For the continued success of Minnesota's Conservation Improvement Program (CIP), we will need to accurately assess our state's potential for electric, gas, and carbon savings on the demand (customer-facing) side.

This study clarified Minnesota’s potential for demand-side efficiency and provides a pathway for our state's homes and businesses to continue achieving significant energy savings through a three-layered approach:

1. Estimate statewide natural gas and electric energy efficiency and carbon saving potential in Minnesota for 2020 – 2029.
2. Produce actionable data resources that will inform utilities of which emerging technologies, program delivery models, key market sectors, and policy approaches can be targeted to maximize cost-effective energy efficiency.
3. Provide multiple opportunities for stakeholders to participate in the project to help advance robust energy policies and CIP programs in Minnesota.

Comprehensive Approach

This project was funded by a grant from the Minnesota Department of Commerce, Division of Energy Resources, through the Conservation Applied Research and Development (CARD) program, and is being conducted alongside another CARD funded potential study looking at energy saving potential on the supply (utility-facing) side. Together these studies will help Minnesota consumers and businesses save energy, cut energy bills, and reduce air pollution. They are intended to maximize energy efficiency in homes, commercial buildings, power companies, farms, new construction, and much more.

Center for Energy and Environment (CEE) was the lead researcher for this study.