East London church goes green with £170k upgrade

An east London church has installed more than 100 solar panels and four heat pumps following a £170,000 investment in green technology.

St Paul's West Hackney church now generates about 70% of its energy from 104 solar panels and four air source heat pumps.

The project was funded by community group Stokey Energy, Hackney Council's Community Energy Fund and the London Olympics Legacy Fund.

While exact savings are hard to calculate due to fluctuating energy prices, the parish initially estimated its £40,000 contribution could be recouped within four years.

Father Brandon Fletcher-James, who became priest in the summer, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "All churches aspire to be environmentally friendly, but we try to do it in a way that actually is practical.

"Even in the last five months of being here, I've been approached by various churches asking how it even came about in terms of solar panels, but also what that means for our environmental status."

Stokey Energy led the work, which it says has transformed the Anglican church into a "solar powerhouse".

Co-founder Tom Campbell said the system now generates 46MWh of electricity a year and has slashed its energy costs.

He said: "Most churches have phenomenal thermal leaking, which is why they have so many problems with congregations really suffering from the cold, and enormous heating bills because the [buildings] are so poorly insulated."

Hackney Council hopes to replicate the scheme across other churches, temples and mosques, while also focusing on decarbonising its housing stock.

Councillor Sarah Young, who leads on climate, environment and transport, said the council is installing solar panels on 27 blocks across three estates. The Labour-run authority says tenants and leaseholders "could soon see their bills slashed" as a result.

The £2m scheme is being funded from the council's climate budget, which includes money from City Hall's Carbon Offset Fund.

The council claims the project will pay for itself, with income from selling residents discounted solar electricity expected to cover costs over 10 to 20 years.

On 18 December, St Paul's West Hackney received a visit from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.

Parliamentary Under-Secretary Martin McCluskey praised the church as a flagship example of community-led energy.

He said: "It really stands as an example for what other buildings across the country can take advantage of with this new green technology that's readily available right now.

"The great thing about it is it's been led by the council and by community energy companies."

Father Fletcher-James said that his plans for making the church greener does not stop there.

"There is so much more we can do to be environmentally friendly in terms of our day-to-day running and costs, our admin, our governance.

"Those are some of the things I'm hoping to try and also look at in the new year," he added.

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