Renovated Unitarian Church is more Earth-friendly
January 23, 2015 • By Erin Andersen • Lincoln Journal Star
Sunlight streams through the giant double-paned windows of Lincoln’s newly remodeled and renovated Unitarian Church -- a noticeable difference from the once dimly lit gathering area outside the church sanctuary.
The church feels warmer. More inviting. Less dingy, admits longtime member Becky Seth.
But more importantly, the $2.5 million renovation and addition project is an environmentally friendly testament to reducing the congregation’s carbon footprint and living by the Unitarian Universalist 7th core principle: “Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.”
At 3 p.m. Sunday, the church will rededicate the building -- and show off the 5,715-square-foot addition along with the many improvements made during the yearlong construction project. During construction, the church held its services at Faith United Methodist Church.
Improvements include a geothermal heating and cooling system, solar panels, LED lighting and improved insulation throughout.
Seven principles guide the faith and its moral compass, said Seth, chairman of the church’s Green Sanctuary Committee.
“As Unitarians, we believe climate change is the most pressing issue of our time. We believe that we are required by our faith to address it in whatever way we can,” Seth said.
For the congregation, that meant being willing to pay more.
“Environmentally friendly approaches are more costly upfront,” she said. “But the belief is that they will pay off financially over time, and environmentally immediately.”
The Unitarian Church moved into its building at 6300 A St. in 1961. The solid masonry building with steel-framed, single-pane windows was sorely in need of repair, renovation and ecological updates, Seth said.
“It (building) had no insulation at all,” Seth said. Consequently, the building was cold in the winter and hot in the summer. Beige bricks blocked daylight from the interior.
Double thermal-pane windows and doors keep out the chill. A “fake skylight” in the education wing is illuminated by thousands of LED lights. Installing a real skylight was not feasible because of the infrastructure of the building, Seth said.
Fifty-eight solar panels are installed on the south-facing side of the roof. There is room for 42 more panels in the future. Ultimately, the panels should produce 220,000 kilowatt hours a year -- enough to provide electricity to the sanctuary.
“Our goal was to expand and renovate our facility while maintaining or decreasing our total energy consumption,” Seth said. The church added 5,715 square feet, making the church a total of 16,100 square feet.
January 23, 2015 • By Erin Andersen • Lincoln Journal Star
Sunlight streams through the giant double-paned windows of Lincoln’s newly remodeled and renovated Unitarian Church -- a noticeable difference from the once dimly lit gathering area outside the church sanctuary.
The church feels warmer. More inviting. Less dingy, admits longtime member Becky Seth.
But more importantly, the $2.5 million renovation and addition project is an environmentally friendly testament to reducing the congregation’s carbon footprint and living by the Unitarian Universalist 7th core principle: “Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.”
At 3 p.m. Sunday, the church will rededicate the building -- and show off the 5,715-square-foot addition along with the many improvements made during the yearlong construction project. During construction, the church held its services at Faith United Methodist Church.
Improvements include a geothermal heating and cooling system, solar panels, LED lighting and improved insulation throughout.
Seven principles guide the faith and its moral compass, said Seth, chairman of the church’s Green Sanctuary Committee.
“As Unitarians, we believe climate change is the most pressing issue of our time. We believe that we are required by our faith to address it in whatever way we can,” Seth said.
For the congregation, that meant being willing to pay more.
“Environmentally friendly approaches are more costly upfront,” she said. “But the belief is that they will pay off financially over time, and environmentally immediately.”
The Unitarian Church moved into its building at 6300 A St. in 1961. The solid masonry building with steel-framed, single-pane windows was sorely in need of repair, renovation and ecological updates, Seth said.
“It (building) had no insulation at all,” Seth said. Consequently, the building was cold in the winter and hot in the summer. Beige bricks blocked daylight from the interior.
Double thermal-pane windows and doors keep out the chill. A “fake skylight” in the education wing is illuminated by thousands of LED lights. Installing a real skylight was not feasible because of the infrastructure of the building, Seth said.
Fifty-eight solar panels are installed on the south-facing side of the roof. There is room for 42 more panels in the future. Ultimately, the panels should produce 220,000 kilowatt hours a year -- enough to provide electricity to the sanctuary.
“Our goal was to expand and renovate our facility while maintaining or decreasing our total energy consumption,” Seth said. The church added 5,715 square feet, making the church a total of 16,100 square feet.
