Thanks to a Diocesan Net Zero Carbon Quick Wins Fund grant, St Wilfrid’s Harrogate have been able to make changes to their lighting on their path to net zero, and there are still grants available.
The church is a large, Grade I listed major parish church in central Harrogate with a busy parish hall, parish room, offices and more, and is open to the public every day with daily services.
The current lighting across the site is a mishmash of styles and periods, so the church has been working around the buildings improving the lighting by replacing old inefficient halogen or fluorescent fittings with LEDs, to improve the quality of light and reduce electricity usage.
In 2025 the church successfully secured a Net Zero Carbon Quick Wins Fund grant from the Diocese of Leeds to help them in this work, following a diocesan-provided energy audit.
The church has also worked with and working with the Diocesan Advisory Committee to make sure all this work is done properly.
So far, they have replaced all the old strip lights in the office, hall and kitchens with new LED versions; replaced ceiling lights in the vestry and parish room with LEDs and put them on a movement sensor; replaced the old emergency lighting in the hall with LEDs; replaced exterior floodlights with more streamlined LEDs that are much more appropriate for a grade I listed building; and put the lights in the toilets on a movement sensor so they don't get left on by mistake.
They have also replaced 144 halogen and florescent bulbs in the chandeliers in church, and have reconfigured the lighting in the sacristy, using high level LED lights that light the space more effectively for the priests and serving team before and after services.
Rebecca Oliver, church Facilities and Commercial Manager, said: “There are still areas to be tackled as this is a big ongoing project - the rooflights in the clerestory are next in line - but we are aiming to have replaced 100% of the old inefficient bulbs and fittings by the end of 2025, a milestone on our pathway to net zero.”
The Net Zero Carbon Quick Wins grants are part of the Church of England’s ambitious Net Zero Carbon 2030 programme.
The scheme is aimed at helping churches launch small scale decarbonisation projects as part of their journey to net zero.
The grants will be given to churches to support new energy, heating and lighting projects, including new insulation, solar panels, smart meters and more.
We still have grants to distribute in this scheme – please click here to find out more and to see if your church could benefit.