Ann Arbor's Sustainable Energy Utility (SEU)

What is a Sustainable Energy Utility?

The Ann Arbor SEU is a community-owned energy utility that provides electricity from local solar and battery storage systems installed on homes and businesses throughout the city. The SEU provides 100% clean, reliable, locally built, and affordable electricity; built by the community, for the community.   

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An SEU is a new kind of municipal utility ​that is legally possible and immediately viable due to advances in renewable energy technologies and reductions in cost. Check out this short video or this longer video​ to learn more. ​

​​​​What service​s could an SEU provide?

Ann Arbor’s SEU would be a community-owned utility that del​ivers:

• ​Improved energy reliability via the installation of solar and energy storage systems on homes and businesses.
  
• Robust energy waste reduction (efficiency) programs that save residents money while improving comfort, safety, and health. 
  
• On-bill financing to lower the upfront costs and increase the flexibility of paying for comfort improvements. 
  
• Support with beneficial electrification and associated work force training to transition to cleaner and safer homes and businesses.
  
• Microgrids between neighboring​ households, where solar and storage are shared. 
  
• Community solar programs that provide residents the benefit of solar installed in shared areas of the City. 
  
• Energy justice initiatives to ensure that everyone in the community has the benefit of the clean energy economy. 
  

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​​What services might the SEU offer at the start?

​​Since an SEU delivers electricity as part of its structure, rapid solar deployment will be at the heart of initial offerings. In addition to onsite solar and energy storage services, energy waste reduction and beneficial electrification support, as well as on-bill financing will be early service offerings.   

FAQs​

Still have questions? Check out ​thisSEU FAQ.pdf guide​ to learn more. ​​​​

Re​a​​​d the Re​​port

Staff, along with technical advisors, explored the idea of an Ann Arbor SEU as a means to meet the community's aggressive and essential climate and equity goals.  To learn more about the idea behind an SEU, what it is, how it could work, and what next steps would be, we invite you to read the report:

A2_Sustainable_Energy_Report_2021.pdf

Result from 20​​22 Public Input Survey 

​​From April through June 30, 2022, staff collected feedback from nearly 2,000 Ann Arborites about their interest in the proposed Sustainable Energy Utility. A summary of that feedback can be found in this memorandum​ to Council and in this 7-minute video. 

Learn M​​ore 

Want to learn more about how a​n SEU could fit into the City's clean energy future? Check out this recording of our public meeting on the SEU from October 28th, 2021. 

Questio​​ns​

Still have questions? Feel free to send them to:​ [email protected]. ​​