Kentucky Church Installs Energy Efficiency Measures and Solar Panels | Article

Driven by the prospect of cost savings and long-term sustainability, the Midway Christian Church in Kentucky embarked on a journey to install energy efficiency measures and solar panels in 2004. The catalyst was a broken heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) system. Instead of duct-taping the old system and kicking the can down the road, the church invested in a heat pump, knowing that the resulting savings would help pay for the upgrade in the long term. It was also a way for the church to care for Creation.

“By installing energy efficiency measures throughout the church and placing solar panels on the roof, we were putting the money and work where our mouth was on caring for the Earth,” Rev. Dr. Heather McColl of Midway Christian Church said.

Credit: Midway Christian Church

Located in a rural town of 1,600 residents outside Lexington, Kentucky, the church has, on average, a weekly attendance of 60 members. To solidify its sustainable journey, Midway Christian Church sought to become a Certified Green Chalice Congregation in 2010. Disciples of Christ churches pursuing this certification must show commitment, action, and progress on a three-year basis in the sustainability of their buildings, property, worship and office practices, and education. Midway Christian Church worked to meet these requirements by improving energy and water efficiency throughout its facility while also creating sustainable programs.

“Midway Christian Church has been supported by and is a leader in the Green Chalice Program,” said Rev. Carol Devine, Green Chalice Minister and director of Blessed Tomorrow, a coalition of faith leaders focused on climate action. “Since 2015, Green Chalice has been a partner of Blessed Tomorrow and has received grants, resources, and much guidance from them, including the Faith in Action video featuring Midway Christian Church.”

Because it was built in 1895, the Midway Christian Church building was not designed to be energy efficient. This caused several problems over the years, including higher energy bills. To address these problems, the church took advantage of a rebate program offered by its local electric utility, Kentucky Utilities, and worked with an energy auditor to perform an ASHRAE Level 1 energy audit. This energy assessment involved a simple walk-through of the facilities and helped the congregation understand what energy efficiency measures were needed to become certified by the Green Chalice Program.

Credit: Midway Christian Church

Work on these upgrades, especially to the HVAC system, stretched for nine years from 2005 through 2014. Replacing the old HVAC system involved installing commercial-sized three-phase heat pumps in the church’s sanctuary, single-phase heat pumps in the office and basement, and a 90 percent efficiency furnace. The total cost for these upgrades was $46,000.

With larger spaces like a church sanctuary, a three-phase heat pump offers greater efficiency and reliability, with less noise and lower maintenance costs than a single-phase one. Because these heat pumps have fewer parts and constant power coming into the unit, the cooling and heating cycle is smoother, which leads to less vibration and noise. Fewer moving parts mean the unit is more reliable and has fewer maintenance costs than single-phase heat pumps or comparable furnaces. Increased efficiency means lower energy bills for the church.

Other energy upgrades performed by the church included replacing eight windows in the fellowship hall with double-pane windows—which cost about $8,300—as well as replacing all the interior and exterior lights with more energy-efficient LED lights. Switching out the lights cost $11,800 but resulted in annual savings of $4,706. Programmable thermostats and occupancy sensors were also installed.

Financing for the new HVAC, windows, thermostats, and lighting upgrades came from various sources, including a capital campaign, endowment funds, and general funds. The church looks at its clean energy improvements as a way to reduce operating costs in the long term. The energy savings from these upgrades also help finance existing and new community programs, such as support for the local elementary school.

Midway Christian Church’s hard work on sustainable energy practices paid off when it was nationally recognized for its environmental stewardship. In 2014, it became a Certified Green Chalice Congregation after another energy audit confirmed the building’s low energy consumption. The church was recognized again in 2015, this time in the “Cool Congregations” challenge organized by a religious nonprofit, Interfaith Power and Light, to promote emission reductions in congregations.

“We are a community of faith that started this journey long before it was popular, long before it was part of the narrative, and long before there were grants to install solar panels,” McColl said.

Solar Energy Panels

In 2018, Midway Christian Church became the first Disciples of Christ church to commit to going carbon neutral by 2030. This led to the commission of a 4.5-kilowatt (kW) rooftop solar system for the Fellowship Hall in September of that year, the total cost of which was $15,000. The Kentucky affiliate of Interfaith Power and Light matched the initial $5,000 raised in a capital campaign by Midway Christian Church. With support from the Green Chalice Challenge, the church raised another $5,000 in two weeks through donations from the community. Since their installation, the solar panels have generated about 19,000 kWh—an average of 4,500 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per year. Solar energy from these panels has helped the church avoid about 30,000 pounds of carbon emissions.

“Solar energy is a visible reminder for our community of how we honor God’s Creation and how we are part of the Green Chalice Challenge,” McColl said. “We needed to have tangible things that show that we practice what we preach: the solar panels. We hope to install more solar panels to reduce energy consumption.”

Food and Energy Nexus

Midway Christian Church strives to preserve resources and restore the land in the agricultural community between Lexington and Frankfurt, Kentucky. It does this by installing rain barrels, growing a rain garden, and running a recycling program within the church.

Working with the Woodford County Extension Office—a part of the University of Kentucky—and the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund, the church secured grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Resources Conservation Service. These cost-reimbursement grants helped Midway Christian Church purchase a certified commercial-grade kitchen, which includes energy-efficient appliances, such as a fridge and freezer. The church rents its kitchen out to vendors to use for local food markets. This allows the church to generate extra revenue while also contributing to the distribution of locally-grown produce and maintenance of sustainable agricultural practices in the area.

“Midway Christian Church's mission is to welcome all,” McColl said. “Our mission is grounded in the understanding that our connection to the wider community is our center. We realize that one of the ways we can honor our connection to the community is by caring for God's Creation. By installing energy-efficient and clean energy upgrades, our eyes have become more open to how our actions affect those around us and that these effects are not limited to humankind.”

Author: Miguel Yañez-Barnuevo