Christ Church Downend serves the community of Downend, Staple Hill, Blackhorse, Bromley Heath and part of Emerson’s Green. They welcome people of all ages and stages of life and have a heart to connect with their local community in a variety of ways. They are passionate about serving God and his creation and recently installed new eco-friendly heat pumps, providing effective and flexible Net-Zero heating.
Their parish hall was originally constructed in the 1950s and until recently was heated by three gas boilers, two of which were over 20 years old. Recently, following an energy survey, the PCC committed to pursuing Net Zero where practically possible, motivated by the mission to care for God’s creation.
The parish hall is divided into two spaces, a main hall and smaller 'youth hub', both of which are used regularly by both the church and community groups.
An energy survey from the Diocese, together with the offer of a capital grant, prompted the PCC to explore pathways to Net Zero. Modelling indicated that ongoing running costs for a heat pump system would be similar to existing gas bills and potentially cheaper over the medium term.
The church received grant funding covering 55% of installation costs. This support came from the Diocese, the West of England Combined Authority, and the Church of England’s central Net Zero Fund.
The removal of the old heating system and installation of the air-to-air heat pump system—including seven external units, nine internal units, and four supplementary panel heaters—was completed in just eight working days by locally-based installation firm Invictus in October 2025.
The church is pleased with the small size and discreet looks of the indoor units and the quietness in operation inside and outside. They heat the building quickly and are operated by smartphone apps. In addition to this, the electricity to heat the hall over the first winter worked out slightly cheaper than for the previous winter's gas bill, meaning they met their objective: to invest in a Net Zero system that is cost-neutral to run.
James Gardner, the member of Christ Church Downend who oversaw the project, said:
"It was brilliant to have the heat pumps installed at the beginning of winter so that we could use them straight away and see the comparison in cost with the previous boiler system. In addition to the bill being cheaper than with the previous system, it has worked very well to provide air conditioning to allow the hall to be useable during the heatwave. Moving our heating over to a more environmentally friendly system is just one example of how we can care for and protect God's creation, and we will continue to grow in the ways we support creation care at Christ Church."
If you would like to discuss how your church can begin or progress its Net Zero journey, please reach out to environment@bristoldiocese.org