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For the past decade, NEAR has worked with Near East residents and partner organizations to spur the renewal of our neighborhoods. We serve as the community’s leader in residential development, from renovating historic homes to developing affordable housing opportunities like St. Clair Senior Apartments.

Situation:

NEAR (formerly Indy-east Asset Development) was contracted by the City of Indianapolis to provide energy efficiency upgrades for lighting and other conservation measures for 43 businesses and nonprofits on the Near Eastside.  The goal was to provide an average annual energy savings of 15% on their utility bills, which can be a significant benefit for businesses and nonprofits that operate on the slightest of margins. 

Solution:

An initial recommendation determined which buildings would participate. In all, 31 businesses and 15 nonprofits on the Near Eastside received formal energy audits through the Better Buildings Sweeps Program. Of these, 30 businesses and 13 nonprofits received energy efficiency upgrades — primarily new lighting and fixtures along with programmable thermostats and weather stripping for doors and windows. Purdue MEP, a partner with NEAR on the project, performed the audits of energy consumption for the 46 businesses and nonprofits on the Near Eastside.

Results:

The participating businesses could realize an average energy savings of 17% a year, amounting to $69,966.49 for the 43 organizations.

“The energy audits that Purdue MEP provided helped guide us in selecting projects and in making the most cost-effective improvements to meet each building's needs. Purdue's willingness and ability to quickly add new projects on a short deadline also allowed us to exceed our goal number of buildings, maximizing our program's ability to improve the energy efficiency of our neighborhood.”

 

- Rachel Mattingly, Program Manager

 

 

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