Here’s the church, here’s the steeple… open the doors and see all the people.
It’s a rhyme I remember from childhood, but it speaks to a deeper truth: churches aren’t just about bricks and mortar, they’re about people. And behind every parish building is a congregation and a community who rely on these spaces being warm, welcoming, and sustainable.
The challenge for churches
Over the past few months, I’ve had the privilege of helping a couple of parish groups review and reduce their energy costs.
Many churches make use of the Parish Buying scheme, which offers a “buying basket” approach to reduce costs by pooling demand. While this can be helpful, it isn’t a whole-market solution and in today’s complex energy market, that can mean churches aren’t always accessing the most competitive prices.
My approach
With one Parish, I visited in person, taking photographs of meters, gathering supplier details, and collating copies of the bills to ensure everything was accurate and up to date. For another parish group, everything was handled seamlessly by email, with leaders simply sending their invoices for review.
This kind of flexibility, whether in person or remotely, makes it easier for churches to access support without adding to the administrative burden of busy clergy, treasurers, and church wardens.
The solution
As a member of a faith community myself, it’s been particularly rewarding to introduce these parishes to Full Power Utilities, a whole-market consultancy and brokerage. By searching the whole market on their behalf, we were able to secure more competitive contracts than the buying group, helping them steward resources more wisely.
Example: This looked a like 20-30% saving on gas prices quoted by the buying group.
Beyond savings: eco-church values
Increasingly, churches are also requesting fully renewable energy contracts. This is part of their commitment to the Eco Church mission, where environmental stewardship and care for creation are central. Being able to align energy procurement with these values has been a source of encouragement for leaders and congregations alike.
For more information on eco-churches, and various organisations and denominations approach, you can follow the links below.
Church of England eco-church | A Rocha UK | The Methodist Church to name a few.
The bigger picture
Helping churches steward their resources both financially and environmentally has been a privilege. Every pound saved on utilities is a pound that can be released for mission, ministry, and community impact.
If you’re part of a church or faith-based organisation and would like to explore how we can support your energy stewardship, I’d love to have a conversation.
Email me today to start the conversation Sally@currentutilities.co.uk
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