St. John United seizes opportunity to boost efficiency after major pipe leak

Over the years, St. John's United Church of Georgetown and Glen Williams, Ontario have taken thoughtful steps to make its building more efficient and resilient. What began with smaller upgrades like installing LED floodlights above the chancel and in the north parking lot, grew into more significant projects, including a new metal roof on the original church and an upgraded HVAC system for the building’s addition and office areas.

One of the church’s most impactful upgrades took place in the fall of 2023. Realizing the inefficiencies of their aging steam boiler system, the church made the decision to convert to high-efficiency hot water boilers with a higher operating pressure. 

“The original steam pipes, which had heated the building for decades, had corroded over time.” says Robin Allison of St. John’s United Church of Georgetown and Glen Williams

However, in April 2024, just months after the conversion, a major pipe leak was discovered in the lower storage room. Instead of delaying action, the church quickly arranged a temporary repair and pressure-tested the entire system to assess the extent of the issue. The test revealed multiple weak spots and additional leaks hidden throughout the piping. Rather than simply patching the problem, St. John saw an opportunity to strengthen the system for the long term. 

Strengthening the system for the long run 

In June 2024, St. John’s United Church applied to the Faithful Footprints program to help offset approximately $60,000 in hot water pipe remediation costs. Anticipating unforeseen issues, the church set aside a $10,000 contingency and planned to reduce costs by completing drywall removal, restoration, and painting in-house.

During the church’s summer shutdown, while worship took place at a neighboring church, a pipe fitter replaced all compromised sections. By July, members had exposed identified leak areas, and by August, pipe repairs were completed, the grant was approved, and drywall restoration followed

“Thanks to the help from a Faithful Footprints grant, St. John’s United was able to complete a major restoration project in our church, and upgrade our hot water pipe system which was necessary. We now have a long-term, low maintenance solution to our heating system concerns that have been ongoing for years. Completing the retrofit will help ensure comfortable conditions in our facility for years to come.” states Allison 

Future projects 

St. John’s United Church’s most recent renovation shows that building upgrades involve more than installing new equipment. Even when a main issue appears resolved, new challenges can emerge, requiring foresight, flexibility, and a willingness to address them head-on. Despite unexpected setbacks, the church remains committed to continuous improvement, using each project as inspiration to do more.

“Additional needs will continue to emerge, and each will be approached with energy efficiency as the top priority. We are a very active community facility and as the number of events and renters increase, we need to upgrade as much as possible to reduce daily operating costs long term. With more and more of the community coming to our building it was incumbent on us to be perceived as “green” and energy efficient.” says Allison 

Next, St. John United plans to install LED lighting throughout the building, add low-speed, high-volume ceiling fans in the sanctuary, insulate the sanctuary attic, refurbish the community hall’s wood floor, and pave the north parking lot.

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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. 

Move to Action: Siloam United’s Commitment to Reducing Carbon Emissions by 30%

Siloam United Church in London, Ontario, is stepping up as a local leader, with a goal to cut its operational carbon emissions by 15% annually over the next two years, for a total reduction of 30% by 2026. Aligned with The United Church of Canada’s ‘Deepen Integrity: Living Climate Commitment’, Siloam has set this target only after a few years of dedicated environmental and climate efforts within their church community.

Their journey began in early 2020 when a church member with expertise in environmental issues co-led a book study with the minister on You Can Save the Earth: A Handbook for Environmental Awareness, Conservation, Sustainability. This initiative inspired a series of seventeen “Greener Home” articles published by the church between June and September that year. Later, in the fall, the congregation took part in a tour of a church member’s LEED-certified home.

These activities raised awareness and enthusiasm within the congregation, and laid a strong foundation for Siloam United’s next phase. In August 2023, the minister announced that the church was ready to take action, with plans to replace an outdated refrigerator with an ENERGY STAR model, install three new energy-efficient doors, and replace 350 fluorescent tube lights with LEDs throughout the building.

“We had already laid the groundwork and created momentum and commitment both through our book study and sermon series. Our community is deeply committed to reducing our carbon footprint. We were ready and motivated to take tangible action” says Dave Dunham

These planned projects would build on the church’s previous efficiency improvements, of upgrading the central heating and air conditioning system to a staged air compressor system and converting half of the HVAC units to heat pumps. These additional upgrades would support the church’s goal of cutting its operational carbon emissions by 15% for the upcoming calendar year. 

The Reduce Our Carbon Footprint Campaign (RCFC)

Siloam Unite, driven by its ambitious carbon reduction target, was ready to take action with significant building upgrades. The church council had already passed a motion to allow the trustees to match funds from the Faithful Footprints grant, unanimously approving a $14,000 contribution toward the project. However, even with combined funds, there were still concerns about whether they would have enough resources to complete all the planned upgrades.

To cover remaining costs, Siloam United ran the Reduce Our Carbon Footprint Campaign (RCFC) to fund their greening projects. This five-week campaign, leading up to Earth Day 2024, invited community members to financially support the church in achieving its carbon reduction goal for the year. 

“We believed that engaging our congregation in this campaign would engage and excite our members and show how we could take action on environmental issues right here in our own building” shares Dave Dunham

The campaign received support from across the community. Members created promotional materials, including a video, posters, and social media posts, to increase awareness and engagement. The campaign was able to raise an additional 5,000 dollars for the project. 

“Every dollar raised was invested into helping us complete the energy-efficiency renovations and upgrades – the campaign’s success is largely because the work was supported by The Faithful Footprints program which raised enthusiasm.” says Catherine Clover 

To their surprise, Siloam United was able to complete their three initial projects under budget, allowing them to allocate the extra funds toward replacing three windows that had lost their energy seals. This additional upgrade brings them even closer to reaching their carbon reduction target. 

Future Building Upgrades 

Siloam United’s 30-year-old building is on a continued path towards achieving a 30% reduction in carbon emissions by 2026. Committed to operating as sustainably and efficiently as possible, the church has set plans to upgrade its infrastructure and implement additional energy conservation projects. 

“Our Faithful Footprints-funded projects created awareness that our community of faith could have a positive impact in the reduction of our carbon footprint.” says Catherine Glover

Future plans include:

• Installing louvered blinds on the skylights to reduce heat and sun entering the sanctuary,

• Replacing six windows and installing light-reflective film on west and south-facing windows,

• Replacing the remaining six individual heating units with heat exchange systems,

• Integrating a Nest thermostat system for digital monitoring and control,

• Replacing five additional windows,

• Installing wiring and converting switches in interior bathrooms and hallways to motion-sensor switches.

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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. 

Coming Together to Combat Climate Change: The Unified Mission of Deer Park United and Calvin Presbyterian

Ecumenical ministries are collaborative initiatives that aim to foster greater unity and cooperation among different Christian denominations. Bringing together church communities, ecumenical ministries helps combine resources, knowledge, and efforts to address common challenges  — promoting a sense of solidarity and shared purpose among Christian believers. 

By uniting their efforts, these ecumenical partnerships hold the potential to be formidable allies in the ongoing battle against climate change — raising awareness, advocating for sustainable policies, and inspiring eco-friendly practices within their congregations.

Uniting Congregations for a Common Cause: Green Team Formation

With a shared ecumenical ministry spanning 13 years, Deer Park United Church and Calvin Presbyterian Church in Toronto, Ontario, serve as a compelling example of the impact that a united mission can have in the realm of climate action.

Inspired by an enlightening Lenten environmental education series and Earth Day event, the ecumenical ministry established its Green Team in 2019, comprising dedicated members from both Deer Park United and Calvin Presbyterian congregations. With support from the ministry, the Green Team has planned Earth Day celebrations that combine festivity with climate education and has hosted impactful webinars on a range of environmental topics through the North Toronto Cluster of Churches group and Faithful Green Actions Team. Beyond this, they have delved into comprehensive environmental research, examining the consequences of climate change and global mitigation efforts aimed at combatting the anticipated rise in global temperatures. Their commitment extends to the regular publication of their findings in informative articles in their church bulletin and longer, in-depth pieces for their quarterly newsletter — covering a wide spectrum of themes, from practical eco-friendly tips for individuals to inspiring narratives of environmental efforts across the globe.

“We feel that it is urgent for us to do what we can to ameliorate the effects of climate change – The purpose of the articles is to let Deer Park and Calvin Presbyterian congregants know that their efforts are magnified by the efforts of others.” shares Martha Charney, Board Chair of Deer Park United Church. 

Beyond their climate change research, the Green team embarked on an exploration of strategies to minimize energy consumption and enhance sustainability within their shared church space. Their examination of the building's infrastructure and potential upgrades served a dual purpose – not only to inspire environmental stewardship among their congregation but also to set an environmentally responsible and energy-efficient precedent for their place of worship.

Following thorough research, which considered potential target areas like lighting, insulation, and appliances, the Green team determined that replacing the aging boiler system was the most impactful and immediate solution for reducing the building's environmental footprint. The building's existing heating system, comprising steam radiators and two unreliable boilers, had posed challenges for several years. Embracing a more energy-efficient and eco-friendly heating system, would help cut carbon emissions and lower their building energy consumption.

This project would expand on the previous greening efforts around their building, including posting signs in communal areas reminding occupants to turn off lights when not in use, upgrading lighting in their sanctuary to LEDs, installing programmable thermostats in the sanctuary and administrative areas, and replacing broken window panes. 

A Joint Effort: Enhancing Sustainability within Their Shared Space

The retrofit project, focused on the replacement of their boiler, was overseen by the Property Committee and supported by the Green Team. Though the 1926 Greco-Roman style building is owned by Calvin Presbyterian, the responsibility for its maintenance is jointly shared by both congregations.

In anticipation of the financial requirements for their portion of the renovation expenses, Deer Park United took the proactive step of establishing a Building Fund in 2021. Recognized as eligible for Faithful Footprints funding, Deer Park United also submitted a Faithful Footprints grant application in 2023 to aid in supporting the project.

The church had also  initiated appeals to its congregants and adherents for special donations towards replacing their boiler. Before the project had officially begun, Deer Park's congregants and adherents demonstrated their commitment to the cause by generously donating over $13,000 to the church's Building Fund, with additional contributions flowing in after a dedicated appeal during their annual meeting.

“Our newly installed boiler should be much more reliable and efficient — it will produce more steady heat, make less noise, and reduce costs on our Enbridge bills.” explains Martha Charney “These positive effects will not only impact our congregations and staff, but also the other people who use our building, such as AA, and the Toronto Children’s Chorus, who rent space from Calvin.”

Both, Deer Park United and Calvin Presbyterian have future plans to continue enhancing the operational sustainability of their shared space. The next steps include the installation of LED lights in their office and meeting areas, an upgrade to the HVAC system in the windowless and poorly ventilated lower hall, and potential insulation and replacement of windows in areas of around the building.  

Are you part of an ecumenical ministry with a United Church of Canada community of faith? You might be eligible to apply for Faithful Footprints funding to support energy conservation and decarbonization building retrofits projects. 

Learn more here  

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 400 congregations, camps, and buildings across the country. Your participation in the program puts your faith into action and helps the Church reach its target. 

Aleyxa Gates Julien is the PR/Communications Coordinator for Faithful Footprints and can be reached at agatesjulien@faithcommongood.org.

Ready for More: Runnymede United Retrofits for Greater Energy Savings

Deciding the scale and size of your building renovation projects can be complicated. Even with a handful of experiences with minor fixes and small repairs around your building, larger renovation projects can extend beyond the comfort zone of your community of faith.

With minor energy conservation projects, communities of faith focus on low-hanging fruit. These types of building modifications are low-cost, easy to implement, and offer good value for the money and effort invested. Examples include sealing with caulking or spray foam and upgrading lighting. Though these projects can improve energy conservation, larger-scale projects have the ability to provide a greater return on investment and result in greater energy-saving and carbon-reduction outcomes.

By building up confidence, knowledge, and project management skills – many communities of faith start off small and gradually make their way to larger-scale energy-efficiency and decarbonization building renovation projects.

Building up the Momentum

For Runnymede United Church, in Toronto, Ontario, building greening efforts date back over a decade. Since completing a Green Audit by Faith & the Common Good, in 2011, Runnymede United has engaged in a variety of energy conservation projects.

In 2012, they replaced old T12 4-foot fluorescent bulbs with more efficient T8 bulbs and ballasts, and later with LED T8 bulbs throughout the church. They also replaced outside flood lights with LED flood lights and halogen PAR 38 flood light bulbs and incandescent bulbs with LEDs in their sanctuary.

In 2016, they replaced their atmospheric-fired gas domestic hot water heater with an insulated, power-vented, high-efficiency, gas hot water heater.

From 2016 to 2017, they replaced three simple mechanical thermostats with three programmable Ecobee thermostats. The new thermostats conducted temperature setbacks at night and when the rooms were not in use.

And in 2017, they installed diverters on the wall outlets of their gym heating system, improving air circulation throughout the space – improving comfort, and reducing the accumulation of hot air at the ceiling level. Later that year, the church also added two inches of foam insulation to the gym roof.

Ready for More

Runnymede United was well-equipped. They have an active Property Committee that has engaged in various small-scale energy conservation projects for many years and support from their congregation – including PropCom, a group of property volunteers that meet weekly to work on repair, maintenance, and improvement projects. The church was ready to see greater energy saving.

The church started off with a list of four potential projects and realized they couldn't do all of them. After discussing the potential projects with contractors, experts, their PropCom group, and the finance and property committee, they narrowed their scope to two projects likely to have the most significant impact. These two projects were projected to have the greatest cost-benefit ratio – in terms of cost per dollar saved in operational cost, and per tonne of GHG reduced.

Ceiling Fans

The first project replaced four ineffective and noisy ceiling fans in the sanctuary with four 8-foot modern energy-efficiency fans. The new fans will contribute to reduced energy loss in the church’s large 40-foot high ceiling and 7,000 sq ft space, throughout the entire year. In the colder months, the fans will enable the church to reduce the accumulation of warm air on the ceiling level, significantly reducing heat loss from the uninsulated ceiling. In the warmer months, the fans will improve air circulation at the floor level, improving congregational comfort, with only a small fraction of the energy usage that would otherwise be required for air conditioning.

Heat pumps

The second project replaced the church’s gas-fired steam heating system with heat pumps in the Memorial Hall in their sanctuary. The church installed two 36,000 BTU Mitsubishi split units.

“Compared to our previous gas-fired steam heating system, we hope the efficiency of the heat pumps will reduce our overall energy consumption and our GHG emissions,” states Don Dewees, Chair of Finance and Property Committees at Runnymede United Church. 

In addition to providing heat in the winter and cooling in the summer, as well as decarbonizing part of the church’s building operations, the newly installed heat pumps also improved the building’s heating and cooling control.

The previous system that was servicing the Memorial Hall was on the same steam valve as other parts of the building. Through the project, Runnymede United decoupled temperature control in the Hall from the radiators – allowing the church to control heating and cooling ventilation in different parts of the building separately and more precisely.

“We have one boiler that heats all of our space: the sanctuary, Memorial Hall, gym, offices, Sunday School rooms, meeting rooms – everything. Now that the heat pumps are installed, the radiators in Memorial Hall are turned off. The only heat in that room will come from the heat pumps. This will displace whatever steam heat that room has been using.” shares Dewees.

One project at a time

Runnymede United is an example of a community faith that has continued to green their building, one project at a time.

Dewees advises “If your planned projects are not time-constrained or dependent on one another, it's helpful to spread them apart and not do them at the same time”.

“Take a hard look at your building, do some research, and try to identify practical projects to take on and when you can afford to do them. Look for past experiences from communities of faith. Faithful Footprints is a great source to start.” shares Dewees. “Our practical experience from our previous projects helped us understand the magnitude of energy savings that potential projects might have. Our earlier interest and experience in energy conservation were really helpful in providing a good database. We have records of our hydro and gas meters going back 20-25 years. The reports provide a solid base for comparison. We can look at our consumption before the projects and afterward. Because we know more about our previous year's energy consumption, it’s easier to assess the magnitude of the savings that we should expect”. 

“The heat pump project is a test force – we have air conditioning with heat pumps and several other heat pumps in other areas in the building. This is the first time we have installed them with the expressed goal of displacing gas in the winter. This coming winter we will find out if the heat pumps provide sufficient heat during the colder months. If the Memorial Hall heat pumps perform well, we will consider additional heat pump installations and further reductions in our greenhouse gas emissions.” adds Dewees.

Are you interested in taking your greening to the next level?

The more you can learn about your building, the more you can save energy, minimize maintenance costs, and maximize the usage of your building. Build up your confidence, knowledge, and project management skills to support your energy conservation and decarbonization retrofit projects. Book a Green Audit and explore the following Faith & the Common Good downloadable resources to learn what more you can do.

Energy Star® Action Workbook for Congregations

DIY Walkthrough Audit

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 400 congregations, camps, and buildings across the country. Your participation in the program puts your faith into action and helps the Church reach its target. 

Aleyxa Gates Julien is the PR/Communications Coordinator for Faithful Footprints and can be reached at agatesjulien@faithcommongood.org.