Center for Energy and Environment

We had a blast at the White Bear Lake Environmental Expo last night! 🌱 The event was held as part of Marketfest White Bear Lake, a family-friendly summer festival in the city's beautiful downtown. Gerardo Roca, outreach specialist at CEE, chatted with community members about Home Energy Squad (HES). Our HES staff visit homes to install energy-saving materials and inspect your insulation, heating and cooling systems, and water heater, offering recommendations to help you use less energy. Community members at the expo could even sign up for a visit on-the-spot. 📋 Thanks to all who stopped by the CEE booth! Learn more about Home Energy Squad: https://hubs.ly/Q02J4bB30

How can heat pumps be used to replace AC? What's the impact on energy efficiency? ⚡ Samantha Hill, senior research engineer at CEE, will answer these questions at the upcoming Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Buildings, hosted by The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), in Pacific Grove, California! Going to the conference? Make sure to put Samantha's session on your schedule. 📆

How can windows push the envelope on a brighter future? ☀️ Isaac Smith, senior manager of market transformation products at CEE, will share his insights at the upcoming Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Buildings, hosted by The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE). Will you be at the conference? Attend Isaac's session: 📍 ACEEE Summer Study 📆 Tuesday, Aug. 6 🕑 4-6 p.m.

Energy efficiency superheroes, assemble! 💡⚡ On Tuesday, July 23, CEE's One-Stop Efficiency Shop staff teamed up with the City of Robbinsdale, MN and Mayor Bill Blonigan to visit businesses door-to-door and help the City reach its energy goals. The One-Stop team offered on-the-spot lighting assessments, providing recommendations to help business owners use less energy, reduce operating costs, and earn rebates. Staff also signed businesses up for free smart thermostat installations and HVAC and refrigeration assessments. We loved meeting so many passionate Robbinsdale business owners! 🛍️ Thanks to our valued partners, Xcel Energy and the City of Robbinsdale, for helping advance energy efficiency in the community. Yesterday's outreach effort was completed as part of Robbinsdale’s Energy Action Plan. The plan was developed in 2023 in collaboration with Xcel's Partners in Energy team and the Robbinsdale community. Check it out: https://lnkd.in/dyPB8ADE Learn how One-Stop can help your business improve energy efficiency and save with rebates: https://lnkd.in/g8XC2GgJ

What does it take to decarbonize all homes in a cold climate city? ❄️ Rebecca Olson, CEE's senior director of residential and community energy, will tackle this question at the upcoming Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Buildings, hosted by The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), in Pacific Grove, California! Going to the conference? Don't miss Rebecca's session: 📍 ACEEE Summer Study 📆 Monday, Aug. 5 🕣 8:30-10 a.m.

CEE is coming to The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Buildings from Aug. 4-9! 💡🏢 Will we see you there? The conference will bring together professionals from the clean energy industry to collaborate, debate, and advance the technologies, practices, and research needed to equitably decarbonize the building sector. CEE staff will present on a wide range of technologies and approaches that will be critical to answering this important moment in energy efficiency, including heat pumps, market transformation, workforce development, high-performance windows, and cold climate building decarbonization. View the schedule now: https://hubs.ly/Q02H9ssN0

As more indoor cannabis operations begin production throughout Minnesota, CEE's One-Stop Efficiency Shop is working to make the state's cannabis industry the most efficient in the nation while helping businesses get a leg up in an expanding and competitive market. 💡 One-Stop's new efficiency-based LED grow lighting rebates significantly reduce installation costs for growers, allowing them to take advantage of the long-term financial and environmental benefits of LEDs. Learn more in our newest blog post: https://hubs.ly/Q02H9svK0

The summer 2024 edition of CEE's research newsletter is now available! 📈 Learn about the projects our team is hard at work on, including studies examining: • Thermal storage technologies that enable resilient and efficient heat pump space heating • New RTUs that use energy efficient technology to effectively heat and cool commercial spaces • High-performance windows that improve the energy performance of buildings Bonus: The featured research projects are seeking residential and commercial demonstration sites, with incentives for participating! Read the newsletter for details: https://hubs.ly/Q02GRKVX0

Natural gas. Innovation. Decarbonization. What do these words have in common? It turns out, a groundbreaking Minnesota law and, soon, some exciting utility pilot programs. 🌱 In 2021, the Minnesota Legislature passed the Natural Gas Innovation Act (NGIA). NGIA, for the first time, provides a clear regulatory opportunity for Minnesota’s natural gas utilities to invest in innovative technologies and fuels that reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of the natural gas system and end-uses. Under NGIA, natural gas utilities can submit five-year plans to the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission to invest in pilot programs that test and develop innovative technologies and fuels. Now, Minnesota's utility companies are beginning to do just that. Read our latest blog post from Audrey Partridge, director of policy at CEE: https://hubs.ly/Q02GC37R0

Heat waves, floods, hurricanes — as climate change drives more frequent extreme weather events, what are the implications for home electrification and decarbonization? ☀️🌡️🌧️ In this upcoming Berkeley Lab webinar on Wednesday, July 17, Josh Quinnell, senior research scientist at CEE, will join Heather Rosenberg (Arup) and Max Wei (Berkeley Lab) to present innovative solutions and best practices to enhance the durability and adaptability of home energy systems during and after severe weather events.  Find more details and register here: https://hubs.ly/Q02Gm3lt0