Big Church Switch success

Great news! More than 5,500 churches around Britain and Ireland are now running on renewable energy, thanks in part to our Big Church Switch initiative.

With climate change getting worse for the world’s poorest people and temperatures rising around the world – including in the UK – more and more churches are reducing their carbon footprint and sourcing their electricity from 100% renewable tariffs. 

In doing so, these churches are standing together with people like Sussett Evola, whose family were left homeless when Typhoon Haiyan hit their small island in the Philippines back in 2013. Sussett knows only too well what failure to tackle climate change feels like.

Switching can save money

The Big Church Switch helped both churches and individuals to change their provider from dirty to clean, something that is now much easier than it used to be. It often works out cheaper too.

Among the churches that have seen the light of clean energy are 15 cathedrals as well as congregations from a variety of denominations including Baptists, Methodists, Quakers, Catholics and Salvation Army. In total, the churches have shifted more than £5m away from fossil fuels and into renewables.

The Bishop of Salisbury, Nicholas Holtam, the Church of England’s lead bishop on the environment, is delighted that so many churches have embraced renewable energy.

He said: ‘Climate change is one of the great moral challenges of our time and so it’s fantastic to see churches doing their bit to ensure they reduce their impact on the environment. They are also giving a boost to clean energy, which is essential to reduce harmful carbon emissions.’

Big Church Switch in the media

The announcement has had lots of media coverage, including from the BBC, Guardian, Financial Times and Daily Mail. It has also received international attention from CNBC in America and Xinhua in China, among others.