RELEASE: City of Indianapolis, Indianapolis Neighborhood Housing Partnership, and Indiana Energy Independence Fund Highlight Impact of Investing in Energy Efficiency
City of Indianapolis, Indianapolis Neighborhood Housing Partnership, and Indiana Energy Independence Fund Highlight Impact of Investing in Energy Efficiency
More than $3 million in federal funds is catalyzing energy efficiency in Indianapolis buildings, will leverage additional private investments
INDIANAPOLIS -- Today, the City of Indianapolis's Office of Sustainability announced how it distributed $2.5 million in federal funding to support energy efficiency in Indianapolis. $500,000 was directed toward Indianapolis Neighborhood Housing Partnership (INHP) to upgrade roughly 39 failing HVAC units to energy efficient models in an affordable senior housing building, William Penn Commons. The Office also distributed $2 million to capitalize lending operations at the Indiana Energy Independence Fund (IEIF), the state's nonprofit green bank helping Hoosiers lower energy costs in their homes and buildings. These federal funds were allocated from the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) program. Photos from this morning's announcement at William Penn Commons are included below.
"In a large city like Indianapolis, it takes a lot of energy to heat and cool buildings each and every day. Thanks to the EECBG program, we can address the energy efficiency needs of our community," said Mo McReynolds, Director of the Indianapolis Office of Sustainability. "Efficient HVAC units are improving the immediate resilience of some of our most vulnerable neighbors, and IEIF's lending programs will catalyze a sustainable, healthier local building sector into the future."
Energy efficient buildings can create significantly greater net income for property owners than otherwise similar buildings that are inefficient. The savings from a building's utility costs are especially impactful for nonprofit organizations. For example, INHP covers the cost of utilities for tenants at William Penn Commons. Any savings from the efficient heating and cooling systems enables nonprofits like INHP to dedicate additional dollars toward its mission of increased access to affordable housing and homeownership in Marion County.
"The EECBG funds allowed us to upgrade William Penn Commons' current HVAC units to a much more efficient system. The cost savings will help INHP keep rents low for the seniors and older adults who call these apartments home," said Gina Miller, President and CEO of the Indianapolis Neighborhood Housing Partnership. "We're grateful to the Indianapolis Office of Sustainability for this opportunity, and our tenants will be, too."
The capitalization of IEIF also marks the achievement of an action item included in Thrive Indianapolis , the sustainability and resilience action plan that charts a path to citywide carbon neutrality by 2050. IEIF is well-equipped to offer "low interest loans for energy efficiency and renewable energy improvements in new and existing buildings, sustained by a revolving loan fund from a combination of financing sources." This marks the fourteenth Thrive action item to be achieved since the plan was adopted in 2019. The plan, administered by the Indianapolis Office of Sustainability, includes 59 action items determined based on community input.
"Homeowners and business owners across Indiana are feeling the pressure of rising energy costs and want to make practical decisions about their lighting, heating, and cooling needs," said Alex Crowley, Executive Director of the Indiana Energy Independence Fund. "IEIF was created to help Hoosiers lower their energy costs, make homes and communities healthier, and grow good-paying jobs in the clean energy sector--especially in places that need it most. Like the approximately 50 green banks across the U.S., IEIF prioritizes community impact over profit."
EECBG formula funds were available to states, local governments, and tribes for the purpose of improving energy efficiency and reducing energy consumption. The Indianapolis Office of Sustainability was awarded roughly $2.5 million in EECBG funds from the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (ARRA) in 2009 and $787,000 in EECBG funds from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) in 2024. While the grant programs were not competitive, entities were required to submit an application in order to receive the grant dollars.
In November of 2024, the Office announced that the $787,000 in EECBG funds from the IIJA will support lowering energy use and decreasing overall utility costs in municipally-owned buildings. Efforts include partnering with the Purdue University School of Engineering and Technology to perform energy audits, hiring an Energy Manager, and installing energy efficiency upgrades, such as LED lighting retrofits, at city buildings like fire stations and park family centers. These projects are currently underway. The City of Indianapolis owns and operates more than 200 buildings throughout Marion County, totaling nearly 5.5 million square feet of indoor space.
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About the Indianapolis Office of Sustainability and Thrive Indianapolis
The Indianapolis Office of Sustainability administers Thrive Indianapolis, the first sustainability and resiliency action plan in city history. Thrive prioritizes community collaboration to achieve equity in city policy, planning, and project implementation and guides the path to citywide carbon neutrality by 2050. Other initiatives the office manages include a year-round air quality initiative Knozone, an electric vehicle education and awareness campaign Highly EVolved , and an energy benchmarking program Thriving Buildings. For more information, visit Sustain.Indy.Gov and ThriveIndianapolis.com.
About the Indianapolis Neighborhood Housing Partnership
The Indianapolis Neighborhood Housing Partnership (INHP) creates affordable housing solutions for people with low and moderate incomes, and collaborates to enhance quality of life in Indianapolis neighborhoods. INHP supports people by providing homebuyer and financial education, one-on-one homeownership advising, home purchase and home repair lending, and housing stability programming for renters participating in economic mobility initiatives. As a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) INHP also supports the creation or preservation of affordable housing through investments in affordable housing development, land banking, community lending and grantmaking. For more information, visit INHP.org.
About the Indiana Energy Independence Fund
The Indiana Energy Independence Fund (IEIF) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to making clean energy and health and safety improvements available to all Hoosiers. As a nonprofit green bank, IEIF supports Indiana's affordable and accessible clean energy economy by providing financial and technical resources to homeowners and organizations and growing jobs. Projects include energy efficiency and renewable energy improvements to homes, affordable housing, nonprofits, schools, local governments, and faith communities in Indiana's urban and rural communities. For more information, visit EnergyIndependenceFund.org and follow us on LinkedIn and Facebook.