Conservation Improvement Program

February continued momentum in a very active early session for clean energy. Hot topics include improvements to commercial clean energy financing options, continuing discussions on community solar gardens in the Senate, a bill proposing requiring customers have access to their energy usage data, proposals for solar on schools, and changes to energy efficiency policies.

There are many ways to arrive at the same conclusion: energy efficiency is just a smart business decision.

There are many ways to tell the story of one of Minnesota’s most successful energy programs, called the Conservation Improvement Program or CIP. CEEM convened a recent legislator educational tour in Duluth. We were there to highlight that it’s cheaper to save energy (1.5 cents per kilowatt-hour) than buy energy (8 cents per kilowatt-hour). That little fact is at the heart of the CIP program, which works as a rebate program facilitated by our state’s utilities – like Minnesota Power or Xcel Energy, through the work provided by efficiency installers or design firms like LHB.

When most people hear the words ‘energy efficiency’ they might think of swapping out their light bulbs, or purchasing low-flow showerheads, little things they can do around their home or office to help lower their electricity bill.

Did you know that by 2030, Americans are expected to have saved around $2 trillion in energy efficiency measures alone? Yes, that’s trillion – with a T. And in Minnesota – of the more than 57,000 clean energy jobs located across our state – a staggering 86 percent of those are in the energy efficiency sector. Energy efficiency is the cheapest, cleanest energy resource we have in Minnesota: it costs significantly less to save a unit of energy than to buy one.