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Great Brington Rectory has become an ‘eco-house’ courtesy of a grant from the Church of England Pensions Board and Net Zero Carbon programme and provides a practical example of what can be done to reach our target of becoming carbon neutral by 2030.
This ambitious project has transformed a very cold and draughty rectory into a fully insulated and heated home with an air source heat pump and solar panels to provide the electricity. The incumbent, the Revd Andrea Watkins, kindly hosted Bishop John, Housing Committee Chair Bob Purser, and Property Officer Janine Weaver to a viewing of the finalised work alongside contractors Philip Alexander and Luke Morgan at the end of August.
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The heating and hot water for this property were previously provided by an oil boiler, whilst the large expanse of roof space along with an area to install the air source heat pump and associated batteries made it a stand out choice when Janine was considering which house to adapt; ‘Great Brington Rectory had great potential to make the most of solar energy, which provides enough electricity for the Rectory’s needs, including the associated energy costs of the air source hear pump, and sell surplus back to the grid.
This project provided a great opportunity to demonstrate how we can retro-fit modern technology into our rectories and vicarages to a make a vital contribution to meeting our environmental targets’, said Janine.
It was important that this project provided not only an opportunity to demonstrate what could be achieved, but also how it could be done on a reasonable budget. The whole project, which was grant funded, came in under £40 000, and looking at the current projections from the energy produced and given back to the grid, the solar panels would be offset within 4 years. This was achieved by careful management of finances and using the Diocesan approved and trusted contrators.
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Both Philip and Luke, heating contractor and electrician respectively, live and work in the Diocese, helping to maintain all our buildings, so it made sense to use their expertise, as well as their ability to work in partnership, to make sure the project was delivered on time and to budget. This use of local providers also provided reassurance to Andrea, who lived in the property throughout the work, and praised the diligence of the contractors for their tidiness and consideration.
Andrea has been resilient through the works being done in her home which took nearly four months. She is pleased with the results so far and is hoping this winter will see the end of parishioners going outside to warm up after a meeting at the Rectory! We will check back in with Janine and Andrea in the new year to see the impact these changes have made.