North Carolina Interfaith Power & Light – Jennifer Cole – 2016

Goals:

North Carolina Interfaith Power & Light (NCIPL), a program of the North Carolina Council of Churches, works with religious organizations across the state to mobilize their response to climate change and help increase the energy efficiency of their buildings. Faith communities have an expansive reach in terms of both building space and individual connections, but are often absent from the field of energy efficiency. NCIPL brought in EDF Climate Corps fellow Jennifer Cole to help redevelop and strategically plan its energy efficiency support program offered to congregations.

Solutions:

Jenny sent a survey to congregants across North Carolina to measure their perceptions of the benefits and barriers to implementing energy efficiency initiatives. A second survey was sent to all state Interfaith Power & Light branches, asking about the structure and funding sources of their energy programs to get a sense of how successful energy programs are run, and provide options for expanding NCIPL’s own program.

Jennifer led and facilitated a retreat for all of NCIPL’s volunteers who worked on the energy program to discuss both their roles, as well as the program’s long-term strategic plan. She also collaborated with Duke Energy to build a resource portal for NCIPL’s website that connects congregations with the most appropriate energy efficiency incentive and rebate programs offered by the utility. Lastly, she performed an energy analysis on the Raleigh Friends Meeting church and recommended energy efficiency plans, including rooftop solar installations.

Potential Impact:

The Raleigh Friends Meeting church could save up to 55% of their total energy use by implementing solar installations and could walk away with a better understanding of how to become more energy efficient. Overall, Jennifer’s work will help NCIPL provide assistance to churches interested in reducing both their carbon footprints and energy bills, allowing for more money to be spent towards their missions and core work.