What Happens during an Energy Audit?
Today's blog post comes from GIPL friend Patrick Cobb, the Facilities Manager at Saint Anne's Episcopal Church. Here he reflects on the process of receiving an Energy Audit from GIPL and what changes have been put in place following the audit. Additionally, Saint Anne's has a large solar array installed on the parish, funded through a GIPL grant, which powers their administrative offices.
I am the Facilities Manager at Saint Anne’s Episcopal Church and Day School. I have been in this position for four years.
Our GIPL energy audit was conducted by Gary Gabriel, and I was impressed with his professionalism and attention to detail. I learned that Saint Anne’s utilities were higher than the norm for other churches our size. To rectify this deficiency, Mr. Gabriel recommended LED lighting, monitoring thermostat and lights, attic insulation, Georgia Power’s Time of Use (TOU) rate plan for the Day School, and energy efficient HVAC Systems. Implementing these initiatives has reduced our electricity costs $7,209 or 16% the past three years.
At Saint Anne’s we strive to engage in the “just and proper use” of God’s creation and work continuously to identify and implement every possible means of improving our energy efficiency and our responsible and sustainable use of products. Installing an array of solar panels is an example of positive action on our part. Our parish was delighted to host a Solarize Atlanta workshop on May 17.
Saint Anne’s 10 kWh array of solar panels has resulted in $3,249 savings to date. This is the equivalent of planting 1089 trees and reducing CO2 emissions by 43,250 pounds!
In 2018, help your congregation save money through energy efficiency. The first step is to obtain a low-cost energy audit through GIPL’s Power Wise Program. A professional engineer with over 25 years energy management experience will conduct the audit and prepare the audit report which will serve as your road map to energy efficiency. Recommendations in the audit are eligible for up to $10,000 in matching grants. The deadline for grant applications is November 15, 2018. Make this the year to help care for creation at your church or school!