Since the new provisions of the Faculty Jurisdiction (Amendment) Rules 2022 came into force on 1 July 2022, their application has been considered in eighteen consistory court judgments; the respective Chancellors examined the extent to which the petitioners had investigated the suitability of various heating options including: air source heat pumps; gas boilers; oil boilers; radiant heaters; and solar panels, each addressing location specific requirement and including both medium- and longer-term solutions. Only one petition was refused on account of the lack of detailed information provided by the petitioners.
The church of St Egelwin the Martyr, Scalford has been the subject of a Case Study issued by the Cathedral and Church Buildings Division (Church Care) of the Church of England in July 2022, and more recently a judgment of the Leicester consistory court on 9 January 2024, Re St Egelwin the Martyr Scalford [2024] ECC Lei 1. Both concern the heating within this large Grade II* church.
Case Study
“St Egelwin the Martyr, Scalford is a Grade II* listed medieval church located in the Diocese of Leicester. Its large size (495 m2) makes it a challenge to heat and keep warm. When the oil-boiler failed in 2011, the church replaced it with electric underfloor heating in the nave and electric radiators in the chancel. The architect misjudged requirements and specifications, and the poor installation meant that it was ‘entirely insufficient’. This left the church, once again, in need of a new heating system.
St Egelwin’s continued to explore electric heating options. As a short-term measure, electric pew heaters were installed. On the recommendation of the Archdeacon, air source heat pumps were considered, and eventually chosen as an electric-powered, low-maintenance solution.
Two air source heat pumps were installed: Four large blowing units were fixed inside St Egelwin’s: two in the north aisle and two in the south aisle. These direct air towards the central aisle of the nave. Despite their size, the blowers are placed and coloured in such a way that makes them an unobtrusive presence. The system provides 50kW heat for the church, directed towards the congregation.
The blowers are quiet when in operation, but provide an effective source of heating for the church. They are typically turned on 3-4 hours prior to an event, when in use. With a low maintenance requirement, the air source heat pump system is cheap and simple to run. Acting as a backup system in preparation for very cold spells of weather, the under-pew heaters also remain in place.
The total bill for the air source heat pump installation was a little over £16,000. The majority of this was covered by the damages that were awarded to the church following the unfortunate failed installation of electric underfloor heating. A Churchwarden is quoted as saying:
‘After a difficult time, the PCC were delighted with the efficiency of the installation. We were warm, not worried by noise, and the cost of running is acceptable’.”
Re St Egelwin the Martyr Scalford
Eighteen months after the Case Study was published, the judgment Re St Egelwin the Martyr Scalford [2024] ECC Lei 1 was handed down; the court considered a petition to build a community room at the west end of the Nave, to re-locate the font and to create an access door in the servery to the store area [1]. These proposals would result in harm to the significance of the church as a building of special architectural interest [37]; the contentious parts of the proposed works relate to the height and depth of the proposed meeting room, the concealment of the two columns and the relocation of the Font [36].
The creation of the meeting room will have independent lighting and heating in the under-utilised open space between the vestry and the servery.
“[15]. The creation of a separate meeting room to the nave would allow for the heating of only part of the building and would be a more affordable, efficient and environmentally friendly use of the Church. Currently, meetings at St Egelwin’s occur in the nave which is a challenge to heat.
The Statement of Needs explains that the current energy system takes 24 hours to heat the entire interior of the church due to it being a low energy electric system. The heating consumption estimates provided in the Statement of Needs for the newly proposed meeting room are particularly helpful and were based on the actual energy consumption in similar sized rooms within the Church. It estimates that it will be possible for the meeting room to be heated to a suitable temperature within approximately 2 hours and to a warmer degree compared to the heating of the entire Nave interior.
Comment
The information on the heating of St Egelwin the Martyr in the Case Study is apparently at odds with that in the Statement of Needs before the court, and an early rationalization of the two is to be welcomed. Equally problematic were the early initiatives of underfloor heating and pew heaters, which in other circumstances might have proved satisfactory.
The Case Study is prefaced by the warning on the header “N.B. This case study considers only one possible approach, which will not be suitable for every church. Always seek professional advice”. Indeed. Although the Church of England’s web pages Net Zero Carbon and Environmental case studies provide many case studies in which GHG emissions have been reduced appreciably.