God might have been able to speak energy and light into existence, but the church still has its bills to pay.

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Jackie Ricciardi/Staff

Silcox, associate rector of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, talks about ways they are trying to make the church more energy efficient.

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Jackie Ricciardi/Staff

The Rev. Jim Silcox of St. Paul's Episcopal Church shows some of the energy-efficient lighting at the church. Georgia Interfaith Power and Light uses federal stimulus funds to do energy audits of churches and give them grants to make changes that will help cut energy costs.

• Interfaith Power and Light

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Water, gas and electricity run $100,000 a year at St. Paul's Episcopal Church. That's one of the reasons the downtown parish will hold a luncheon featuring an energy-saving program developed by Georgia Interfaith Power and Light.

The Decatur-based nonprofit works with congregations of every faith around the state to reduce power costs and the toll on the environment.

It's an easy pitch in these economic times, said Executive Director Alexis Chase, but GIPL's mission goes beyond saving money.

Chase, a seminary graduate seeking ordination in the Episcopal church, teaches and preaches on the Bible's call to stewardship of Earth's natural resources.

"God created the planet. We take the scripture seriously. When God calls it good, I want to keep it good," said Chase, who will appear with another GIPL staffer Thursday at St. Paul's.

While the meeting is open only to clergy, any member of a church can initiate involvement in the program. That's how St. Paul's first got involved, said the Rev. James Silcox, associate rector of the church.

"Parishioners approached us," he said. "It made sense for us. Of course, we're looking to save money any way we can, especially in tough economic times. But there are two frames of reference here. The other is creation care, where we stop using so many of the Earth's resources. Georgia Power & Light addresses both the financial and environmental aspects."

The process begins with a program, Power Wise. For a fee of $100 to $300, GIPL offers customized energy audits that save houses of worship from 10 percent to 25 percent on their energy bills, Chase said. About 80 congregations across the state already participate.

Twice a year, GIPL offers grants of up to $25,000 to implement the audit's power- and money-saving recommendations. The grants are made possible by $400,000 in federal stimulus money plus $200,000 from a private foundation in Decatur.

Last year, a $2,500 grant was awarded to a church in Canon, Ga., for an Energy Star refrigerator and microwave. Another $5,250 was awarded to a Catholic school in Atlanta in need of a boiler upgrade. A Presbyterian church in Savannah received $3,300 for motion detectors and an upgrade to higher efficiency florescent tubes.

The changes are often simple but too costly for churches to implement on their own, Chase said.

"I don't know a single faith community in Georgia that's flush with cash," she said. "For the first time ever, we can give a congregation a road map to energy efficiency and help them get there."

Most often, the audits uncover common mistakes that are easy to fix with a few upgrades. Chase said churches are prone to wasting money and resources by leaving the heating or air conditioning systems on throughout the week, even when the building will only be occupied on Sunday.

"If you're not there, you don't need the systems," she said. "You hear sometimes that the heat and air conditioning are left on because their organ requires it all week. It's not true. They can handle pretty wide swings of temperature, just not humidity."

GIPL, which was founded in 2003, began offering the audits four years ago. They started as simple walkthroughs, pointing out places to insulate or switch out light bulbs. They've grown to include analysis of a year's worth of energy bills and data, plus presentations to church boards, customized energy efficiency plans and free project management.

The organization has roots in a national network of Interfaith Power & Light nonprofits that began in 1998 with a coalition of Episcopal churches in California. The network now has affiliates in 38 states.

The network, Chase said, has grown because it addresses so many different needs for places of worship.

"People, when they give to their congregations, they want them to spend that money wisely," she said.

Every dollar saved on energy is a dollar that can be redirected to feed the hungry or house the homeless, Chase said. "We help them spend more on their mission and vision. That's where the money should be going, not energy bills."