Welby’s green drive risks freezing out worshippers
Clergy fear rules requiring churches to replace older boilers will bankrupt them or leave them without heat
THE Archbishop of Canterbury’s push for net zero could force churches to close and leave congregations shivering in the pews, clergy have warned.
The Church of England is proposing to cajole vicars into replacing traditional boilers with green alternatives, a move likely to pile excessive costs on parishes when some are already close to collapse.
Those which insist on a gas or oil replacement will be faced with a lengthy and bureaucratic process.
It means churches which cannot afford an eco-friendly alternative could go for months without heat while they wait for approval for boiler repairs.
Worried priests have said that the rule, which will be presented at next month’s General Synod, could bankrupt struggling parishes with dwindling congregations.
The Most Rev Justin Welby’s drive to reach net zero by 2030 is more aggressive than that of the Government, which has an overall target of 2050, with a pledge to ban gas boilers in new buildings from 2025 and to prevent them being sold at all from 2035.
Last November Archbishop Welby likened climate change to the rise of Nazism, although he later apologised for the comparison.
Father Marcus Walker, of Great St Bart’s in London and part of the Save Our Parishes campaign, said: “This is a policy designed by people who won’t actually have to implement it.
“It will increase the difficulties of those struggling to keep their parishes open and it will certainly tip some over the edge.”
Mike Foster of the Energy and Utilities Alliance, applauded the church for trying to tackle climate change, but added: “It is potentially misguided advice at this stage, partly because swapping a traditional gas boiler for a heat pump is going to mean an upfront cost far in excess of what a replacement boiler would be.
“Parishes are not awash with cash, so how on earth can they afford to put in heat pumps?”
The average cost of replacing a fossilfuel burning boiler in a domestic home is roughly £2,500, compared to £10,000 for installing a heat pump, which experts say are unsuitable for large draughty buildings, such as churches.
“When a boiler goes down it will take forever to get a new one in,” Mr Foster added. “Will churches have to close over the whole winter or ask parishioners to worship in freezing conditions?”
“This is going to hit rural parishes the hardest – it’s going to make life really difficult.”
Becky Clark, the Church of England’s director of churches and cathedrals, said: “The Government has made it clear that it intends to phase out the installation of new fossil fuel boilers, so these changes are intended to be in line with that aspiration
“Although green alternatives to fossil fuel boilers are likely to be cheaper in the longer term, short-term funding is on the list of topics parishes need addressed and the national teams supporting parishes with their buildings are aware of this need.”