Solar panels installed at St Mary Magdalene’s, Woodstock, a Grade II* listed church, will save the parish up to £4K a year in energy costs.
The 48 panels have been installed on two flat roofs, above the south nave and south aisle, at the church which sits within a conservation area north-west of Oxford. In its first month of operation the nave panels reduced the electricity bill by £200 alone.
Aidan Salter, treasurer, said: “The plans made financial sense as we were having scaffolding for replacing the roof. So we thought while we have these two flat roofs facing south we should consider if it is worthwhile.
“As an Eco Church we thought it was important to do it. We were challenged about the number of panels we had planned but our response was the climate emergency does not stop at the west door! We will be generating more energy than we use which will also generate more green energy.”
The PCC calculated there would be a saving of 3.79 tons of carbon dioxide annually: the equivalent of 174 trees. It is estimated that the panels will generate 19.61 MWh a year and reduce the church’s dependency on fossil fuels. It would also reduce the church’s electricity consumption by 5.38 MWh a year, which was 53 per cent of its annual energy consumption.
The church raised funds separately for the £40K project, including a donation for the battery and fundraising events, and are now looking at the next step in their eco journey.
The project was given a faculty granted by the Consistory Court of the diocese of Oxford following planning permission granted by the local planning authority. The Church Buildings Council was supportive of the petition, Historic England had no objections in principle to solar panels at the church, and the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings and the Victorian Society deferred to the advice of the DAC and Historic England.
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