On April 4 twelve congregation leaders from Crawford and Erie counties met with the Commonwealth Community Energy Project and the Department of Environmental Protection as part of an ongoing initiative on “Congregations & Energy”, aimed at helping religious congregations manage their energy costs.

This group met to discuss utility consumption and costs, with discussion focusing on two major points. First, there was a review of the Energy Project’s analysis of 12 local congregations’ utility cost and consumption trends.

This analysis revealed that the average energy use per square foot for the study group was 68 kBtu/sqft-year, slightly higher than average for religious buildings in this climate zone. The range in usage, from less than 50 kBtu/sqft-year to over 125 kBtu/year, indicated the large savings opportunities the more energy-intensive congregations have.

Second, congregation leaders shared their experiences in dealing with rising energy costs this winter. Most notably, several congregations have installed programmable thermostats to reduce interior temperatures during unoccupied periods.

Congregations interested in holding the line on rising energy costs were urged to develop an energy management plan, including tracking utility usage, developing a purchasing policy, and considering an energy audit.

For more information, visit the Commonwealth Community Energy Project webpage.

4/14/2006