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City updates Climate Action Plan progress, launches 'Bloomington Energy Works' program
Summary
Bloomington staff reported on solar installs, energy audits and new programs including a $250,000 market‑building grant to launch Bloomington Energy Works, free commercial audits, and community rebates; staff encouraged public registration for a Dec. 10 webinar.
The Bloomington Economic and Sustainable Development Department presented a progress update on the city’s Climate Action Plan and introduced a new market‑building program designed to attract private investment.
Assistant Director of Sustainability Shawn Mia said since August 2024 the city has completed 11 municipal solar installations and approved six additional sites expected to finish in early 2026, completed LED retrofits (including City Hall), and secured rebates (CBU expects a $141,000 Department of Energy rebate and additional energy rebates for recent projects). Mia said the city received a $508,000 grant from the Indiana Office of Energy Development to make energy upgrades at the Buskirk‑Chumley Theatre and expects HVAC, solar and battery storage improvements as the project moves through schematic design.
Mia described the revised Bloomington Green Home Improvement program (34 residential rebates approved in 2025) and said the city was awarded $250,000 from the Coalition for Green Capital to launch "Bloomington Energy Works," a program to provide free energy audits for large commercial and institutional buildings and build a $50 million pipeline of financeable clean‑energy projects by March 15, 2026. Mia also said the city has hired Electrify Indiana to run a volunteer community outreach and door‑to‑door campaign and announced the first program webinar for Dec. 10 at noon.
Councilmembers asked whether individual programs were being tracked back to the plan’s greenhouse‑gas goals. Mia said the city uses an annual greenhouse gas inventory to gauge overall progress but that many program‑level metrics are more difficult to track in real time; she said the 2024 inventory is in process and staff are working to obtain utility data from Duke Energy.
Mia encouraged residents and commercial building owners to visit bloomingtonenergyworks.com to apply for audits and sign up for the Dec. 10 webinar.
