Stewardship saves parish money
St. Therese Parish in Appleton wins national EPA Energy Star award
By Joanne Flemming
Compass Correspondent
APPLETON -- Staff effort at St. Therese Parish allowed the parish to engage in stewardship, conserve energy, save money - and win a national award from the Environmental Protection Agency.
St. Therese was one of two congregations in Wisconsin and one of four nationwide to receive the Energy Star Congregations Network Award for 2004. It was the only Catholic parish in the country to receive the honor. Award winners were announced late in 2005.
Barbara Miller, parish business administrator, said the parish was nominated for the honor by Rapid Improvement Associates, Madison, which installed an energy monitor to identify
high energy use areas in the 39,000-square-foot structure, which was built in the 1920s. There was no charge to the parish to install the monitor, Miller said.
An EPA news release said the award was given for "effective reduction of energy costs resulting from upgrading facilities or implementing Energy Star recommendations during 2004."
Through upgrades and changes in how staff used energy, St. Therese saved 57,900 kilowatts of electricity, 5,900 therms of gas and $5,100, Miller said. Their efforts also prevented the emission of 163,600 pounds of carbon dioxide and were examples of how to be good stewards of the environment, the news release said.
Fr. Bill Hoffman, pastor, and Miller said staff willingness to make changes in their behavior contributed to the savings.
"It was an educational thing for our staff. They've been very supportive in it," Fr. Hoffman said.
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How to save
More information on ways parishes can save energy is available on the EPA website: www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=small_business.sb_congregations, including a downloadable guide, "Putting Energy into Stewardship."
The website also includes information on technical support and congregations and small businesses - including St. Therese Parish, Appleton - who have received Energy Star awards.
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"The whole staff has been very cooperative and very helpful," Miller said. She also praised Appleton Christian School, which rents the former St. Therese School, for its participation.
One change by staff was turning off lights when leaving rooms. Fr. Hoffman goes further - he relies on natural light when working in his office during the day.
Miller said the energy monitor identified peak usage times. The parish paid its electrical company extra for peak usage; this amounted to $300 to $900 a month.
The church, cafeteria and gym were the biggest energy users. To save energy, Miller said, daytime classes in the gym and events in the cafeteria are conducted in natural light. Both facilities are surrounded by windows.
Energy saving improvements to buildings were:
1. The new roof installed on the church and parish offices includes two inches of poly insulation.
2. A new, more efficient boiler was installed.
3. Steam taps were cleaned and repaired or replaced to assure efficient distribution of heat throughout the building.
4. T8 fluorescent lamps with electronic ballasts were installed in some fixtures.
5. Motion detectors were put in restrooms to control lights.
Miller said future upgrades include a new boiler in the former convent which now houses Catholic Charities offices. One of that building's two hot water heaters will be shut off.
Between April and November of 2003, St. Therese sought assistance from Focus on Energy and Rapid Improvement Associates. It also participated in the Wisconsin Energy Stewardship
Collaborative sponsored by the Wisconsin Interfaith Climate and Energy Coalition and the Wisconsin Green Building Alliance, the EPA noted on its website.
Fr. Hoffman has discussed how St. Therese saved energy with other pastors and with the ACES/Xavier board. "We were able to drop energy costs by 5, 10% or more by wise use of energy," he said.
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