St Teresa of Avila Catholic Parish of San Francisco Energy Use, Cost and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions Voluntary Report

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1 St Teresa of Avila Catholic Parish of San Francisco Energy Use, Cost and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions Voluntary Report March 2018 (for information only) In keeping with our pastoral mission for social justice, St Teresa's Parish is providing our fourth annual voluntary report on energy use, cost, and greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions. Report Summary We saved over $8,500 through energy conservation and solar power from 2014 to 2017 Our new rooftop solar system contributed more than $2,800 to our savings in Our greenhouse gas emissions in 2017 were 26% below those in 2013 Solar power reduced our greenhouse gas emissions (Scope 2 1 ) by about 5,200 lbs of CO 2 By July 2018, all of St Teresa s electricity generation sources will be 100% renewable Background to St Teresa's Energy and GHG Emissions Inventory In his 2015 Encyclical 2, Pope Francis recognized global climate change as "one of the principal challenges facing humanity in our day." Scientists agree that the impacts of global climate change are typically felt first and worst among the poor and those least able to adapt, increasing social injustice worldwide. St Teresa s has worked hard to save energy, increase efficiency and reduce emissions. We ve been reporting our results annually since About St Teresa's voluntary report on energy and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions WHO: St. Teresa's Catholic Parish is providing this report voluntarily, in our capacity as the operator of parish facilities owned by the Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco. WHAT: The report provides data for energy use (mainly natural gas and electricity) and the resulting emissions of the GHG, Carbon Dioxide (CO 2 ). We also report energy cost and savings. WHEN: The report covers calendar year 2017, and includes data for earlier years, particularly our baseline comparison year 2013, the earliest year for which we have complete data. WHERE: The report covers energy use in the church building at th Street and the priory at 390 Missouri Street, in San Francisco, California USA. WHY: Our intention in preparing this report is to try to reduce our emissions of GHGs over time and to encourage others to do likewise. HOW: This report is prepared using commonly-accepted terminology and methods for GHG accounting. GHG accounting is explained in detail in the GHG Protocol 3, which stresses relevance, completeness, consistency, transparency and accuracy. Cumulative Cost Savings from Energy Savings and Solar Power 4 Year Year Total Priory gas $358 $281 $237 -$24* $852 Church gas $692 N/A N/A $413 $1106 Priory electric $258 $798 $1394 $4261 $6711 Church electric $281 $71 -$89* -$397* -$134* Annual Total $1589 $1150 $1542 $4253 $8,535 *negative numbers are additional costs rather than savings. 1 Scope 2 emissions are those associated with the generation and delivery of electricity by the utility 2 Pope Francis' Encyclical, Laudato Si', Our Common Home, 25 (signed May 24 and published June 18, 2015) 3 Greenhouse Gas Protocol is available free online at 4 Relative to energy use in baseline comparison year 2013, not counting savings due to broken gas meter 1

2 Energy Cost and Dollar Savings The chart above shows St Teresa s sustained effort to reduce energy costs (relative to 2013) through energy savings and solar power. Although not part of our documented savings from energy savings and solar power, the savings due to the broken gas meter are shown here. The chart below shows St Teresa s combined total Scope 1 (natural gas) and Scope 2 (electricity from the grid) greenhouse gas emissions. These tell our story of: Sustained effort to reduce our energy use and our greenhouse gas emissions Challenges we faced due to the broken gas meter at the church and possible effects of aging on our heating system at the priory Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Pounds of CO 2 2

3 St Teresa s Energy Costs and Savings Church Priory Total Gas Electric Gas Electric 2013 actual cost $1,670 $1,766 $1,122 $3,579 $8, energy cost in 2017 $2,076 $2,084 $1,662 $4,280 $10, actual cost N/A 5 $2,122 $1,278 $2,892 N/A 2016 cost without solar N/A same same $2,914 N/A 2016 energy cost in 2017 N/A $2,174 $1,411 $3,274 N/A 2017 actual cost $1,662 $2,481 $1,686 $19 $5, cost without solar same same same $2,801 $8, solar savings $2,782 $2, solar savings $22 $ savings relative to 2016 N/A -$307* -$275* $3,255 N/A 2017 savings relative to 2013 $414 -$397* -$24* $4,261 $4,254 *negative numbers are additional costs rather than savings St Teresa's Energy and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory 6 Year Gas church 1,547 therms 7 N/A 8 1,227 therms Gas priory 986 therms 854 therms 996 therms Total gas 2,533 therms N/A 2,223 therms Lamp oil 4 gallons 4 gallons 4 gallons Scope 1 emissions 9 29,679 lbs CO 2 N/A 26,048 lbs CO 2 Electricity church 8,673 kwh 10 9,071 kwh 10,451 kwh Electricity priory 15,354 kwh 11,441 kwh (incl. 87 kwh solar) 10,813 kwh ALL SOLAR Total electricity 24,027 kwh 20,512 kwh 21,264 kwh Total solar power - 87 kwh 12,902 kwh 11 Net electricity from grid 24,027 kwh 20,425 kwh 8,362 kwh Scope 2 emissions 12 10,259 pounds CO 2 8,272 pounds CO 2 3,387 pounds CO 2 Total emissions 39,938 lbs CO 2 N/A 29,435 lbs CO 2 5 In 2016, St Teresa's was billed $139 for gas used at the church that year. In 2017, PG&E issued revised statements for the fourth quarter, bringing our total to $210 for However, we still cannot report the total gas used or the emissions for 2016 because the bills for the first three quarters were incorrect. 6 Gas and electricity data are from the PG&E bills, and were not independently verified. Minor differences between this report and earlier reports may be due to revision of bills for an earlier year; over one year to verify the grid electricity emissions factor of the preceding year; inclusion 4 days of 2016 in the 2017 NEM contract true-up, etc. 7 Therms are a standard measure of natural gas energy. 8 Gas bills for the church were incorrect from April 2015 to September 2016, resulting in significant under-billing. 9 Scope 1 emissions are those resulting from direct combustion of natural gas and lamp oil on our premises. 10 Kilowatt hour (kwh) is a standard measure of electrical energy. 11 Our solar system generated 12,902 kwh, of which 10,813 were used at the priory and 2,089 went to PG&E s grid. 12 Scope 2 emissions are those resulting from the production and delivery of electricity from the grid. 3

4 St Teresa s Energy Use Electricity, kwh St Teresa s electricity and gas use from 2013 to 2017 are shown in the charts above and below. In the electricity chart, the priory s net electricity use from the grid went negtive in 2017 because the rooftop solar system provided a net energy surplus to the grid. In the gas chart below, due to the meter being out of order, we don t know how much gas we used at the church in , and the church s gas data for 2014 are questionable. At the priory, gas use has been rising since 2015; it is especially evident in This could be caused by a decline in efficiency of the priory s aging heating system. The parish will look into this in St Teresa s Energy Use Natural Gas, Therms 4

5 Comparison Details Cost Savings Relative to 2013: Our total energy cost savings in 2017, relative to what we would have paid if we continued to use as much energy as we did in 2013, were $4,254. Of this $4,254, $2,782 was due to solar power in 2017, and the rest was due to energy savings. Due to meter malfunction in 2015 and 2016, we don t know how much gas was used at the church, or what it would have cost; we may have saved about $3,700 from under-billing at that time. However, we have documented other cost savings from 2014 through Relative to 2013, our cumulative cost savings for energy conservation and solar power amount to more than $8,500. Cost Savings from Solar Power: Rooftop solar power saved us $2782 in 2017 and $22 in the last days of Our total electricity charges for the priory in 2017 were only $19. It will take about 7 more years of savings to recoup our capital investment in solar. After that, the priory will have almost free solar power for the remainder of the estimated 25 year life of the system. Electricity at Priory: Electricity use at the priory in 2017 was less than it was in 2016, and the priory s new rooftop solar system produced more power than expected. The rooftop solar power system provided 100% of the priory s electricity plus a net energy surplus (NES) to the grid. We were credited for the surplus under our Net Energy Metering (NEM) contract with the utility. Electricity at Church: Electricity use at the church was higher than in any year dating back to This may be due to the renovation work in the parish hall. We have noted similar but smaller rise for a smaller renovation project in Total Electricity: St. Teresa's total electricity use in 2017 was 4% higher than in 2016, but 11 % lower than in While electricity use at the church was up by 1,380 kwh, the 2,089 kwh net energy surplus from the priory more than compensated for it. Our total net power draw from the utility grid in 2017 was less than half of what it was in Gas at Priory: Gas use at St Teresa's priory in 2017 was a bit higher than any year dating back to After our priory insulation project in 2013, we saw a reduction in gas use in However, since then, gas use has gone up every year, and finally in 2017, we were back where we started. This slowly rising trend over the course of 3 years could be due to a gradual decline in efficiency of the priory heating system. Gas at Church: The church gas meter failed in 2015, and may have started mal-functioning in The church s 2014 gas usage data are therefore questionable. The utility finally fixed the meter in late In 2017, the church s gas usage was much less than in Total Gas: The priory and church (combined) used less gas 2017 than they did in While gas use at the priory was up, savings at the church more than compensated for it. Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Overall, our total GHG emissions in 2017 were 26% below those in About half of this decrease is due to ongoing measures to conserve energy and increase energy efficiency and the remainder is due to power being generated by the rooftop solar. Solar power is renewable and virtually carbon-free. All of our solar power is additional to what the utility can count towards its Renewable Portfolio Standard obligations. Our 12,902 kwh of solar power decreased our Scope 2 emissions by about 5,200 lbs of CO 2. Energy savings in 2017 reduced our Scope 2 emissions by a further 5,300 lbs of CO 2 relative to What next: We continue to reap energy and dollar savings due to actions taken on a daily basis, in addition to minor and major projects, including solar power (2016) and insulation (2013). This year, the parish will start purchasing wind power generated in California for the church, via the grid. This will cost an extra 1.4 cents per kwh (~$10 to $12/month). By July 2018, all of St Teresa s electricity supply will be zero-emission and 100% renewable. 5