of the time, the upgrades are an easy install.
"There is no reason why we can't put a heat pump in every single church in the UK, including Westminster Abbey," Hendra told Wired.
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