All Saints’ Church
All Saints’ Church in Leek Wootton will soon have a replacement for its 100-year-old heating system thanks to Warwickshire County Council’s Green Shoots Community Climate Change Fund.
The Green Shoots funding will enable the church to replace its highly inefficient, 100-year-old heating system with a more modern and effective alternative. The money will be used towards the following:
- Replacing the cast iron pipework and old electric boiler, which requires long time periods to create heat sufficient heat. The proposal is to fit new energy efficient infra-red panels, suspended from the main ceiling and aligned with the current lighting as this will be more sympathetic visually. Additionally, new heating panels will be fitted to the vestry, kitchen, toilet and meeting room, and the pew heaters will be upgraded.
The cost of this work is in the region of £25k but the Church is seeking to explore alternative means of funding to make up the difference.
The Church’s commitment to achieving carbon neutrality does not end at the replacement of its antiquated heating system. It is currently in the process of replacing all its lighting with highly energy efficient LED lighting and has even bolder plans for the future.
In the longer term, All Saints’ Church hopes to balance its energy usage with solar panels on its south-facing roof. Early exploration has indicated that it could accommodate13kW of panelling on the roof which would put it in a position to return renewable energy to the National Grid over the summer months.
The vision is that it may be possible to run small fixed electric heaters with the solar energy during the day during the winter months, to help keep the building at a more comfortable level, with the infra-red system providing the extra boost as required on a Sunday. The Church is waiting upon detailed costs on this part of the scheme along with structural surveys on the south roof to assess its feasibility.
Jonathan Kingston, Church Warden at Leek Wootton’s All Saints Church, said:
“The award of this grant will allow us to reduce our carbon footprint and hence our impact on the environment. It gives us the opportunity to put in a diverse solution to the problem of satisfactorily heating an old village Church.”
Further information can be found online on their website All Saints’ Church, Leek Wootton