Interfaith Power & Light – Ryan Shea – 2018

Goals

Interfaith Power & Light (IPL) is non-profit organization that is mobilizing a religious response to climate change. One of their many projects, the SF Low Carbon Congregations Program was created to help ten interfaith congregations in San Francisco significantly reduce their GHG emissions while saving money and educating their congregants along the way. EDF Climate Corps fellow Ryan Shea was enlisted to evaluate each congregation’s energy situation and recommend appropriate solutions.

Solutions

After baselining each congregation’s Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions, Shea performed a walk-through energy audit of all their buildings to identify cost-effective solutions. He determined that nine out of the ten congregations could achieve carbon neutrality for their scope 1 and 2 emissions at zero upfront cost through San Francisco’s PACE program while saving 4%-36% annually on their energy bills. He also recommended upgrades that could be funded by the program including:

• LED lighting

• Rooftop solar PV

• Fuel switching to heat pumps and radiant floor heating

• Additional perimeter insulation

• Lowering hot water heat set-points

• Carbon offsets for remaining natural gas usage

Potential Impact

If all ten congregations reach the carbon neutral goals through the PACE Program, they would save an average of 18% on their annual energy costs. Shea recommended additional efficiency and solar projects that will help IPL reach carbon neutrality. These projects along with carbon offsets for the remaining emissions reductions would save 1000 metric tons of CO2 and have an NPV of $1,234,500. By following Shea’s analysis and recommendations, IPL will be able to tailor the energy saving upgrades to each of the ten congregations while also educating congregants about the potential for climate solutions.