The Minnesota Department of Commerce, Division of Energy Resources (DER) works collaboratively with utilities to ensure their energy efficiency programs are accessible to a wide variety of commercial and industrial companies. These programs can include financial incentives for energy efficiency equipment upgrades, systemwide improvements and process efficiency projects. 

The Department works with utilities to help manufacturers and distributors determine if their commercial product is eligible for energy efficiency incentive programs through customized energy efficiency projects that can result in significant financial incentives.

Each utility determines which services are provided through their individual energy conservation improvement programs (CIP), The DER is responsible for ensuring these services result in verifiable energy savings.  Utilities that have energy efficiency programs allow manufacturers to learn if their energy efficient technology qualifies for CIP financial incentives.  The DER collaborates with a variety of stakeholders, but typically only works through utilities when evaluating custom energy efficiency projects. If you have an energy efficiency project that you think will save electric or natural gas energy, please contact your local utility for information on their energy efficiency programs. View a list of Minnesota utilities.

DER, through CIP, also provides grant funding for new energy efficiency technologies and innovative program designs. The Minnesota Conservation Applied Research and Development (CARD) Grant Program is designed to help companies address evaluation needs of new efficiency technologies. Plus, it helps the state and utilities identify and incorporate new technologies or strategies that maximize energy savings. If your company is interested in learning more about this program, please contact Mary Sue Lobenstein at MarySue.Lobenstein@state.mn.us.