Kentucky church installs energy efficiency measures and solar panels

A case study detailing the energy efficiency and sustainability journey of the Midway Christian Church in Kentucky, which implemented HVAC upgrades, LED lighting, and solar panels to reduce costs and carbon emissions.

• Between 2005 and 2014, Midway Christian Church invested $46,000 to upgrade its HVAC system, replacing old equipment with a 90 percent efficiency furnace and a mix of commercial-sized three-phase heat pumps for the sanctuary and single-phase heat pumps for the basement and office.
• The church implemented several other energy efficiency measures, including spending $8,300 to replace eight windows in the fellowship hall with double-pane versions and $11,800 to install LED lights, the latter of which produced annual savings of $4,706. The church also added occupancy sensors and programmable thermostats.
• In September 2018, the church installed a 4.5-kilowatt (kW) rooftop solar system on the Fellowship Hall at a total cost of $15,000. This system has generated an average of 4,500 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per year, totaling approximately 19,000 kWh and avoiding about 30,000 pounds of carbon emissions.
• Midway Christian Church achieved several sustainability milestones, becoming a Certified Green Chalice Congregation in 2014 and committing in 2018 to be the first Disciples of Christ church to go carbon neutral by 2030.
• Using grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Resources Conservation Service, the church installed a certified commercial-grade kitchen with energy-efficient appliances, which it rents to vendors for local food markets to generate revenue and support local produce.

APA

Yañez-Barnuevo, M. (2023). Kentucky church installs energy efficiency measures and solar panels. Environmental and Energy Study Institute. https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/kentucky-church-installs-energy-efficiency-measures-and-solar-panels

Chicago

Yañez-Barnuevo, Miguel. Kentucky church installs energy efficiency measures and solar panels. Environmental and Energy Study Institute, 2023. https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/kentucky-church-installs-energy-efficiency-measures-and-solar-panels.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Yañez-Barnuevo |first1=Miguel |title=Kentucky church installs energy efficiency measures and solar panels |publisher=Environmental and Energy Study Institute |date=26 May 2023 |url=https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/kentucky-church-installs-energy-efficiency-measures-and-solar-panels |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{yaezbarnuevo2023kentucky, author = {Yañez-Barnuevo, Miguel}, title = {{Kentucky church installs energy efficiency measures and solar panels}}, institution = {Environmental and Energy Study Institute}, year = {2023}, month = may, url = {https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/kentucky-church-installs-energy-efficiency-measures-and-solar-panels}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }