Eco-Justice Connection

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Energy Efficiency

Energy Bills are Increasing while Duke’s Climate Progress is Stagnant

By Ren Martin, Eco-Justice Connection Program Coordinator

At the Lumberton rate hike hearing, I had the honor of attending and giving testimony alongside the community members of Robeson County. I heard the pain in people’s voices as […]

Energy Bills are Increasing while Duke’s Climate Progress is Stagnant

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At the Lumberton rate hike hearing, I had the honor of attending and giving testimony alongside the community members of Robeson County. I heard the pain in people’s voices as they spoke out about their bills rising essentially three times the price they had paid in the past. Many had lost faith in the North Carolina Utilities Commission (NCUC) but had not lost hope… As one woman testifying declared, “I call on God to get what I need, because when I call on y’all, I don’t get it!”

For those who haven’t heard, Duke Energy is attempting to raise our electric bills. After essentially being given free rein to write the N.C. Carbon Plan, which I’ve written about before, the North Carolina Utilities Commission is now considering an increase of nearly 17% on top of what we already pay for our energy rate prices. I mention the Carbon Plan because part of Duke’s excuse for raising our rates is due to the changes they will be implementing while enacting their proposed plan.

This is why I attended a rally with other climate justice activists, clergy members, community organizers, and concerned citizens. Before we walked into the building, we came together in prayer. In that moment–standing hand in hand with nearly 50 people–I could feel an immense energy of love, stress, and hope from those around me. This gave me the courage to deliver my testimony to the utilities commission, in front of a room of close to 100 community members, NCUC commissioners, and Duke representatives:

Around this time last year, I had just recently graduated college. Thrust into a world full of bills, work, and self-reliance… A few months ago, I had to start paying back my private student loans by myself. Upwards of a thousand dollars a month. I say all this to drive home the point: We are drowning this country’s youth in debt. We are driving minorities into poverty, and we are killing our Earth as we do it. We cannot afford an increase in our electric bills. I cannot afford an increase in my electric bills.

When prices rise, marginalized communities suffer the most. People of color 

who have historically been used, abused, and kept from creating generational wealth will now have yet another obstacle in our way toward achieving stability. 

The NC Utilities Commission must see what’s happening here is unjust. It’s not just about energy prices… It’s about people’s well-being during the climate crisis. It’s about the ability for people to live dignified lives without feeling the pains of energy burden. Yet when confronted with the truth, that solar and wind energy IS cheaper and cleaner than fossil fuels, energy companies cheapen our lives to whatever works for them even if it kills us. Please consider the plea of a poor college graduate, before you toss us all off the deep end.

I couldn’t help but break down in tears as I heard the stories of families struggling with their energy bills. Folks living on fixed incomes, food stamps, and survivors of multiple floods. A clergy member who was once an educator pleaded for the Utilities Commission to listen: “We have kids who don’t even have the resources to go to school… Give us a break; Robinson County needs a break.”

Duke claims the rates are rising to improve power outage resiliency and to build a clean energy future. They say this while planning to create more new gas lines–exacerbating the climate crisis. For the people of Robeson County, who spoke of intense flooding devastating their families and homes, the climate crisis is real, and so is the energy burden they are already feeling. If Duke Energy is to ever be held accountable for its actions, we must come out in full force and show the N.C. Utilities Commission that we need to change our broken system.

For those who could not attend an in-person hearing, I urge you to sign up for the virtual hearing to be held in April. Click here to sign up, before registration ends on April 13th! Looking for more actions to take? Join people of faith across the United States for a civic call to climate action.

To learn more and take action, check out the resources below:

Good Shepherd Episcopal Church in Hayesville, NC wins national award for work at nexus of climate and poverty

By nancy

Energy saving volunteers in North Carolina work at nexus of climate and poverty Community Inspiration Winner of IPL’s Cool Congregations Challenge Good Shepherd Episcopal Church Hayesville, North Carolina CO2 Reduction: […]

Good Shepherd Episcopal Church in Hayesville, NC wins national award for work at nexus of climate and poverty

Energy saving volunteers in North Carolina work at nexus of climate and poverty

Community Inspiration Winner of IPL’s Cool Congregations Challenge

Good Shepherd Episcopal Church
Hayesville, North Carolina

CO2 Reduction: 33 metric tons/year
Prevents: 35,000 lbs. of coal from being burned
Families helped: 40 and counting
Percent CO2 Reduction: 10-20% per household

Good Shepherd Episcopal HayesvilleA group of around ten climate concerned volunteers from Good Shepherd Episcopal Church and the Hayesville community are answering a combined moral calling to help the poor and be good stewards of Creation. Working with local poverty and charity organizations, they have helped 40 disadvantaged families reduce their carbon footprint and save money on energy bills. After a referral is identified, the volunteer team performs a free energy assessment, identifies sources of free or low cost materials, locates sources of funding, and then provides free labor to get the job done. Upgrades include such things as LED lighting, weather stripping, insulation, and replacing inefficient heating and cooling systems. Some of the work is done in conjunction with the Hinton Center which operates a retreat / mission center in the local community and which brings in mission teams from all over the country as part of their work. Good Shepherd will be integrating its efforts with the Hinton Center so that a side benefit will be that volunteers from Hinton will learn some exposure to the energy saving approaches and ideas.

 While this effort is sponsored by Good Shepherd, volunteers of all faiths and religious backgrounds are welcomed to assist in helping our neighbors become more financially independent and reduce the financial stress of occasional extremely high energy bills.  The volunteers at Good Shepherd are also available to help congregations in other areas create an Energy Saving Volunteers effort in your local congregation or community.
For more information contact the church office at 838-389-3397, or email Brad Rouse at brouse_invest@yahoo.com or Amy Nicolson at amyandgil@hotmail.com .

Good Shepherd Episcopal Church, Hayesville

By nancy

Written by Brad Rouse. I have been a member of Good Shepherd since 2007, and the Green Team has been one of our ministries since before that time. Having a […]

Good Shepherd Episcopal Church, Hayesville

energy Good Shepherd HayesvilleWritten by Brad Rouse.

I have been a member of Good Shepherd since 2007, and the Green Team has been one of our ministries since before that time. Having a concern for the environment, I was attracted to become a part of that ministry under the leadership of Amy Nicolson, Meg Whitley and other members.  We meet regularly at the church and look for opportunities to be good stewards of God’s creation through our church community.

At a meeting earlier this year we adopted a mission for the Green Team as follows:

Good Shepherd Episcopal Church Green Team’s mission is to follow God’s commandments that we be good stewards of what we have been given and that we love our neighbor as ourselves. We believe that God was pleased when he created this world and that He values nature as well as man. When God gave man dominion, it was so that we could care for and love His creation as much as He does. Further, when Jesus commanded that we love our neighbor as ourselves, he commanded that we go out of our way to do so and that we have a broad vision of who is our neighbor – not just our tribe, our race, our country, or even our time.  A major part of our mission is simply to make ourselves and others aware that these are God’s teachings and that by caring for the Earth, we are following His command.  Further, we must also make ourselves and others aware that as we have been more and more blessed by “be fruitful and multiply”, we have created the condition that our every action has an impact on God’s creation and on our neighbors who live here now and who will live here in the future. The way we act today is simply not sustainable and if we do not change there will be irreparable damage to His creation and irreparable harm to those who will follow us.  We must act and change.

We also recognize that our awareness as individuals is not enough. We must advocate our point of view in our church, in our families, in our businesses, in our communities, and in our state and national politics.

Finally, awareness and advocacy are not enough. Our mission is also to take action as individuals and as a group to make changes that will reduce the risk and heal the damage.

[Read more…] about Good Shepherd Episcopal Church, Hayesville

West Market Street United Methodist Church, Greensboro

By chris

West Market Street United Methodist Church’s Care4Creation team launched a “Let There Be Light” campaign during the month of April to educate the congregation about the benefits of LED light […]

West Market Street United Methodist Church, Greensboro

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Congregation Members at the LED Display
Congregation Members at the LED Display

West Market Street United Methodist Church’s Care4Creation team launched a “Let There Be Light” campaign during the month of April to educate the congregation about the benefits of LED light bulbs and to invite contributions towards purchasing bulbs for three highly used areas of the church.  The emphasis built up to a worship service on April 28 to celebrate God’s creation and call on the congregation to “Love What God Loves.”

In the spring of 2012, the Care4Creation ministry team at West Market St. UMC, located in downtown Greensboro, NC, conceived of the idea of reducing energy consumption in the church facility by switching to LED light bulbs, which are estimated to last ten times longer that conventional bulbs.  Not only would replacement reduce the wattage used by replacing 100 and 150 watt incandescent bulbs with 15 watt LED, the costs related to air conditioning in the Fellowship Hall and the Gathering Space where large groups of people convene for meetings, dinners, and a modern worship service would be greatly reduced.  In addition, the team wanted to replace the bulbs in the historic sanctuary to cut costs there as well.

With the guidance of an electrical designer and contractor, C4C researched LED bulbs’ cost, color quality, wattage, etc.  With bulbs costing $25-$40, the project seemed out of reach.  But the team realized that most church members would probably be willing to invest in a light bulb to help cut electrical costs in our large facility.  Information was shared with the church Trustees and Finance committees, who endorsed the project.

For four Sundays in April, the congregation members came to the LED Display which included a box wired with a incandescent bulb and an LED bulb to compare the light and the heat emitted from each.  A potter in the congregation donated a handmade lamp and an artist donated a painting of the church, which were given to two donors whose names were chosen at the end of the campaign. Persons were invited to donate $25 toward the purchase of an LED bulb.

The good news is that the congregation responded! Over $3,500.00 was raised.  Before purchasing bulbs, WMS will apply to the Duke Power Smart Saver Incentive program in hopes of being rewarded with a rebate for this proposal to cut energy costs. Then we will know what funds we will actually have to go towards the purchase and installation of LED bulbs. Let there be light: LED!

Contact Name: Rev. Pam Strader
Contact Email: revpls@earthlink.net
Contact Phone: 336-457-0091

Christ Episcopal Church, Albemarle Offers NCIPL Energy Workshop to Public

By chris

Written by Nancy Bryant, Good Earth Committee, 704-474-9134 Christ Episcopal Church, Albemarle Christ Episcopal Church’s Good Earth Committee offered a free two-hour workshop on energy efficiency for Stanly churches on […]

Christ Episcopal Church, Albemarle Offers NCIPL Energy Workshop to Public

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Written by Nancy Bryant, Good Earth Committee, 704-474-9134

Christ Episcopal Church, Albemarle

Stan Scheer, Christ Church Buildings and Grounds Committee, discusses lighting issues with some of the workshop participants. L to R Ron Bryant, Eric Soderberg, Workshop Leader, Stan, David Wilheim, and Pastor Doug VanNiel.

Stan Scheer of Christ Church’s Buildings and Grounds Committee discusses lighting issues with some of the workshop participants. Left to Right: Ron Bryant, Eric Soderberg (Workshop Leader), Stan, David Wilheim, and Pastor Doug VanNiel.

Christ Episcopal Church’s Good Earth Committee offered a free two-hour workshop on energy efficiency for Stanly churches on Saturday, April 27, 2013,  as part of Christ Church’s Caring for Creation Month emphasis.

The purpose of the workshop was two-fold:  1. to offer information on how energy efficiencies might be accomplished at low or no cost in order to free up monies to use for ministries, and 2.  to offer understanding of how these efficiencies move our faith communities toward being more faithful stewards of God’s Creation.

The workshop was led by Eric Soderberg, a mechanical engineer and an extension specialist with NC State facilities engineering and energy management program, who offers free workshops to faith communities in the Piedmont region sponsored by NC Interfaith Power and Light, a program of NC Council of Churches.

Eric presented a power point, including many questions and discussion that applied not only to churches, but also to other commercial and residential buildings.

After the presentation, the group toured the Christ Episcopal facilities looking for opportunities to increase energy efficiencies.

Participants included clergy and lay leaders from Locust Presbyterian, Wesley Chapel United Methodist, Mt Zion Lutheran, St John’s Lutheran and Christ Episcopal.

Learn how to arrange an energy savings analysis for your faith community.

Durham Shambhala Meditation Center Energy Audit Reflection

By chris

“A couple of years ago NCIPL did an energy audit at the Durham Shambhala Meditation Center, and about that time the Center also sponsored a showing and discussion of Al […]

Durham Shambhala Meditation Center Energy Audit Reflection

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clothesline“A couple of years ago NCIPL did an energy audit at the Durham Shambhala Meditation Center, and about that time the Center also sponsored a showing and discussion of Al Gore’s film “An Inconvenient Truth”.  As a (now retired) employee of the US EPA, I considered myself pretty environmentally aware, but I was surprised to learn that for most people their greatest contribution to carbon dioxide outputs comes not from their cars but from the fossil fuel burned to heat and cool their houses and run the appliances therein.  In a way this was somewhat of a relief for me because I can’t afford a Prius, and I don’t have good enough depth vision to drive a car with such rounded fenders.  So I’m sticking with my old 24 mpg station wagon for now, but I definitely wanted to do something.  I found that just using a solar clothes dryer (known back in the 20th century as a clothesline) saved almost 40% on our electric bills in the spring and fall.

Also in response to both the audit and the movie, I looked into various options when the HVAC system in my home needed to be replaced and decided to go with a dual fuel heat pump rather than a standard gas pack.  I found estimates that the dual fuel heat pump, while more expensive initially, would pay for itself in 7-9 years as well as generate less carbon dioxide from the day of installation.  The guy that installed it said “Yeah, yeah, they say” but I’d estimate it will pay for itself in about 5 years.

I was asked to write a couple of paragraphs on the impact of the audit, but now I find it hard to stop.  While nothing can ever be as cost-effective as a $2 clothesline, every time I was out there hanging up clothes on a beautiful sunny day, I found I still wanted to do more to utilize the abundant sunshine we are blessed with in this area.  I’d heard that solar water heating, while more mundane, was more cost-effective than photovoltaics.  However, the commercial solar water heating systems that we looked at cost at least $3,000 so we were looking at a big up-front investment and a long pay-back time.  We are currently in the process of having a do-it-yourself solar water pre-heater installed based on a design from Mother Earth News.  The cost will be just over $1,000 so we hope to at least recover our investment in our lifetimes as well as being the first in the neighborhood to have solar-heated hot water.  Once we get that done we are going to put in a small off-grid photovoltaic system.  I doubt this will ever pay for itself, but it will obviously make some difference in electric bills and carbon dioxide generated and also be a reliable source of electricity during power outages.”

-Jackie  Stonehouer, Member of Durham Shambala Meditation Center

To schedule your congregation’s audit, contact us info@ncipl.org.