December 2023 Newsletter

Monthly Highlight 

2024 Canadian Church Calendar features three Faithful Footprints participating buildings

Don't forget to order The United Church edition of the 2024 Canadian Church Calendar. The theme of this year’s calendar is the United Church’s Call and Vison: Deep Spirituality, Bold Discipleship, Daring Justice. This year, three buildings that have and are participating in the Faithful Footprints program are featured, including Topsail United Church (Conception Bay South, NL) and Canadian Memorial United Church (Vancouver, BC), Carberry United Church (Carberry, MB).

Work Completed

Chipman United Church (Chipman, NB)

Received a grant to insulate its attic to a value of R-30, install 7 LG Dual Cool Prestige 24K duct-less mini split units and a second 200A electrical panel, as well as upgrade lightbulbs to LED.

 

Fish Creek United Church (Calgary, AB)

Received a grant to replace one of four furnaces and all furnace thermostats to  programmable system; replace a 50 Gal hot water tank with on-demand system, front doors windows to double pane as well as improve weatherstripping; install wifi-power-scheduling of 3 fridges and motion sensors on washroom lights and timers on washroom fans; upgrade perimeter motion-light detectors and nine fluorescent/incandescent lights to LED, and closed a 1 ft^2 air inlet to the mechanical room.

 

Glenwood United Church (Windsor, ON)

Received a grant to replace two boilers in its sanctuary with electric water heaters.

 

Winsloe United Church (South Winsloe, PE)

Received a grant to install six heat pumps and six ceiling fans.

Energy Results

Camp Fircom (Vancover, BC)

Received a grant to install 15kW of solar PV panels on its archery shelter. A year following their projects, Camp Fircom reduced its weather-normalized source EUI by 39.6%, GHG emissions by 46.7%, diesel usage by a single source by 44.5%, and energy costs by 11.3%.

Read more about their project in our blog Camp Fircom: The Off-Grid Effect

 

Knox United Church (Saskatoon, SK)

Received a grant to replace a 84-year-old firetube boiler with two new boilers and a venting system, and a natural gas water heater with an electric water heater. A year following their projects, Knox United reduced its GHG emissions by 5.1%, and electricity usage by 7.1%.

 

Lamont Health Care Centre (Lamont, AB)

Received a grant to install 50 solar panels, in addition to its existing 100 panels. A year following their projects, Lamont Health Care Centre reduced its weather-normalized source EUI by 8.1%, GHG emissions by 6.5%, electricity usage by 2.9%, and natural gas usage by 10.2%.

 

Fifth Avenue Memorial United Church (Medicine Hat, AB)

Received a grant to replace an old steam boiler, pipes, radiators, valve controllers and steam traps with three high-efficiency hydronic water boilers and associated equipment; and install an air-forced furnace. A year following their projects, Fifth Avenue Memorial United reduced its weather normalized source EUI by 44.3%, GHG emissions by 46.3%, electricity usage by 21.4%, and natural gas usage by 50.9%.

 

Forest Hill United Church (Fredericton, NB)

Received a grant to install two 30,000 BTU heat exchangers and two programmable thermostats; replace two ceiling fans, five exit lights with LED lights, five fluorescent hall and stairwell lights with LED pot lights, eight incandescent lights with LED pot lights, occupancy sensors in two offices, one exterior dusk to dawn light, a small entrance door, the second-floor fire escape door, and refrigerator. A year following their projects, Forest Hill United reduced its weather-normalized source EUI by 11.2%, GHG emissions by 22.9%, GHG emissions intensity by 23.4%, and natural gas usage by 23.0%.

 

Old Barns United Church (Lower Truro, NS)

Received a grant to install solar panels and heat pumps; and replace 22 baseboard heaters and 154 fluorescent bulbs to LED lighting. A year following their projects, Old Barns United reduced its weather-normalized source EUI by 16.9%, GHG emissions by 17.7%, and energy costs by 19.1%

Read more about their project in our blog Inspired by Respect for Creation: Old Barns United has gone Net Zero with Zero Dollars.

 

St. Stephen’s United Church (Qualicum Beach, BC)

Received a grant to replace two water heaters with an electric and gas water heater; replace seven single paned/louvred windows in the sanctuary and two bathrooms with argon-filled double-glazed thermal pane windows; replace a chest freezer and a furnace with a heat pump; increase attic insulation to R40; install LED lighting throughout the building; and weatherstrip all exit doors and caulk all double pane windows. A year following their projects, St. Stephen’s United reduced its weather-normalized source EUI by 13.1%, GHG emissions by 26.1%, GHG emissions intensity by 28.6%, and natural gas usage by 27.3%.

Inspiration

Eco-Momentum: Transcona Memorial United continues its green building renovations with $480k Canadian Government Support

In 2022, Transcona United United Church (Winnipeg, Manitoba) received $30,000 in funding from a United Church of Canada Faithful Footprints grant to replace gas furnaces, transition from three to two, and install heat recovery ventilators. A year after completion, these projects helped Transcona Memorial United reduce its weather-normalized source EUI by 6.2%, GHG emissions by 12.3%, natural gas usage by 12.2%, and electricity usage by 5.5%.

Building on the momentum, Transcona Memorial United is continuing its greening efforts with $480,000 of federal funding for an ambitious energy efficiency and decarbonization building upgrade through the Green and Inclusive Community Buildings (GICB) program, and an additional $50,000 contributed by the City of Winnipeg – Municipal Government.

Explore the Program