ZERO CARBON
LATEST NEWS!
January 2026
Options studies underway for lighting and heating solutions
December 2025
Double-glazed doors and windows installed in the Church Rooms
October 2025
Carbon dioxide levels increased by record amount in 2024 (WMO report)
September 2025
Romsey Abbey's Parochial Church Council (the governing body) accepted the Church of England offer for the Abbey to become a Demonstrator Church.
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Romsey Abbey
A Church of England Demonstrator Project
OUR MISSION
To demonstrate that Romsey's 1000 year old parish church,
with the support of its congregation and the local community,
can reduce its dependence on fossil fuels for heating and lighting and
preserve and enhance its architecture and heritage
and so lighten our impact on God's earth as an inspiration to others.
The problem
The Church of England has set itself the target of net zero carbon by 2030. The Abbey's current carbon footprint is around 70 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per year, of which 50 tonnes is generated from our heating and 20 tonnes from lighting.
Demonstrator Church status
As part of its zero carbon strategy, the Demonstrator Churches project from the Church of England's Net Zero Programme aims to support high carbon emitting churches with zero carbon projects. As work progresses, the network of Demonstrator Churches - representing many different types of community and situations - will share what they have learned more widely with dioceses and parishes so that all Church of England churches can learn from their experiences.
Romsey Abbey is fortunate to have been selected for Demonstrator Church status and in 2025/26 is receiving support for technical advice for our zero carbon projects. We will then seek support for Stage 2, implementation of proposals.
What we are planning to do
Replacing our heating system will have the most dramatic impact on reducing our carbon emissions, but will be a complex project with many factors to consider, including avoiding adverse impacts on the fabric of our Grade I listed building.
Replacing our Abbey spotlights with LEDs can be done more easily, and will tackle the largest user of electricity in the Abbey.
Figure: The Abbey and Church Rooms annual energy consumption over the last 10 years
The dominant part is for gas for heating the Abbey. For comparison, an average three-bedroomed house uses 15,000kWh per year.
How low could our zero carbon project take us in the next 10 years?
Our Church Rooms heating system uses elderly gas boilers and needs to be replaced. We can also reduce energy consumption by replacing our doors and windows with double glazing.
St Swithun's Church has a very small carbon footprint as it is already heated and lit with electricity generated from renewable sources. We will continue to look for energy efficiency improvements.
