300-Year-Old Salem Church Powers Clean Energy for Neighborhood

A broken gas meter sparked one of the most ambitious community renewable energy projects in Massachusetts history.

St. Peter's–San Pedro Episcopal Church in Salem discovered in December 2022 that their meter had been malfunctioning for years, keeping their heating bills artificially low. When the utility installed a new meter, Reverend Nathan Ives watched monthly costs explode from $100 to $3,000. "Too much longer of this, and we'll not be able to heat the place in the wintertime," he said.

The shocking bill became the push the nearly 300-year-old congregation needed. Within months, church leaders launched the Heaven and Earth Project, a renewable energy network that will serve around two dozen commercial, residential, and municipal buildings across downtown Salem.

The project combines solar panels and battery storage with an underground geothermal system connecting the historic church to neighbors including public housing blocks, condos, businesses, and City Hall. The church itself will become a climate resilience hub with uninterruptible green energy, offering shelter to community members during climate emergencies.

The building's age makes the project particularly challenging. Founded in 1733, the Gothic Revival structure sits in Salem's Historic District and houses the oldest church bell in America. Every retrofit must preserve the building's character while bringing cutting-edge technology inside.

Ives leads a bilingual congregation that includes many low-income residents from El Punto, a predominantly Latino neighborhood. These families face both rising energy costs and climate threats. Some were already struggling with winter heating bills before the church's own costs multiplied.

"We're not doing this in isolation," Ives explained. "We're saying, 'The church in your neighborhood is going to be green, and we want you all to be green with us, and let's get off of gas together.'"

The project has attracted support from geothermal companies, engineering firms, Massachusetts nonprofits, and state lawmakers. The City of Salem, which aims to eliminate building emissions by 2050, has joined as a partner.

The Ripple Effect

St. Peter's joins a growing movement of sacred spaces becoming climate action leaders. New Orleans is installing solar and battery storage in dozens of houses of worship, ensuring every resident lives within fifteen minutes of a resilience hub. These projects recognize that religious buildings often sit at the heart of vulnerable communities and can serve as refuges during disasters.

Zeynab Magavi, executive director at Boston nonprofit HEET, sees Salem as a model for community-driven innovation. "It's really beautiful to have that innovation rising from the people, like the community around the church in Salem," she said.

For Ives, the project ensures his congregation can continue serving families who need them most. After three centuries on the same corner, the church is adapting so it can stay for centuries more.