Lighting the Way! Ipswich Road United Reformed Church’s Journey to Sustainability

Tucked away on Eaton Rise in Norwich, the Ipswich Road United Reformed Church is a modest yet forward thinking faith community, quietly leading by example when it comes to sustainability. Established in 1952 to serve the newly developed estate, the church has since grown and evolved both in structure and in purpose. 

Becoming part of the United Reformed Church in 1972, the  congregation has remained firmly rooted in Christian values, including the commitment to caring for God’s creation. 

A Spark of Change 

Ipswich Road URC’s energy efficiency journey didn’t begin with a major overhaul but with a question of values. Inspired by their involvement with Eco Church, a movement that encourages congregations to reflect on their environmental impact, the church began to explore what it meant to be truly eco conscious. 

Their first major step came in 2011, with the installation of solar panels."It’s about looking after God’s world," says Audrey, the church secretary.  From there, the momentum built gradually and thoughtfully. 

Efficiency in Action 

Over the years, the church has implemented a host of measures to reduce its environmental footprint. Nearly all of the building’s lighting, around 95%, has been converted to energy efficient LEDs, with plans in place to complete the final phase of this transition.  

The church uses air conditioning units for heating, with zoned systems that heat only the areas in use and switch off automatically after two hours to conserve energy. During recent roofing work, one of the buildings known as the sanctuary was reinsulated, and any future roof replacements will follow the same eco-conscious approach. All windows and doors have also been double glazed to help retain heat more effectively.  

The church also continues to benefit from its solar panel system, installed under the Feed-in Tariff (FIT) scheme, While battery storage was explored to enhance energy use, current guidance around indoor installation has led the church not to pursue this option further. In addition, a dedicated eco group leads a range of reuse and recycling initiatives, collecting items such as blister packs, pens, and toothbrushes, with crayons donated to  the local Scrapbox charity ensuring that virtually nothing goes to waste.  Their ethos is simple: 

“When we have to do a job, we always look for the opportunity to make it more eco-friendly.” 

Community and Commitment 

While energy decisions are ultimately made by the church, the wider community has organically become part of the sustainability mission. An active eco group also host coffee mornings that fund eco-friendly improvements and work with ERRA, the local Residents’ Association, who lead a variety of initiatives, from maintaining hedgerows and managing wild green spaces. 

There’s also a clothing bank accessible to all, which has had an unexpected benefit:

 “People are finding the building who didn’t even know it was there. If you do something that people want, it brings them in.” 

The church has become a hub for community groups, including choirs, support networks, Pilates and yoga classes, and craft circles. Many of these users express genuine appreciation for the warm, welcoming, and environmentally conscious space. 

Challenges and Learnings 

The journey hasn’t been without its hiccups. Early issues with solar panel sizing were swiftly rectified, and the panels had to be removed temporarily during roofing works. However, the church has faced no major barriers, perhaps because, as they say, they “start small and build on success.” 

Grant funding has been minimal, limited mostly to internal church sources. Ipswich Road URC has largely self-financed its improvements, preferring this approach to leave grant money available for other organisations in need. 

Looking Ahead 

Plans are underway to: 

• Complete the LED lighting transition 
• Consider installing more solar panels with battery storage options 
• Continue creating and nurturing wild areas on their grounds 
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They also hope to revive community activities like encouraging individual carbon footprint calculations and add more wildlife features like swift boxes. 

Words of Advice 

For churches and heritage sites beginning their own sustainability journeys, Ipswich Road URC has this message: 

“Start small, do what you can and let people see the benefits. Once people are on board, momentum builds. Have fun with it. Don’t let it become a chore and use what you’ve got in the way that you can. Just do your little bit.”

It’s a down to earth approach that’s making a real difference to the church and its community.