Can a small, Midwestern, Lutheran congregation go from eight natural gas furnaces to eight heat pumps and enough solar to power their entire facility in just four years? Yes! Good Shepherd Lutheran of Decorah, Iowa just did it!
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church is a small, yet progressive, activist congregation. Making a difference in our community is part of the historical DNA of the congregation. The church, founded in 1958, built the original Sanctuary and Education Wing that year on land formerly used as a sheep pasture. The congregation grew and in 1988, they constructed a new, larger sanctuary adjoining their original buildings.
The 1958 buildings were heated with fuel oil and there was no air conditioning. In the 1960s, natural gas was available in Decorah and the furnaces were replaced. Unfortunately, the construction of the original buildings utilized outdated technologies and the efficiency of the system was estimated to be less than 50%.
By 2019, the gas furnaces in the 1958 buildings were outdated, inefficient, and incurring constant maintenance costs. Good Shepherd member Jim Fritz sought advice from the Winneshiek Energy District on suitable replacement options. The decision was made to replace the 1958 HVAC system with four geothermal heat pumps utilizing VRF (variable refrigerant flow) technology to deliver heat and AC to the new head units. We installed a large geo-field in our backyard. This upgrade allowed us to air condition the entire building for the first time.
The 1988 building’s HVAC system was original and included four unsightly rooftop gas furnaces in the front of the building. Following the success of the 1958 HVAC replacement project, Jim knew that the 1988 units were soon to experience failures and needed a similar treatment.
In 2021, Good Shepherd members Jim and Liz Fritz formed Mission Green LLC (“a mission with a company!”) to help the church work through this undertaking. Following a highly successful congregational vote in support (99-4) in June 2022, Mission Green began the process of replacing all remaining gas furnaces with heat pumps, providing enough new solar to heat/cool/illuminate the entire facility 24/7/365, address water ponding issues on the back of the building, and provide a new outdoor space under a large post and beam pergola with a solar canopy.
Supply chain issues slowed the process, but by January 2023, 52 bi-facial solar panels (21 kW) had been installed on the flat roof of the Education Wing and three new air-to-air heat pumps were installed in the 1988 addition. The following week after the heat pumps became operational, the temperature plunged to -17 degrees for 48 hours. The interior of the facility maintained a set point of 67 degrees throughout that time. In the spring, the old rooftop furnaces were removed, as was the gas meter. The facility was then all-electric and on its way to being carbon neutral.
In June 2023, work resumed with removing the old 2,000-gallon fuel oil barrel behind the building, moving the Alliant Energy transformer to the lot line, completing the installation of a new 600-amp service entrance, and constructing a large French drain in the area with water ponding issues. A 38’ x 38’ permeable paver courtyard was installed on top of the French drain. A large Douglas Fir, post and beam pergola was built over the courtyard and was covered by a 37’ x 37’ solar canopy (27 kW, 50 bi-facial solar panels).
Now Good Shepherd Lutheran is 1) all electric, 2) carbon neutral (no fossil fuels consumed), 3) creating all the electricity needed for the entire facility on-site, and 4) overall a net-zero energy use facility! Additionally, the new courtyard and pergola have provided a great new outdoor space for the congregation to enjoy and the water problem was eliminated. Following a six year heat pump lease and Power Purchase agreement with Mission Green, Good Shepherd will own their own “electric utility” and will have $0 in energy costs going forward. Monies previously spent on energy will be able to be redirected to mission efforts supported by the congregation.
Good Shepherd and Mission Green are proud of the partnership that allowed this transformation to occur. The support of the congregation has been amazing. We have worked together to do our part to find solutions for the challenge of combating the climate crisis. Financially, the congregation will be relieved of future increases in energy costs. Most importantly, we are doing our part to leave a healthy planet for future generations. We hope this model will inspire others to “think outside of the box” and “move the needle” for the good of the planet!
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Watch the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Carbon Neutral Initiative video here.
Read the national IPL story here.
Certify your congregation as a national IPL Cool Congregation here. Carbon footprint reductions of 10% or more qualify.