A BARNSLEY church has invested in solar panels which will save them £3,000 on energy bills.
Emmanuel Methodist Church, based on Huddersfield Road, has gained a grant to part-fund its sustainable development through the Net Zero Barnsley programme delivered by The Business Village in partnership with Barnsley Council.
It is estimated that the 36 solar panels it has fitted to the roof of its Huddersfield Road building will generate around 12,725 kwh of electricity a year, saving the church £3,000 on energy bills and reducing their CO2 carbon emissions by 2.46 tonnes annually.
Church trustee Jan Eldred said: “Gaining expert help and financial support to invest in our solar panels has helped us to achieve our ambition to have them much sooner as part of our drive to be as sustainable a church as possible.
“Being able to store the electricity generated by day in a battery so that we can use it at our evening events to power lighting and kettles and sound systems is a very important bonus.
“We will work to fund more batteries for even greater efficiency.”
Coun Robin Franklin, cabinet spokesperson for regeneration and culture, added: “We all have to play our part in protecting our borough for the future, so it’s great to see Emmanuel Church working with the Net Zero Barnsley to install these measures on top of the great work they’ve already been doing in this area.
“Using cheaper and more sustainable energy thanks to the solar panels will be a gamechanger for them, and I encourage others to see what they can achieve through the Net Zero Barnsley programme.”
