What do electric buses, smart inverters, and stretch energy codes have in common?
They are all strategies outlined in Minnesota’s 2025 Energy Action Plan as near-term opportunities that will help the state transition to a clean, affordable, reliable, and resilient energy system.
Over the course of six months, eight meetings, and dozens of individual conversations, stakeholders from across the state reached consensus on broad energy strategies and developed road maps to success. This engagement process and the resulting Action Plan aims to catalyze energy action in the following five sectors: Transportation, Energy Supply and Grid Modernization, Efficient Buildings and Integrated Energy Systems, Industrial and Agricultural Processes, and Local Planning and Action.
Funded by the Department of Energy and co-led by the Minnesota Department of Commerce and the Legislative Energy Commission, additional team members on this project include Rocky Mountain Institute, Great Plains Institute, and LHB. Though LHB was initially selected to gather and communicate baseline metrics related to Minnesota’s energy landscape, our experience at the building and community scale enabled us to also contribute to facilitating stakeholder engagement and drafting language for the efficient buildings and local planning strategies.
Supported by our work creating energy planning tools for local governments and serving on Minnesota’s B3/SB 2030 team, LHB is listed as a champion on the following strategies:
- Adopt SB 2030 as a stretch code that can be adopted by local jurisdictions
- Enhance energy data access
- Increase adoption of commercial building energy benchmarking and disclosure programs
- Advance local energy planning
With the next steps, other champions, related resources, success factors, and indicators of success outlined for us in the Action Plan, we will leverage the momentum gained during the 2025 planning process to drive continued progress toward clean and efficient energy use at the building and community scale.
Learn what you can do to help Minnesota reach and exceed its energy goals by participating in a webinar on Wednesday, October 12, from 1:30 p.m.-3:00 p.m. (CDT). Register here.
POST-WEBINAR NOTE: Here’s a link to the recorded video, and slides. Or you can find both at Minnesota’s 2025 Energy Action Plan website under “Recent event”.
