City of Bloomington, IN | Climate Action Dashboard
© 2025
One of the most impactful things that the City of Bloomington can do to reduce community-wide emissions is to encourage the adoption of renewable energy. The grid in Bloomington and the greater state of Indiana is powered mostly by fossil fuels—which means that electricity used by residents and businesses in Bloomington is directly linked to significant carbon emissions.
While the City has no direct control or authority over how electricity is generated by the utility, Bloomington can play an important role in encouraging the greater adoption of renewable energy and energy efficiency in the broader community. The City manages two major programs to assist with this goal:
Bloomington Green Home Improvement Program (BGHIP) → BGHIP helps homeowners in Bloomington finance improvements that enhance energy efficiency, incorporate solar technology, or install geothermal systems in their homes.
Solar, Energy Efficiency, & Lighting (SEEL) Program → SEEL provides grant funding and technical assistance to help these nonprofits and small businesses in Bloomington improve their buildings’ energy efficiency and to install on-site solar panels.
Goal EB 1. Increase distributed renewable energy to 250,000 MWH of total generation annually by 2030.
Metrics
Number of rebates provided by the Bloomington Green Home Improvement Program
As of 1/1/2025
Number of grants for solar installations provided to businesses/nonprofits through the Solar, Energy Efficiency, and Lighting (SEEL) Program
As of 1/1/2025
Number of grants for energy efficiency upgrades provided to businesses/nonprofits through the Solar, Energy Efficiency, and Lighting (SEEL) Program
As of 1/1/2025
Total dollars distributed through the Low-Income Solar Grants Program
As of 1/1/2025
Cost Savings
Renewable energy, when financed appropriately, is often cheaper than powering one’s home, business, or nonprofit directly from the local grid. In this way, these programs are helping to not only reduce carbon emissions but also improve recipients’ fiscal resilience.
Economic Development
By reducing their energy costs, the SEEL program helps to promote economic development in the City of Bloomington by promoting local small businesses.
Racial & Social Equity
As mentioned on the FAQs section of this page, these programs help to reduce the energy burden that disproportionately affects low-income and racially disadvantaged minorities. Thus, SEEL and BGHIP are also phenomenal tools for increasing racial and social equity.
