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Going Carbon Neutral Stirling and St Ninians Church

On-going work with St Ninians Old Parish Church in Stirling has provided an interesting Case Study for Keep Scotland Beautiful .

It was the first congregation to agree to take part in a Carbon Cutter Plan (see * below) back in 2009 and there was an early bonus for the church-goers.
A Carbon Cutter Plan for
a Stirling congregation
CCF Grant for Insulation
Thanks to KSB contacts, the loft space in the 750 year old church was gifted over 100 rolls of insulation courtesy of local firm Superglass. This inspired the church to apply for and win a Climate Challenge Fund grant of £145,000 for insulating the church hall in nearby Kirk Wynd. This covered the cost of insulating the inside of the listed building, all the external walls and ceilings and installing secondary glazing to all windows.
Renewable Energy
Separate funding helped provide a new heating system, using renewable energy technology. Air source heat pumps extract heat from the outside air, condensing it and pumping it through the building. The work was completed in the autumn of 2010 - just in time to face the rigours of one of the worst winters on record. However, the energy-saving measures have already started to pay off. From October 2010 to February 2011, energy usage at the hall was down by 61.5 per cent over the corresponding period in the previous year. This resulted in a net saving of £1263 for the period on its electricity charges.

A further benefit came when, with running costs cut, the hall hire charges were able to be reduced. This has led to increased bookings by local groups and clubs, hopefully promoting greater community cohesion in the St Ninians area.
Carbon Cutter Plan
The congregation is also continuing to reduce its carbon emissions through a series of individual actions in a plan specially prepared for them by the KSB initiative Going Carbon Neutral Stirling. They have now reduced their footprint by a total of 36 tonnes, or 0.92 tonnes per person.

Their latest Carbon Cutter Plan involved planning meals in advance to avoid food waste and using their food waste caddy; drawing curtains at dusk to retain heat; and thinking about a UK-based holiday break instead of flying abroad.

* A Carbon Cutter Plan is a weekly/monthly plan of smart and straightforward actions which reduces emissions and helps us live a low carbon lifestyle. All the actions help slow climate change, but some will also reduce pollution, help save money on fuel bills, minimise waste sent to landfill and help promote the personal health benefits of cycling, walking and eating local food as well as helping to create safer and better connected communities.