Practical Steps for Everyday Change

Explore practical guidance to help homes and churches lower energy use and make a positive difference for the planet.

practical environmental action for churches

Practical Steps for Everyday Change

Explore practical guidance to help homes and churches lower energy use and make a positive difference for the planet.

practical environmental action for churches

Caring for creation is something we can all take part in, and small practical actions can make a meaningful difference. These short guides highlight simple steps that individuals and congregations can take to reduce energy use, lower costs, and care for the environment in everyday life. Whether at home or in church buildings, thoughtful changes in how we use energy can contribute to a healthier planet and a more sustainable future.

The resources below offer ten practical tips for saving energy in your home and within church communities. From switching to energy-efficient lighting to making small changes in daily habits, these suggestions are designed to be easy to follow and achievable for everyone. By taking these steps together, we can play our part in caring for God’s creation and responding positively to the climate crisis.

Top tips for saving energy in…

Your Home

This includes your kettle, iPad and phone chargers etc, which all use a bit of electricity even when not being used

These use 6-10 times less electricity than old incandescent bulbs.Replacing halogen and incandescent light bulbs with LEDs is better for the environment than letting them run until they fail, whereas keeping CLF (the ‘curly’ long life bulbs) until they fail is better, putting them in places where they stay on for a long time as they use most electricity being turned on (like the old-fashioned strip lights).

Also, kettles often keep boiling for longer than they need to, using more electricity than is necessary; so, it’s worth keeping an eye on and switching off as soon as it is boiling

…is enough for most things!

This will mean that you can use them as efficiently as possible and therefore use less energy

as often as possible, even if only to start off the drying process. If washing needs to be dried indoors try to hang it all in one room with the door closed so that damp is confined to one room, with some heating on. If the room has an extractor fan use this, or open a window later to ventilate the room.

by a degree or two (and be prepared to wear more clothes)

Thick, thermal curtains and blinds make a big difference, and closing them at dusk means they are already shut before the temperature drops suddenly.

Insulating water tanks, pipes and putting reflector foil behind radiators on outside walls will all prevent heat escaping.

Particularly check for draughts where:

  • Pipes come through walls, floor or ceilings. Seal around using a flexible filler – silicon where there is damp (ie bathrooms, kitchen) and acrylic where you will paint or stain
  • The floor, wall and skirting meet – seal as above

Download 10 Tips for Saving Energy at Home

Your Church

Wherever possible, close outside doors and doors between rooms during cold weather, and / or doors to cold spaces such as porches. A long, thick curtain across an inner porch door also makes a big difference.

These use 6-10 times less electricity than old incandescent bulbs.Replacing halogen and incandescent light bulbs with LEDs is better for the environment than letting them run until they fail, whereas keeping CLF (the ‘curly’ long life bulbs) until they fail is better, but putting them in places where they stay on for a long time, as they use most

including kettles, which all use a bit of electricity even when not being used. Encourage your congregation and visitors to do the same.

Find and eliminate draughts (eg under doors, door and window frames, where skirting meets the floor).

Where appropriate, thick, thermal curtains and blinds make a big difference

This means that you can use the heating as efficiently as possible and therefore use less energy. Time the heating so the building is already warm when the congregation is arriving, and to go off a bit before folk leave, as heat in the system will remain for a short time after it switches off

Insulating water tanks, pipes and behind radiators on outside walls will all prevent heat escaping

Damp draws heat out of a building, so regular maintenance of gutters etc to ensure these are not blocked is well worth doing

A zoned heating system means that only the space(s) being used is using energy

Particularly in older buildings, consider how you use the space and how to make people more comfortable. Use smaller spaces when appropriate and look into infrared heating as an option to heat people rather than a big cold space.

Download 10 Tips For Saving Energy in Your Church

More Practical Guidance

A number of denominations offer their own tailored practical advice and support. Many of these resources are relevant to a wide range of churches and communities. Explore these resources below.