couple looking at ipad on couch
city of bloomington
City of Minneapolis

Energy Disclosure helps you understand how your home uses energy 

 

Homes of any age can be energy efficient with the right improvements. Every home sold in Minneapolis and Bloomington receives an energy score that measure how efficiently it uses energy. Find your score and learn how you can make your home more efficient with energy disclosure. 

 

How to improve your energy score

happy family

Step 1: Review your Energy Disclosure Report.

Your energy score and information about how to improve it are in your Energy Disclosure Report. The benefits of a higher energy score include:

  • Better comfort year-round
  • Healthier indoor air
  • Reduced environmental impact

Find my energy score

women on a phone

Step 2: Reach out to an Energy Advisor.

Energy Advisors from local nonprofit Center for Energy and Environment are the go-to solution to improve your home's energy efficiency. Energy Advisors can:

  • Offer free, no pressure home energy advice
  • Refer you to high-quality contractors and assist in scheduling bids
  • Connect you to the best utility rebates, state and federal incentives, and low-interest financing available

Contact an Energy Advisor to get started

Family standing smiling in front of their house

Step 3: Show off your energy efficient home.

When you maximize your energy score, you can apply for the Energy Fit Home certification. The benefits of certification include:

  • Highlighting your investment in a comfortable, energy-saving home
  • Boosting your home’s resale value 2%–6%

Learn more and apply

This program is supported by

Home Energy Project Resources

 

Each Energy Disclosure Report lists practical and cost-effective energy improvements recommended for your home. Learn more about how these energy improvements can improve the comfort and lower your home’s energy bills year-round.

Recommended Energy Improvements

An Energy Advisor can answer your questions about energy improvements, determine which rebates and incentives you are eligible for, and connect you with rebate-eligible contractors.

Connect with an Energy Advisor

Insulating and air sealing your attic is one of the most effective energy improvements you can make to your home.

When it comes to attics, air sealing should always accompany insulation. Air sealing closes gaps that allow warm air to leak into the attic. Common sources of air leaks include pipes, recessed can lights, electrical wires, and the chimney. Individual air leaks may be small, but they add up and compromise the effectiveness of the insulation.

Attic insulation and air sealing also increase your home's durability by mitigating ice dams and moisture buildup in the attic.

Learn more about attic insulation and air sealing.

Available incentives:

Want personalized guidance? An Energy Advisor can help determine which incentives you are eligible for, connect you with rebate-eligible contractors, and more.

Connect with an Energy Advisor

Ensuring your exterior walls are fully insulated is the best way to keep your home warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer.

Exterior walls are often the biggest surface area of your house facing the outdoors. If you have inadequate insulation, you are likely losing a lot of energy to the outdoors. This can result in more uneven indoor temperatures and higher energy bills. Quality wall insulation makes your home quieter, more comfortable, and more affordable to heat and cool.

Learn more about wall insulation.

Available incentives:

Want personalized guidance? An Energy Advisor can help determine which incentives you are eligible for, connect you with rebate-eligible contractors, and more.

Connect with an Energy Advisor

Heating systems typically last 15 to 20 years. You may be able to avoid a stressful and expensive emergency replacement by scheduling a replacement if your system is old enough.

We recommend choosing a high-efficiency replacement. High-efficiency systems keep your energy bills low, offer better comfort, and feature better safety controls. A high-efficiency system means 96% AFUE or better for furnaces, 91% or better for boilers, or a variable-speed compressor for heat pumps.

Learn more about furnaces and boilers.

Learn more about heat pumps.

Available incentives for furnaces and boilers 

Available incentives for heat pumps

Want personalized guidance? An Energy Advisor can help determine which incentives you are eligible for, connect you with rebate-eligible contractors, and more.

Connect with an Energy Advisor

Adding storm windows to single-pane windows is a cost-effective way to reduce drafts and save energy. Installing new double or triple pane windows increases possible savings. However, because of the high upfront cost of new windows, we recommend first considering storm windows for any single-pane windows.

Learn more about storm windows.

Want personalized guidance? An Energy Advisor can help determine which incentives you are eligible for, connect you with rebate-eligible contractors, and more.

Connect with an Energy Advisor

Air conditioners typically last 10 to 15 years. Modern heat pumps are a high-efficiency alternative to traditional air conditioners. Heat pumps operate the same as an air conditioner to provide cooling. Heat pumps can also provide green, energy efficient heating in the spring and fall.

Learn more about replacing your air conditioning.

Available incentives for heat pumps

Want personalized guidance? An Energy Advisor can help determine which incentives you are eligible for, connect you with rebate-eligible contractors, and more.

Connect with an Energy Advisor

Water heaters typically last 10 years. If your water heater is at retirement age, it may be beneficial to schedule a replacement now. We recommend choosing a high-efficiency system with sealed combustion for the lowest energy bills and to keep indoor air healthy. A heat pump water heater is a high-efficiency, green alternative to a traditional gas system.

Learn more about water heating.

Available incentives for gas water heaters

Available incentives for heat pump water heaters

Want personalized guidance? An Energy Advisor can help determine which incentives you are eligible for, connect you with rebate-eligible contractors, and more.

Connect with an Energy Advisor

More resources

Find an Energy Score

 

Search for an address to download its Energy Disclosure Report

Browse the map of all energy scores. Select a dot to see a snapshot of a home's results.

Tips for using the map

  • To search by address use the “Search Address” bar.
  • To filter by neighborhood in Minneapolis, use the “Minneapolis Neighborhood” drop-down menu. Uncheck the “All” option to deselect all neighborhoods, and then check the box for the neighborhood(s) you want to view.
  • Hover over an individual home to display its address, energy score, the average score for the neighborhood. You can also view individual components of the score and any energy badges the home has earned for high-efficiency features, and download the home's individualized report.
  • Zoom in or out with your mouse wheel. Or double-click to zoom in, and hold shift while double-clicking to zoom out.
  • On a PC, click "Ctrl" + "Z" to undo. Use the arrows in the bottom toolbar to undo, redo, or reset.
  • The bottom toolbar also offers a full-screen option on the far-right side.
  • At any time, click the home icon in the map's upper left to reset to the default view.

More on individual cities

The City of Minneapolis’ Truth in Sale of Housing (TISH) energy disclosure policy began January 1, 2020. Inspected items in Minneapolis include wall and attic insulation, heating, and windows. 

Learn more about the Minneapolis Truth in Sale of Housing Program

The City of Bloomington’s Time-of-Sale (TOS) Housing Evaluations ordinance was passed on August 7, 1995. The ordinance was updated on September 13, 2021, to include an energy disclosure requirement starting April 1, 2022. Inspected items in Bloomington include wall and attic insulation, heating, windows, air conditioning, and water heating.

Learn more about the Bloomington Time-of-Sale Inspection Program

Resources for Real Estate Agents

Happy couple

Energy efficiency is valuable.

Energy efficiency has value in the buying and selling process. With motivations ranging from saving on utility bills to reducing emissions, homebuyers are more interested than ever in energy efficiency at home. Benefits include a more comfortable at home, lower energy bills, lower carbon emissions, and a higher resale value.

Email us for realtor education opportunities

View a summary of appraiser-led studies on green premiums

HES visit

Save your clients energy and money.

Connect your clients to a free or reduced-price Home Energy Squad visit to help them save money, stay comfortable, and learn about their home. Home Energy Squad is available for Xcel Energy and CenterPoint Energy customers.

Gift a visit. Realtors can purchase Home Energy Squad visits for clients at half the original price.

Refer a client. Clients can mention their realtor referred them to the Home Energy Squad and receive the visit for half the original price.

Fill out a form to get started

happy family at computer

Energy Advisors make improvements easy. 

Energy Advisors are ready to help your clients tackle any home energy improvement project. Energy Advisors are a free service available to clients in any city, featuring:

  • Convenient answers for questions about energy efficiency

  • Start-to-finish project guidance

  • Connection to local, utility, and federal incentives and low-interest financing

  • Recommendations for high-quality contractors

Contact an energy advisor

Resources

Client resources

Trainings and education

UPCOMING:

2023 CEU classes through MAR: The Value of Going Green 

An energy efficient home has valuable advantages over a home without energy upgrades, including better comfort and lower utility bills, but how can you tell the difference? Join The Value of Going Green to learn how to use energy disclosure policies, the MLS, and your eyes to identify and highlight energy efficient houses in the real estate transaction. Topics covered in this course include:

  • Describing how energy efficiency improves a homeowner’s quality of life and the value efficiency improvements can have at resale.
  • Learning how to find and highlight energy efficient homes using the MLS, Time of Sale energy disclosure, and energy certifications.
  • Summarizing the science of how energy improvements work, the resources available to homeowners to make improvements, and tips for spotting improvements at a glance2 hour CE webinar.  
  • This class will be offered quarterly in 2023. Check MAR’s education portal to see registration for the next available session.  

RECORDED:

Bloomington Time-of-Sale Energy Disclosure (February 2022): A video summary of the City's new energy disclosure program.

Contact Arbor Otalora-Fadner for inquiries on customized training opportunities.

Energy Advisors are your go-to solution for home energy questions.

Energy Advisors take the guesswork out of projects by working with you start to finish. We will help you determine where to start and will connect you to financing, utility rebates, and high-quality contractors.

Energy Advisors are cost-free, pressure-free, and available anywhere. We are here to help you achieve your home energy goals!

651-328-6225

energydisclosure@mncee.org