St. Mark’s to Install Solar Power System

As the duly elected leadership of the congregation, we wanted to inform you of an action we have taken that would contribute to our stewardship of the earth, as well as to the maintenance of our building. In the coming weeks, we will begin work on a major project that will change our congregation’s financial stability for the long term and set a great example of stewardship for our community. 

We will be installing a 34.5 kW solar power system that should provide the majority of our electrical needs over the next 40 years. And we will also get our roof replaced, which should help keep the church safe from the inclement weather of climate change. In the process we will save tons of CO2 to help our environment. We would have to plant almost 13,000 trees to absorb the amount of CO2 we will save over the next twenty years.

Our solar program is part of a larger project created by the Episcopal Church Building Fund and the Diocese of Newark. We will be one of 16 installations in our diocese and a low interest loan from the Episcopal Church Building Fund is critical to the financing. The program will be paid for from savings on our electrical bill with no upfront costs for us. For the first 5 years we will spend some extra money—roughly $100 per month–but after 5 years our savings, along with the sale of extra electricity to our local utility, will be significant and will help the long-term finances of the church.
The solar panels will be installed on the shingled roofs of our sanctuary and parish hall.

The first step of the installation will be to totally replace our shingled roof — its cost covered by the loan — while our neighbor, Holy Name, trims back its large tree casting shade on our roof. Then comes installing the solar system itself with the goal of having it be operational by the end of the year.

We remain grateful to the members of St. Mark’s Solar Program Exploration Team – Elizabeth Hooper, Mike Norris, and Anne Beemsterboer – and their valuable work.