Reducing operational energy

Chester Cathedral has stood at the heart of the city for almost 1,000 years. It is believed to have started its life as a church in the eighth century. Since 2013, we have carried out dozens of individual projects – large and small, intricate and routine – across the Cathedral’s Grade I-listed buildings.

In 2023, DIA prepared designs to enable the installation of 206 solar panels onto the roof of Chester Cathedral — the most fitted to a British cathedral at the time. Supporting the cathedral's goal to be carbon neutral by 2030, the project aimed to reduce the cathedral’s carbon emissions and operational costs.

To gain planning consent, the team carefully analysed every view from the roof across Chester to demonstrate that the panels had minimal visual impact.

In a year since installation, the solar panels have helped save an estimated 48 tonnes of carbon emissions by generating 31,432 MWh of power. It is understood that an estimated £300,000 of operational costs will be saved over the life of the panels.