Announcing the Second Phase of Multi-Parish Energy Audits
In 2025, five parishes in the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago welcomed an energy auditor into their buildings. Each wanted to understand how its spaces use energy and where they could become more efficient.
The audits grew out of a partnership between Episcopal Charities and Eco DioChicago, the diocese's creation care committee. Both share a conviction that caring for creation and caring for our neighbors go hand in hand. Episcopal Charities covers the cost of the audits through its Catalyst Project Fund, and Eco DioChicago coordinates the participating parishes.
Building on last year's cohort, six more parishes will receive Level II energy audits this year:
Emmanuel Episcopal Church, Rockford
St. Hugh of Lincoln Episcopal Church, Elgin
St. John’s Episcopal Church, Naperville
Annunciation of Our Lady Episcopal Church, Gurnee
Christ Episcopal Church, Waukegan
Iglesia Episcopal Cristo Rey (Mission Church), Chicago
What is a parish energy audit?
An energy audit shows a congregation how its buildings use energy and where it can implement energy efficiencies. The audits in this program are Level II audits. They go well beyond the basic Level I checks that utility companies often offer.
An auditor spends one to three hours on site. They walk through the church and every other building on the property. They examine boilers, cooling systems, lighting, insulation, and controls. They use heat-scanning equipment to find where warm or cool air escapes. Each parish also shares 12 months of electric and gas bills, so the auditor can see how use changes across the seasons.
Within about a month, the parish receives a detailed report of 30 to 40 pages. It lists recommended improvements, estimated savings, and next steps. The auditor then walks parish leaders through the findings one-on-one.
The report gives a congregation a clear starting point. Recommendations range from operational changes and low-cost improvements to major capital projects, with options for each. Some cost nothing. Others require years of planning. Either way, parish leaders can make decisions based on evidence rather than guesswork. An audit can also support grant or loan applications, and some funders require one. It helps explain changes to parishioners and supports capital campaigns.
What the first five parishes have done
In October 2025, energy auditor Colby May of Energy for Purpose visited All Saints (Chicago), Church of the Ascension (Chicago), St. Charles (St. Charles), St. James the Less (Northfield), and St. Luke’s (Evanston).
Some changes were quick and inexpensive. Parishes installed smart thermostats, sealed drafty windows and doors, and posted “lights off” signs. Others are larger and longer-term. Three parishes are now exploring solar panels. Two are tracking their energy use with the EPA’s Energy Star Portfolio Manager. Two have renegotiated their utility contracts.
All Saints, Chicago, formed a seven-member energy team that meets monthly to work through each recommendation. They switched to a three-year fixed-rate electricity contract ahead of expected price increases. They will soon replace 10 to 11 thermostats with smart models and swap in smart power strips. The team is also weighing ways to heat small rooms without heating entire buildings and gathering solar proposals for the parish hall roof.
After presenting the audit results to the vestry, the Building and Grounds committee of Church of the Ascension, Chicago, built an action plan. Every bulb in the building now saves energy. Smart thermostats are scheduled by year’s end, and tuckpointing has begun on the church’s west wall. The parish is considering a new rooftop air conditioning unit and solar panels on its south-facing roof.
The two boilers at St. Charles Episcopal Church date to the 1960s and 1983, and leaders do not expect them to last another winter. They are seeking proposals for a new system and seriously considering geothermal. With costs projected between $200,000 and $400,000, they have begun early fundraising. They are also weighing proposals for solar panels, and the vestry is considering a draft energy policy. The parish is also planting native species and has hosted a community meeting on Illinois Solar for All.
St. James the Less, Northfield, is shifting to heat and cool only the spaces in use, guided by a new building occupancy schedule. Leaders are upgrading to programmable thermostats with remote access. They have proposed an LED lighting upgrade with motion sensors, using ComEd incentives. They are also tracking electricity use and emissions in Energy Star Portfolio Manager.
The audit helped St. Luke’s, Evanston, negotiate better gas and electric contracts. It also qualified St. Luke’s for a City of Evanston LED replacement grant, which required an audit. Since then, the parish has replaced its organ humidifier, continued tuckpointing and window replacement, and upgraded door and window seals.
How your parish can get involved
Eco DioChicago hopes to keep the program growing so more congregations can get a professional audit and the support to act on it. If your parish is interested in a future round, email the team at ecodiochicago@gmail.com.
Your parish does not need to start with an audit. Eco DioChicago meets regularly and welcomes anyone interested in creation care. Parishes that have participated so far either attended those meetings or answered the Eco-Justice question on their Parochial Report.
Congregations can also begin with the simple steps the first five parishes took. Check your thermostat settings. Seal drafty doors and windows. Remind everyone to turn off the lights.
Our church buildings are more than places we gather on Sunday. Throughout the week, they host food pantries, shelters, recovery meetings, and community programs. When a parish uses less energy, it honors God’s creation and frees up resources to serve its neighbors. Both matter. This is a shared commitment to environmental justice: stewardship of God’s creation, in service of those on the margins.