Sydenham Street United Church is leading the pack when it comes to becoming more energy efficient.

The church is the first in the area to install solar panels on its roof as part of the Ontario Power Authority’s Feed-in Tariff program.

Installation of the 52 solar panels began last week.

“We hope this will be an inspiration and a model for other faith-based institutions,” said church minister Rev. Barry Pridham.

Through the program, the church owns and operates the panels but feeds energy into the OPA’s grid. Sydenham will receive about $1,000 per month from the power it sells to the OPA.

That extra $1,000 will allow the church to continue to participate in the mission trips and charitable work it does on a regular basis, said Donald Wood, property chairman of the church.

“We won’t have to pump money into the building,” Wood said. “We can use the money for what really matters.”

In the fall, Sydenham plans on hosting a seminar called Greening Sacred Spaces, for other faith-based institutions, members of the community and anyone who wishes to join, about the church’s experience installing and maintaining the solar panels.

“That’s what the gospel is all about: sharing the good news,” Pridham said.

The $77,000 project was made possible by a $50,000 anonymous donation to the church and a low-interest loan from the United Church of Canada. Pridham and Wood expect to pay off the loan through profits from the solar panels within four years. 

“It won’t be costing the church anything,” Wood said. 

Once the panels are installed, Sydenham United’s website will include a section dedicated to how much energy the church is generating and how much money it has made.

The panels aren’t the only way the church is making strides to become more green. It has two committees committed to greening efforts. 

The green committee and the energy efficiency committee have inspired building upgrades, like a better insulated roof and tighter fitting windows, composting and recycling and behavioural changes, like turning off lights and turning down the thermostat in the winter.

“(The committees) are really good at thinking outside the box and challenging us all to get serious about the environment,” Pridham said.