Care for God’s Creation
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
EDUCATION PROGRAM & EVALUATION
(by Stephen Lavender for May
2010)
In our ongoing effort to remain faithful stewards of
creation, the St. Francis of Assisi community is pursuing several opportunities
resulting from last winter’s campus wide energy evaluation report. Overall, the
report indicates St. Francis is performing well in its use of energy resources.
Our ongoing relationship with Michigan Interfaith Power and Light
(Mi-IP&L), is providing additional approaches to enhancing our
community’s pursuit of energy efficiency.
To better understand and optimize our energy utilization we must first
recognize the patterns and cycles that describe our consumption of energy
resources. A valuable aid in detailing our use of energy is the EPA Energy
Star’s Portfolio Manager Utility Tracker. With initial support from MiIP&L,
this software allows the user (i.e., St. Francis) to build an energy consumption
database by entering the information contained in our monthly utility bills.
Electric and gas meters monitoring energy consumption throughout our campus have
been identified. Information detailing energy use from their corresponding
monthly statements is now being entered into the database. As new bills are
received the consumption data will be added to our database. The Portfolio
Manager also incorporates weather data such as daily high and low temperatures.
This feature will allow us to better understand the impact of heating on subzero
January days and cooling during the summer months.
While collecting energy data will strengthen our understanding of consumption patterns, it also provides a foundation for a larger overall approach to efficiency. In addition to analyzing monthly utility bills for energy consumption patterns, Portfolio Manager also accepts building profile information. Data such as total floor space, hours of operation, the number of computers in use and even the total land area devoted to vehicle parking can all be included. This plus additional information will be used to calculate benchmarks of key metrics indicating how efficiently our buildings use energy. Our goal is to achieve a benchmark rating of at least 75 out of a possible 100 points, meaning the St. Francis campus, as a top performer, could be eligible to earn the EPA’s Energy Star label. Our target date for submission of all information is June 1, 2010.
Catholic Social Teaching reminds us that care for the earth and all of God’s creation is not just an Earth Day slogan, it’s a requirement of our faith. We are called to protect people and the planet, living our faith in relationship with all of God’s creation. This environmental challenge has fundamental moral and ethical dimensions that cannot be ignored. At one level, our responsibilities to creation can be addressed on an individual basis as was so well demonstrated through our Lenten energy fast. Our recent energy evaluation highlights the value in approaching the St. Francis community’s environmental responsibilities with a Lenten like resolve for both innovation and commitment.
Contact Steve Lavender (734-973-2564) of our Parish’s Peace & Justice Committee
(by Stephen Lavender for
February 2010)
www.stfrancisa2.com/lent/2010/#Week-3-Date2010-02-28
www.stfrancisa2.com/lent/2010/#Week-3-Date2010-02-28
Catholic Social Teaching reminds us that we show our respect for the Creator by our stewardship of
creation. As part of our ongoing stewardship effort, St. Francis of Assisi conducted an energy evaluation of its entire campus (church, school, parish offices and rectory) on December 30, 2009. Support for the
evaluation was provided through a grant from Michigan Interfaith Power & Light. St. Francis joined the group of 81 congregations comprising MiIP&L in October, 2009. (Their partner organization is, the Warm Training Center Program.)
The wide ranging review covered systems such as heating, air conditioning and lighting as well as
structural components including roofs, insulation and windows. The evaluator’s observations during the review confirmed both the importance and proper focus of our proactive, ongoing maintenance efforts.
The energy conservation opportunities identified by the evaluator fell into five categories. The
opportunities were prioritized by the evaluator based on two considerations - first, an approximate projection of energy savings, and second, the current needs of the facilities within the St. Francis campus. Additionally, the five categories include recommendations for both near term and long term actions. The areas of opportunity identified by the evaluator were (1) efficient lighting systems, (2) weather stripping, (3) occupancy sensors, (4) appliances and office equipment and (5) water conservation. These opportunities have been condensed into a work-plan format for review and consideration by the various functional committees within the parish.
Recommendations from the evaluation will assist the St. Francis community as we strive to remain faithful stewards of the resources entrusted to our care.
Also, for details on our Parish Lenten ENERGY FAST see: stfrancisa2.com/church-community/outreach/lenten-efforts
Contact Steve Lavender (734-973-2564) of our Parish’s Peace & Justice Committee
No comments:
Post a Comment