Organizations, both for-profit as well as nonprofit, are striving to reduce their running expenses as the cost of gas and electricity rises. One of the largest annual financial expenses for charity is energy. Mosques across the nation need to conserve energy and lower their costs.
To combat fuel poverty, which is reported to affect the Islamic community as a whole in a disproportionately high way, it is crucial to take care of your mosque’s electricity and gas expenses. You may lower the amount of gas as well as the energy used at your mosque by taking a few specific actions. Read this article to find out more.
A Significant Step toward a Sustainable Society – The Smart Mosque
Today’s society demands strong sustainability policies. Advanced building automation can help increase societal sustainability and cut down on energy use. Mosques must take on the digitalization initiative because they are a significant part of Islamic society.
You should be aware that the advanced grid for mosques takes into account the distinctive qualities of the location that set it apart from other building types and focuses on convenience and better control of the lighting, ventilation, as well as audio systems.
A smart mosque enhances the level of comfort for prayer environments and significantly reduces energy consumption.
Adopting smart technology to reduce your carbon footprints as well as carbon emissions is essential, not only in nations bordering the Persian Gulf but also in any other region where air conditioning accounts for the majority of energy use, such as in the UK.
In a “smart mosque,” the air conditioning system is managed by sophisticated temperature sensors that maximize energy use by tracking and adjusting usage patterns.
A smart network including an automation timer helps reduce electricity consumption while providing comfort as well as a nice environment for prayers because mosques are only inhabited during the 5 daily Islamic prayers, which were performed at five precise times throughout the day.
In a modern mosque, the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems are programmed to automatically intensify their output as it gets dark as well as hot. By doing this, the air conditioners won’t need to be on all day or while the mosque is empty.
There are cost-effective and clever ways to coordinate the curtains, lighting, splits, faucets, pipes, as well as other electrical fixtures in a mosque. And those ways help to reduce energy prices for mosques by the number of people inside, the amount of natural light, and the temperature outside, as well as other important environmental factors.
Steps Mosques can take to reduce energy usage
1. Smart metre
By accurately depicting the amount of energy used throughout the mosque, a smart metre can help you control your power and gas bills. One can now be installed by your present energy providers to deliver more precise billing.
2. Charities and non-profits need energy
The majority of UK energy companies classify charities as small businesses. Charities must monitor their energy costs, just as other small businesses, to keep running expenses low. Energy companies in the UK don’t offer discounts or special rates to charities or other non-profit organizations.
Those organizations frequently have difficulty keeping up with the energy costs as a result of regular increases in the price of electricity and gas.
Since they neglected to disclose their nonprofit status to their energy supplier, the majority of charities are uninformed that they are spending the improper VAT rate on their energy bills.
The same is true with CCL fees, as residential supply and energy are provided free of charge to organizations. It is crucial to speak with the correct lawyers who can assist you in lowering the VAT rate your company pays on its energy bills and in obtaining CCL charge exemptions on your energy bills.
They can assist you in recovering the money you have spent for VAT as well as CCL charges if you’ve been spending them incorrectly.
3. Change of electricity provider
The cost of electricity for your mosque can be decreased by comparing electricity plans as well as switching energy providers. To find out how much you’d save on gas and electricity, use the free online service that compares business energy prices. Just enter a few pieces of information and you will easily get the idea.
4. Using LEDs
If your mosques still use conventional lighting, consider switching them out for energy-efficient LED lighting, which can cut your electricity expenses by between 5 percent and 10 percent.
5. Effective boiler system
During the winter, providing hot water to people who visit mosques for prayer is one of the biggest gas consumers. The boiler used for hot water production is often found in every mosque.
You should contact a specialist to inquire about upgrading your old boiler system with an energy-efficient boiler system if your boiler is old because it is likely that it won’t be very efficient.
6. Improve insulation
By insulating your mosque, you can lessen draughts entering as well as heat escaping while also increasing energy efficiency. Insulation options include loft inclusion as well as cavity wall insulation.
It is also possible to reduce energy usage at your mosque with simple, inexpensive measures like draught-proofing tape with radiator panels, which you can simply install yourself.
7. Detectors of Water Leaks
Numerous mosques frequently experience water leaks, which squander enormous amounts of both pure water and priceless energy. We can make sure that natural resources are used properly, safely, as well as efficiently by utilizing sensor-based detectors and performing routine maintenance in places where water leaks are likely to occur.
8. Daylight of Nature
Natural light has numerous positive effects on mosque worshippers, including lower energy expenses, increased comfort, improved brain function, and a serene and healthy environment. Because of the large number of windows found in mosque walls as well as domes, this is a simple task to complete.
9. Inside the Mosque Zoning
To maximize space as well as utilize the only necessary loads, divide the areas of the mosque that are used frequently from those that are only seldom utilized by constructing translucent barriers or walls.
10. Grey water reuse
Grey water from washing basins (Wudu), washbasins, bathrooms, as well as RO-based water filtering systems is among the wastewater released from a conventional mosque. This water can be recycled and used to water the trees, plants, and green spaces around the mosque.
11. Dual-glazing windows
Lower energy expenses are the outcome for structures with big expanses, such as mosques, due to the airtight design of double-glazed windows that generate thermal insulation, which lowers the stream of both incoming and outgoing heat.
12. Sensors for Motion and Occupancy
The lighting or HVAC systems in a mosque can be adjusted based on the number of people present or the movement of those there.
13. Air Curtains
The air curtain is fan-powered equipment that forms an imperceptible air border over the entrance to effectively divide two locations with varying temperatures while allowing people to pass through it.
14. Smart Thermostat
By installing smart thermostats with a predetermined setting minimum point, timely programming, internet-controlled operation, as well as sensor-based technology, mosques can create a comfortable environment by detecting the number of visitors inside.
15. Solar Photovoltaic Systems
Utilizing mosque roofs for rooftop solar PV systems, which are typically big enough, level, as well as obstruction-free, can partially or entirely satisfy the mosque’s energy needs.
Conclusion:
For Muslims to meditate on Islamic environmental conservation precepts, mosques are a great place.
It will be much simpler for everyone to adopt a progressive lifestyle and also in creating an environmentally responsible society by being able to modify the mosques from energy-guzzling buildings into eco-friendly as well as energy-efficient places of worship.
This will additionally motivate individuals from other religions to care more about natural resources as well as the environment.
