NEW! Federal funding for energy work at houses of worship
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) that was signed into law last August was the most sweeping clean energy and climate legislation in history. With the passage of the IRA, non-profits, and houses of worship now have easier access to clean energy funds and tax credits through a program called “direct pay.” Before the IRA, only homeowners and commercial entities with some tax liability could claim tax credits when installing solar panels, wind turbines, or other eligible technologies on an eligible property. Now, the “direct pay” option means non-taxable entities can also benefit from these credits. IPL has compiled information for congregations on our main IPL website, which will be continually updated as more information becomes available on how to access “direct pay”. Read the whole blog and access the faith community resource document here.
EPA Calculator for Worship Facilities
ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager is the Environmental Protection Agency’s free, online data management tool that helps facilities managers and/or home owners track and measure a building’s energy use. This program is not an Interfaith Power & Light program, however, many congregations use it.
Portfolio Manager is recommended for congregations with someone on staff or in a volunteer capacity who is web / tech-savvy. It can calculate the energy intensity of a particular building while taking into account changes in weather. Comparisons are made with other buildings of the same type, same building material and age to establish a national “average”. Once a baseline is established with the data for your building, Portfolio Manager can perform various calculations and generate reports that “rate” your building, determine the percent energy use reduction per year, and track progress towards your goals. ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager classifies major commercial building types, such as hospitals, schools, houses of worship or congregations, restaurants, industrial space, etc.
Useful Guides and Kits
Action Workbook for Congregations – Interfaith Power and Light is partnering with EPA’s ENERGY STAR to help people of faith and conscience achieve their goals to increase energy efficiency, reduce their carbon footprint, and care for our common home. This workbook is a perfect companion to Interfaith Power and Light’s Cool Congregations program used by congregations nationwide to reduce energy use and climate pollution.
Free Download: EPA Energy Star Action Workbook for Congregations
ENERGY STAR para congregaciones
Su congregación puede unirse al grupo de congregaciones que trabajan con el programa ENERGY STAR de la EPA para mejorar su eficiencia en el uso de energía.
- ENERGY STAR Manual de acción para las congregaciones
- Cuadernillo de ENERGY STAR para congregaciones – Apéndices
Webinars
Learn about the Cool Congregations calculators from the creators of the tools at Cool Climate Network, Dan Kammen and Chris Jones in this informative one-hour webinar.
Download Dan Kammen’s slides from the webinar here.
Global Warming Reports
- Yale Project on Climate Change Communications
Americans’ Climate and Energy Behaviors - Union of Concerned Scientists
Global Warming Website - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
State of Climate Global Analysis 2012
Directories of Energy Providers and Incentives
- Search Renewable Energy Incentives
- Renewable Energy Directories
- Solar Energy Industry Association Directory to find local solar providers
- Geothermal: To find a qualified installer, visit the International Ground Source Heat Pump Association or the Geothermal Heat Pump Consortium websites for their listing of qualified installers in your area. Installers should be certified and experienced.
- Wind Powering America: small wind consumer guides, state-by-state
