Salem, Massachusetts, church plans geothermal and solar retrofit to cut heating costs and emissions

Visitors often shiver when they walk into St. Peter’s-San Pedro Episcopal Church in the heart of Salem’s historic district. The cause is not the building’s colonial-era history but its heating bills. Rev. Nathan Ives is trying to reduce what it costs to keep the 18th-century church warm. A few years ago, the church’s utility company replaced an old gas meter, and the congregation’s monthly winter heating costs rose from $100 to $3,000, according to Ives. He said that figure reflects his efforts to trim the church’s energy use.

That expense prompted Ives to pursue a larger plan to make the church more energy efficient. His work has also laid the groundwork for a proposal to reduce the use of fossil fuels that contribute to climate change across Salem’s historic downtown. The church has a notable local history. It was founded by Philip English, who was accused during the Salem Witch Trials but escaped and avoided charges. He is believed to be buried somewhere beneath the church, along with many other early colonists.

The dark wooden box pews date from the original 1733 building, which was renovated and expanded in 1833 to create the worship hall that stands today. Many of the church’s historic features also make it difficult to heat. Its walls are dark, uninsulated granite. Some of its stained glass is shattered or unsealed. The gas boiler struggles against the leaks and drafts of a building that is nearly three centuries old. “We need to find a way to adapt these structures to modern-day, green energy solutions and efficiency,” Ives said. “We’re making plans for another 300, the next 300, and so let’s make sure we do it right.”

The church serves a majority Hispanic congregation and neighborhoods with large numbers of low-income residents. The state recognizes the area as an Environmental Justice Community, meaning it faces disproportionate risks from climate change and other environmental hazards. Ives believes reducing planet-warming emissions is a moral duty to his neighbors, a commitment that reflects the call to defend the weak and needy (Psalm 82:3).

Soon after the gas meter problem, Ives convened a coalition of residents, nonprofit leaders and city officials. The group developed a proposal it calls the “Heaven and Earth Project.” The “heaven” portion involves installing solar panels on part of the church’s roof, along with a battery. According to the project’s description, the combination would provide emissions-free energy and help offset the high utility bills. The community would also be able to use the space as a refuge during blackouts or other weather-related disasters.

The “earth” portion centers on geothermal energy, which could power an emissions-free heating and cooling system. Deep underground, temperatures stay at a consistent 55 degrees, which is warmer than the outside air in winter. Heat pumps use electricity to move that warmth through underground pipes, raise its temperature and deliver it to the building. In summer, the system reverses, pulling heat out of the building and returning it to the ground. Ives worked with consultants to study whether the system could be extended to connect 20 other properties, forming a geothermal loop. The properties include affordable housing, museums, offices and retail space. Many of these structures were built in the 1800s and rely on natural gas or fuel oil. The source says switching to geothermal would dramatically reduce their fossil fuel use and that a shared system would be more energy efficient than one serving the church alone.

The loop could later expand to serve additional buildings. In 2024, Eversource installed a similar geothermal network serving 36 buildings in Framingham. That project is still in a testing phase and has received federal funding to double in size. Ives and his collaborators hope their loop can serve as a model for other historic New England cities and towns facing the same dilemma: how to make old buildings more energy efficient while preserving their cultural character.

Salem has 1,700 registered historic buildings and an architectural legacy stretching back about 400 years. Like other Massachusetts communities, it has a climate action plan to reduce fossil fuel pollution. Because buildings are the city’s largest source of emissions, one of the plan’s main priorities is to reduce their use of fuels such as natural gas and oil. Neal Duffy, the city’s sustainability and resilience director, said efforts to electrify individual buildings alone will not be enough to meet the plan’s goals, and that the Heaven and Earth Project’s whole-block approach could provide an important boost. “I just think otherwise we’re never going to get where we need to be,” he said.

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