Energy Audits and Restoring Creation Loans
Energy Audits
Energy For Purpose has partnered with the Presbyterian Foundation and the Presbytery of New Covenant as a means to provide energy efficiency options for churches. We have performed very in depth energy audits at over 100 PCUSA churches around North and South America, with a strong majority in Texas (We are based out of Austin).
Energy efficiency does not mean a church has to spend money to save energy. According to the EPA, 30% of the energy we use is wasted, which means we can recapture that waste through behavior change. If every church was able to save as little as 10% in the US we could redirect over a $B from energy spend to mission spend. Imagine how that would impact missions. Imagine how that would impact the environment.
Restoring Creation Loans
The Presbyterian Foundation offers the Restoring Creation Loan in order to provide low interest loan options for the PC(USA). In this scenario, ideally, there is no extra funding needed to purchase equipment. The cost of the new equipment is paid out of the energy savings, verified by the engineer. LIT engineers project managed a similar program via the State Energy Conservation Office of Texas for 20 years by leveraging the LoanSTAR program at 3% interest for partnered school districts, local hospitals and colleges. An engineer provides an energy study, which is rolled into the loan, verifying and stamping a report that states (short of a guarantee) that the identified project will have a payback of ten years or less, and that the savings will pay for the cost of the loan. This type of program is an excellent option for churches in need of assistance, but the energy study is also stand alone and an excellent resource for our partnered churches to save energy at no cost.