An Illinois parish expects to save about $12,200 annually on electricity after a retired engineer helped it embrace solar power.

Here's what to know

St. Anthony's new 79-kilowatt solar installation is awaiting Ameren approval before it can begin powering the church and hall, according to The Community Word.

The parish already has an 8.8-kilowatt array that supplies its rectory and office building. It saves an estimated $1,200 annually.

Parish member Lyle Fricke, a retired Caterpillar engineer, evaluated solar providers and guided the parish's expansion. His involvement began when he encouraged then-pastor Father Charles Klamut to consider solar for the parish after installing panels at his own home.

The parish anticipates it will recover the full system's costs within seven years. The larger installation is expected to save another $11,000 annually. Funding for the initial ground-mounted panels came from the parish's Building Hope fundraising campaign, The Community Word reported.

Homeowners who want to enjoy similar electricity savings can use EasyHome's free explorer tool to estimate their potential savings and find vetted local installers. Depending on the home and agreement, a $0 upfront solar lease may offer savings of hundreds of dollars per month.

More background

The parish's efforts draw inspiration from Pope Francis' 2015 encyclical, Laudato si', subtitled On Care for Our Common Home, per The Community Word. The letter pushed for worldwide action to address rising temperatures and environmental damage and framed caring for Earth as a moral responsibility.

Klamut has put that message into practice through projects at the parish. His successor, Father Jim Pankiewicz, is continuing those efforts and has completed the paperwork required to move the solar installation effort forward.

Generating electricity from sunlight on the 10-acre campus reduces reliance on burning fuel sources and the heat-trapping pollution they produce.

What's being done?

The parish still has to pay Ameren fees, and savings from its community solar subscription help cover them. The program supplies energy from large solar installations and supplements the electricity generated by the parish's own panels.

The parish's environmental stewardship extends to its grounds, too. Volunteers choose different flower beds to tend each year through the Care for Creation Committee. It gives parishioners a hands-on way to care for the surrounding environment. Members also stay informed about the work through Parish Council meetings, other gatherings, and updates in the church bulletin.

For Pankiewicz, the solar panels and garden work reflect the same responsibility. "Cultivating a spiritual awareness of the environment is part of responsible stewardship to live with the awareness that all things are connected," he told The Community Word.

Homeowners inspired by the parish's focus on energy costs can visit EasyHome to explore battery storage options. Pairing solar panels with batteries can help households manage electricity costs and keep stored power available for backup during outages, another factor to consider when planning a home energy system.

Where can I learn more?

Like St. Anthony's, homeowners, schools, and other community institutions are turning to solar to meet their electricity needs.

• A New England retiree's solar and heat pumps cover $7,265 in bills annually.

• Pennsylvania's Cambria Heights Elementary School installed 346 solar panels to offset air-conditioning demand.

• In Rockford, Illinois, a community solar project saved households $98,000 and OSF HealthCare $65,000.

• An Indiana builder powers a kitten rescue with DIY solar funded mostly by disability payments.

• A couple built a $9,000 barn array using a homemade tractor lift.

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