GBP34 Million in Solar Cash Could Help Britain's Churches and Other Religious Buildings

LONDON, July 13, 2010 - Britain's churches and other religious buildings could raise GBP34
million a year for their coffers by installing solar panels, according to new
figures from the British Gas Green Streets programme, which are unveiled
today.

British Gas' research shows that solar panels on Britain's religious
buildings could generate over GBP29 million a year through Feed-In Tariffs, a
scheme which pays households and organisations for generating "green"
electricity.

They could also make further savings of nearly GBP5 million a year by not
having to buy electricity, as their energy needs would be met through the
solar panels.

This money-making potential will be a welcome revelation to churches and
other religious buildings that have been hit hard by the recession over the
last few years. A recent report found that a quarter of all 44 Church of
England dioceses are running deficits.

As well as improving their finances, Britain's religious buildings could
also do their bit to help protect the environment, as the CO2 savings could
also be significant - up to 42,000 tonnes of carbon emissions each year,
which is equivalent to the carbon emitted by over 600 transatlantic flights.

Phil Bentley, Managing Director of British Gas, said:

"These potential savings are great news for the UK's religious buildings
and their congregations, and give them the opportunity to lead their
communities in tackling climate change and helping Britain move towards a low
carbon society. Religious buildings are particularly well suited to solar
power as they tend to have large south-facing rooves which receive direct
sunlight for the main part of the day.

"The Government's Feed-In Tariff scheme is the key to unlocking the
potential of solar power in Britain. As Britain's energy company, we at
British Gas are committed to helping households, business and community and
faith groups make the most of this opportunity to cut their carbon footprint
and earn money for the electricity they generate."

Father Paul Richards, of St Silas Church in Pentonville, London, said:
"The Church of England is committed to saving energy and becoming greener
throughout the UK and the potential for solar panels on our churches is an
exciting prospect. Even though not all UK churches could adopt this model due
to planning and architectural conservation laws, there may be thousands of
Church of England buildings out there that could help create a greener future
by generating clean energy as well as some much needed income."

British Gas is already installing solar panels on religious buildings to
help them raise funds through the scheme and cut their carbon footprint.

British Gas are the country's leading energy supplier (
www.britishgas.co.uk/products-and-services/energy.html) ; offering
cheap electricity (
www.britishgas.co.uk/products-and-services/energy/electricity.html)
and energy saving (
www.britishgas.co.uk/energy-efficiency/top-energy-saving-tips.html)
schemes for all.

Media contacts : Elliott Grady in the British Gas press office on +44(0)845-072-8002 or by emailing Elliott.Grady at centrica.com ; Claire Scott, Richard Appleton or Gwilym Hookway-Morgan at Blue Rubicon on +44(0)207-260-2700 or by emailing greenstreets at bluerubicon.com