News

Multifamily passive home development remains a small market in Minnesota but has gained more traction in other parts of the country. In this article, CEE's Tony Beres spoke with Finance & Commerce about the standards and requirements that multifamily passive home projects have to meet to qualify for the Phius certification.

On Nov 30, Senior White House Advisor Tom Perez met with young adults living in Ramsey County to hear first-hand the employment and training barriers they experienced during and since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Joining Perez for the roundtable discussion were leaders from Ramsey County and the city of Saint Paul along with workforce partners offering the new Learn and Earn training programs including CEE.

On November 10, Northfield's Hillcrest Village hosted a legislative tour of the 17-unit, all electric, affordable housing community — a first-in-the-nation "net-zero" housing community that offers a combination of emergency housing, transitional housing, and workforce housing as sustainable and accessible solutions to homelessness.

On November 10, Northfield's Hillcrest Village hosted a legislative tour of the 17-unit, all electric, affordable housing community — a first-in-the-nation "net-zero" housing community that offers a combination of emergency housing, transitional housing, and workforce housing as sustainable and accessible solutions to homelessness. CEE's Brian Halloran and  Aly Eilers were in attendance. 

Simple efficiency-boosting upgrades can lower utility bills. Even when those savings show up on the renter’s bill, property owners benefit when affordable utilities encourage residents to stick around. This article by Story by J.P. Morgan featuring CEE's Grant Carlson highlights eight ideas for lower-cost ways to save energy and water and operate more sustainably.

This article by InForum highlights some advantages of installing a ground source heat pump with a mention to the Air Source Heat Pump (ASHP) Collaborative's Preferred Contractor Network list. MN ASHP Collaborative is an initiative of CEE's Efficient Technology Accelerator.

CEE staff discuss how home weatherization and electrification efforts are making strides to improve cost and comfort for Minnesota homeowners. They also highlights the benefits of heat pumps in cold climates as well as ways to lower the cost of switching to the technology, including incentives available now and in early 2024, dual fuel electric rates, and more.

Center for Energy and Environment will develop an advanced air-sealing technology that can be used on the exterior of existing buildings to reduce disruption of building occupants, improving its ease of application.

CEE's Isaac Smith and Taylor Smith spoke with business newspaper Finance & Commerce about high-performance rooftop units for commercial buildings — a promising technology that MN's Efficient Technology Accelerator is digging into and a new option that CEE's HVAC program is already introducing to commercial clients.

CEE will provide technical resources to support stretch building code adoption efforts and conduct code compliance activities through outreach, trainings, and tool development in jurisdictions throughout Minnesota.