THE Church Commissioners are carrying out a review of bishops’ accommodation to judge how their carbon emissions can be cut.

To date, nine see houses have been reviewed: Bristol, Chelmsford, Chester, Exeter, Lichfield, Liverpool, Norwich, Salisbury, and Winchester.

The head of bishoprics and cathedrals for the Church Commissioners, Michael Minta, said that the object was “to help the Church of England meet its ambitious 2030 net-zero target”. The review of the remaining see houses will be completed over the next year.

The Commissioners refer to Chelmsford as an example: the existing heating system will be replaced with a new air-source heat pump.

Experience gathered during the review will be shared across the National Church Institutions, the Commissioners say, “to establish whether any solutions can be used to help other church buildings towards net zero”.

Bishops are responsible for a proportion of their own heating costs; the Commissioners have individual arrangements with them: for example, to cover public areas in their accommodation.