How to warm up parish

With the old boilers at Sacred Heart Church in Stamford failing, Rev. Joseph Arockiasamy, pastor, knew he would have to replace them.

In addition, the cost of heating the church during the winter had prompted a switch from celebrating daily Mass in the church itself to the hall, an unpopular but financially sound change.

To deal with such issues, Father Arockiasamy, and the parish's building and grounds committee decided to obtain an energy audit through the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA).

Changes

After the study, the auditors recommended:

* that the parish change from T-12 fluorescent bulbs and old incandescent lights to more efficient T-8 models and fluorescent bulbs;

* that exterior lighting -- such as parking-lot illumination and lights on outdoor signage -- should be replaced by 200-watt high-pressure sodium lighting;

* that insulation should be added above the sanctuary ceiling and in the hall's kitchen area;

* that doors should be weather-stripped to prevent air leaks and drafts;

* that ceiling fans should be relocated to a place where warm air will be directed down into the congregation during the winter and sucked out through the ceiling in the summer; and

* that the current, manual thermostats should be replaced by programmable models that will automatically reduce heat in the buildings when they are not being used.

Good investment

While the replacement work will take an initial financial investment, the pastor estimates that, once up and running, the new furnace and programmable thermostats will save the parish more than $500 in annual energy costs.

Each bulb replaced will net over $100 in savings each year.

"We might as well replace [everything] with high-efficiency," Father Arockiasamy said. "We can save a lot of money."

(5/24/07) [[In-content Ad]]