Durham to support Church of England in ambitious decarbonisation plan

The Church of England will be supported in their ambitious aim of achieving net-zero carbon by 2030 through a new partnership with Durham Energy Institute (DEI). The Church of England (CofE) are leading the way on decarbonisation plans - 20 years ahead of the UK. To achieve this objective the CofE recognises one of the biggest areas it needs to tackle is heating. Heating buildings is one of the main sources of Greenhouse Gas emissions for the Church, along with electricity use and transport. The CofE owns and operates around 40,000 buildings, including 42 cathedrals, of which Durham Cathedral is an outstanding example. A significant proportion of the Church's buildings are heritage and listed buildings. A challenge and an opportunity for the CofE, the majority cannot be retro-fitted with conventional energy-saving strategies like building insulation and cladding, yet these buildings retain enormous community value.