Advertisement New WaysNew Ways Would you like to advertise on ICN? Click to learn more.

Sixteen Catholic dioceses move to green energy


Sixteen of the 21 Catholic dioceses in England and Wales are moving to 'green' energy. In Laudato Si' Pope Francis encourages all communities to look at ways in which they can lower their carbon footprint. The new alliance between Interdiocesan Fuel Management Ltd (IFM) and Churchmarketplace (CMP) means that more than 3,200 parishes will be buying electricity from 'green' suppliers of renewable sources - and seeing their bills lowered.

IFM is a fuel procurement company which was set up by a number of Catholic dioceses in 1994. Eight dioceses have been procuring energy from Churchmarketplace, a collaborative buying group serving the Catholic Church in England and Wales.

The new alliance was formed some six months after the exemption from Climate Change levy was withdrawn from renewable electricity bills, a development which meaning that all dioceses were facing an increase in their electricity costs. There was also a premium cost attached to purchasing renewable electricity which meant that the dioceses previously outside of IFM could face significant costs in moving to renewable energy.

But by combining the buying power of all 16 dioceses together, significant savings were achieved that offset the impact of Climate Change levy as well as making renewable energy available to all at a manageable price. The premium for purchasing renewable energy through IFM is about £5 per meter per year compared to about £49 per meter per year outside of the contract, a total saving of more than £180,000 for all dioceses.The 16 diocese served by the agreement are Arundel and Brighton, Birmingham, Cardiff, Clifton, East Anglia, Lancaster, Leeds, Liverpool, Menevia, Middlesbrough, Northampton, Nottingham, Plymouth, Salford, Shrewsbury and Westminster. Both partners in the alliance hope that the remaining five dioceses will soon join the buying group so they too might enjoy the same benefits gained from obtaining their energy on a 100 per cent renewable tariff.

In addition to the work being carried out among the parishes, CMP and IFM are now exploring how their new partnership can replicate the successful collaboration the parishes are enjoying for Catholic schools, academies and universities. By pooling together the huge volumes of energy, CMP/IFM's intentions are to make renewable energy an affordable option for all Catholic organisations in England and Wales.

Jenny Williamson, director of Churchmarketplace, said: "We are delighted to have partnered with IFM, another Catholic organisation to deliver an affordable renewable energy solution for parishes. We look forward to doing the same for Catholic schools with IFM, stronger together."

Carol Lawrence, director of Interdiocesan Fuel Management Ltd, said: "This agreement is great news for Catholic parishes throughout England and Wales. Both IFM and CMP have been for a long time deeply committed to helping parishes to have access to affordable renewable energy. Our new partnership helps to advance that objective in harmony with the teaching of Pope Francis on the care for the environment.

"It is a real breakthrough and it puts us in a strong position to expand these highly valuable services to other Catholic institutions."

For further information see: www.churchmarketplace.org.uk

Adverts

Little Flower

We offer publicity space for Catholic groups/organisations. See our advertising page if you would like more information.

We Need Your Support

ICN aims to provide speedy and accurate news coverage of all subjects of interest to Catholics and the wider Christian community. As our audience increases - so do our costs. We need your help to continue this work.

You can support our journalism by advertising with us or donating to ICN.

Mobile Menu Toggle Icon