Local church looks to the future with newly-installed solar panel

SOUTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. — St. Augustine Episcopal Church is turning to the sun to power its buildings, installing rooftop solar panels as part of a broader push to cut energy costs and live out its environmental values. 

The project, now up and running, is designed to meet nearly all of the church’s annual electricity needs for both the main church and its vicarage.

“I’ve been in a leadership position for quite a few years, and have overseen the addition of heat pumps for heating and cooling, plus other projects to maintain the church’s buildings and conserve energy,” Heaton said, noting the solar project is the latest step in a long effort to make the buildings more efficient and resilient.

The timing for solar became favorable when recent federal changes allowed nonprofits and churches to access a 30 percent rebate on renewable energy projects through a direct payment from the IRS. At the same time, Rhode Island offered a state grant of roughly $8,000 toward the upfront cost, significantly reducing what the parish would ultimately pay.

“At the end of last year, we decided it was time to move on the project,” Heaton said.

Without incentives, the church was looking at about a $37,000 investment for the solar array, but with the state grant and federal rebate, the net cost is expected to be closer to $18,000. Heaton said that kind of system normally pays for itself in seven to eight years, but with the incentives and the church’s roughly $3,000 annual electric bill, the payback period should be closer to six years.

“There’s no doubt that this would be in the best interest of the church’s finances,” Heaton said.

Even so, church leaders emphasize that the project is about more than saving money. St. Augustine has had an active “green team” for over a decade, and Heaton said the parish has long seen energy conservation and care for creation as part of its mission.

“The consensus to go ahead had a lot to do with the feeling among the parishioners that we need to do our part to save energy and slow the warming of the planet,” Heaton said.

He said parishioners liked the idea that solar could both trim the electric bill and model practical climate action for other congregations and community groups. Church members were told that contractors’ proposals also translated the system’s output into tons of carbon emissions avoided over time, information that was available for anyone who wanted to see the long-term environmental impact.

“The benefit of the project would not consist solely of saving money and lowering electricity consumption, but also to serve as an example of what an organization such a church can do to both save money and reduce our fossil fuel consumption,” Heaton said.

According to Heaton, opinions in the pews were not identical, but they tended to converge on the same outcome. He said some parishioners were most persuaded by the financial savings, while others felt the environmental argument was the more compelling reason to move forward.

Before panels could go up, the church needed to address its aging roof, which Heaton said was roughly 40 years old and due for replacement regardless of solar. 

The parish obtained multiple bids and completed a new roof in late winter with help from the church’s capital fund, extra donations from members and support from the diocese, which viewed the work as a sound long-term investment.