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A Long-Anticipated Upgrade: Salisbury United Replaces over 100 Lights
Some renovation projects are talked about long before they happen. Salisbury United finally executes a long-anticipated upgrade of over 100 lights throughout its entire building.
Some renovation projects are talked about long before they happen. They might not be fully planned out, but there's a shared understanding among the church community and staff that these building updates are needed and will eventually get done. When the time finally comes and resources are available to address these projects, it’s an exciting time for the church.
Salisbury United Church located in Sherwood Park, Alberta experienced this feeling when they executed a long-anticipated upgrade of over 100 lights throughout its entire building.
Bringing the Project to Light
Caring for their building and ensuring its functionality is a commitment of Salisbury United. They describe their building as a key ministry tool for the congregation, serving the Salisbury United community as well as several other community groups and a growing Filipino church.
The idea to completely replace the lighting inside the building’s 1950s and 1980s sections had been on the church’s radar for a while. The project included replacing over 100 fluorescent and incandescent lights in its Sanctuary, office, program and daycare areas with LEDs and replacing two parking lot street lamps.
“We share our church with a Filipino congregation, house numerous community groups, offer a home to a Daycare with almost 100 children attending and provide cost-effective support to those community groups which have returned to use our facility, including Brownies and Karate, both of which support children, youth and families – This project was an investment in the continued life of those groups as well as in our ability to house the congregation of Salisbury United Church,” says Brian McCarthy, Property Chair, Salisbury United
When the time came around, Salisbury United faced little hesitation in finally undertaking this project, given the age of their fixtures and the need to enhance the building's sustainability. The Board was onboard and at a congregational meeting to approve their 2023 budget, the congregation was informed of the project's necessity and expressed their support.
Prepared and Ready
Knowing that new ministry and building updates like this would eventually be needed, Salisbury United set up the Cornerstone Fund years ago. This fund, built from memorials and other donations, was put aside specifically for new ministry work and property projects. Because of this planning, the Cornerstone Fund had just enough money to cover the remaining costs of the project after receiving support from the Faithful Footprints program and Government of Alberta equipment rebates. As a result, the church didn’t need to do any additional fundraising. This preparedness was helpful as the church had seen a drop-off in financial participation by supporters who were occasional or annual attenders as well as losing renters after the pandemic.
Before starting the project, Salisbury United anticipated a few challenges. They knew they could not handle any physical or technical aspects, so they wanted a turnkey solution from a contractor. With several renovations over the years, they were aware that their electrical drawings were outdated and connected with a contractor experienced in working with older church buildings.
The church also had to consider its Daycare program, which operates five days a week from 6 AM to 5 PM in the basement, and the after-school care program on the main floor. They needed a contractor who could work around these schedules, including off-hours if necessary.
One unexpected issue was that the main contractor couldn't replace the yard lights due to not having a picker truck. With the lights out and parents needing to navigate a dark and busy parking lot for pick-up and drop-off, Salisbury United brought on another contractor to handle the repair and include it in the overall lighting upgrade project.
A Brighter Space and Reduced Electricity Use
Salisbury United Church successfully completed the LED lighting upgrade turning their sanctuary into a brighter, more welcoming space. The new lights are significantly brighter and offer adjustable intensity and wavelength for various activities and events. Areas that were previously in shadow, such as the chancel, communion table, and pulpit, are now well-lit and easily visible from all angles.
"Before the upgrades, users of these spaces never realized just how dull the old lights were," says McCarthy.
In addition to aesthetics, the upgrade is three times more efficient than the previous lighting system, saving the church 26,685 kWh of electricity annually—equivalent to a cost savings of approximately $5,500 per year. This improved efficiency reduces the demand for energy generation and significantly cuts down on maintenance costs. Church staff no longer have to replace failed tubes and ballasts monthly, eliminating waste streams containing harmful substances like mercury and PCBs.
Additionally, the installation of new yard lights has improved the illumination of the parking lot, improving safety and security, especially during Alberta's long, dark winters.
A year after the project was completed, Salisbury United Church achieved a remarkable 40.1% reduction in electricity usage.
Future Plans
Looking ahead, there are other projects that Salisbury United will be considering which include insulating the sanctuary roof or upgrading the two double-door entrances, which are currently single-pane glass. These updates have been on the church’s radar, and once the timing and resources align, the community will work towards making these improvements to their building.
Faithful Footprints Program
The United Church of Canada’s Faithful Footprints program offers inspiration, tools, and grants to help its faith communities reduce their carbon footprint. With the Church’s commitment to reducing its greenhouse gasses (GHG) emissions by 80% by 2030, this one-of-a-kind program offers up to $30,000 in grants towards energy conservation and renewable energy projects (conditions apply).
Faith & the Common Good is the delivery partner for the Faithful Footprints program. To date, we have engaged over 500 congregations, camps, and buildings across the country. Your participation in the program puts your faith into action and helps the Church reach its target.
St. Paul’s United Saves Money, and Sends Message with Solar
“Solar panels on the roof of a church are like a giant billboard for the church,” says Wheler. “It says: ‘Hey, we are going to be here for a while and we care about the environment. We are looking forward. We are progressive. This is a place where things are happening. Come on it and check us out.'”
STORY BY TERRY JORDEN IN THE EDMONTON PRIME TIME, MAR 28, 2018
When you walk past St. Paul’s United Church in Belgravia, you can’t help but notice the large and impressive south facing sloped roof.
In fact, if you’re an engineer specializing in green energy, you might even say it’s the perfect roof for solar panels. Even some church parishioners remarked that the church was ideally suited.
When Justin Wheler began attending the church in 2006, the thought may have crossed his mind, too. But it wasn’t until 2011, after the roof was upgraded, that the idea began to take shape. An energy audit of the 62-year-old building recommended the need for some new windows, the removal of an old fridge and gas stove and the installation of LED lights.
“One thing that surprised me was that a lot of people thought it would be much more complicated than it ended up being.”
By 2013, Wheler obtained a quote to install solar panels for the church to consider. But, as is often the case, budgets were tight and resources were going towards other church’s ministries such as a campus ministry, a food security program in Garneau and Old Strathcona, a quilting group and a school in Zambia.
One day in 2017 Wheler became aware of the City of Edmonton’s EcoCity grant program, created to support community projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. St. Paul’s solar panel project seemed like the perfect fit.
With two days before the grant application deadline, Wheler and the rest of the solar power committee of Clare Irwin, Bob Miller, Chris Peet, Jocelyn Proby and Hami Razaghi, received the blessing of the church board and submitted the grant application for the $70,000 project. (Other key church members include Coleen Falk and Dawn MacDonald.)
What was once just an idea became a reality when the $25,000 EcoCity grant was received, another $25,000 was quickly raised through donations and a $14,000 Energy Efficiency Alberta rebate was factored in.
Western Canada-based Skyfire Energy was selected to do the work and finished the project in late January. There are now 95 panels covering 75 percent of the south side sanctuary roof. It is estimated the panels will generate about 28,000 kWh annually, supplying most of the church’s electrical needs. St. Paul’s spends about $2,000 annually on electricity.
St. Paul Rev. Catherine MacLean says one of the challenges for the church was to generate donations for the project that would not divert funds away from other church activities.
“People were invited to donate, and made aware of the other investments of resources in which the congregation is involved,” says Rev. MacLean. “And we are happy to say that the solar panels are fully funded without inhibiting any other work. We believe that they enhance our purpose and reflect the wonder of God’s hand in creation.”
“One thing that surprised me was that a lot of people thought it would be much more complicated than it ended up being,” says Wheler.
“Once we decided to actually go for the project and pursue it with some dedication, things went very smoothly,” he says. “We went from an idea one day, to a grant application the next day, to a fully funded project three months later. Then we selected a contractor and had it installed in less than a year. For a volunteer organization, that is extremely fast.”
While solar panels are appearing throughout the city on private and public properties, relatively few are on church buildings.
One church to go solar was the St. Albert United Church. A 4.75 kWh solar panel awning system was installed in 2011. More recently the Zion Baptist Church of Kensington received a EcoCity grant for a solar panel project.
St. Paul’s United has begun to receive enquiries from other organizations because of its very visible location in the neighbourhood south of the main University of Alberta campus.
For all those considering going green, Wheler has some advice.
“Go for it. Now is the time. “There is great support from all levels of government right now and there are a lot of very skilled companies working in this industry.
“We are going through a lot of transitions in the electricity system in the province right now, so this might be an important opportunity to hedge against future price increases as well as contributing to climate leadership,” says Wheler.
So, not only do the solar panels reduce electricity costs and greenhouse emissions, they also send a powerful message to all who pass by.
“Solar panels on the roof of a church … are like a giant billboard for the church,” says Wheler. “It says: ‘Hey, we are going to be here for a while and we care about the environment. We are looking forward. We are progressive. This is a place where things are happening. Come on it and check us out.'”
You can monitor the project’s daily energy generation here.