This Old House of Worship is a series of 5 classes that trains faith community teams to audit, analyze and reduce energy use in their own buildings.  The program was created in 2004 by IREJN and Wilson Educational Services, Inc.  IREJN sponsors the program in Connecticut with training provided by Wilson Educational Services, Inc.

This Old House students study blue prints for insulation analysis

Why was This Old House of Worship developed specifically for congregational facilities?

*  Many congregations have high energy bills
*  Houses of worship often have unique and intermittent patterns of usage
*  Common problems such as high ceilings, lights on when rooms are empty, old and leaky buildings are expensive
*  Many congregations cannot afford to hire an outside expert
*  A trained in-house team can provide ongoing leadership to achieve energy efficiency
*  Energy savings have direct environmental benefits and become a point of influence for congregational members and others in the community

Highlights of This Old House of Worship:

*  15 hours over 5 sessions (held in the evening)
*  Each congregation sends a team of 3-5 people
* 5 or more nearby congregations attend together
*  Host congregations rotated for each meeting
*  Every class includes a building walkthrough focusing on an area of energy use
*  All areas of energy use are covered – heating, lighting, hot water, ventilation, air conditioning, appliances and motors, building envelope
*  Participants use professional equipment for testing and measuring energy use
*  Congregational teams calculate potential savings of efficiency recommendations
*  Utility rebates and other sources of funds are discussed
*  150 congregations have graduated from This Old House of Worship
*  Congregations report annual energy savings averaging 10-30%

Contact IREJN to learn more about This Old House of Worship. Download our curriculum outline here.

Graduates of This Old House of Worship are now helping other congregations through Pass It On Audits.