Comprehensive Energy Savings Plan for State Facilities (Minnesota)

Last modified on February 12, 2015.

Rules Regulations Policies Program

Place	Minnesota
Name	Comprehensive Energy Savings Plan for State Facilities
Incentive Type	Energy Standards for Public Buildings
Applicable Sector	State Government
Eligible Technologies	Comprehensive Measures/Whole Building, Custom/Others pending approval, Biomass, CHP/Cogeneration, Daylighting, Geothermal Heat Pumps, Passive Solar Space Heat, Photovoltaics, Solar Space Heat, Solar Water Heat, Wind, Building and Systems Commissioning
Active Incentive	Yes
Implementing Sector	State/Territory
Energy Category	Energy Efficiency Incentive Programs, Renewable Energy Incentive Programs
EquipmentProducts	Building operators must purchase Energy Star equipment and appliances for state buildings All multifunctional devices must be Energy Star labeled by June 30, 2013 Building renovations must incorporate cost-effective on-site renewable generation equipment
Goal	20% reduction of energy use in state facilities
Requirement	New state construction and major renovations must exceed the energy code in effect in January 2004 by at least 30 percent. Beginning July 1, 2010, new projects must comply with Sustainable Building 2030 guidelines, which are designed to achieve energy consumption reductions of 60% in 2010 (2003 baseline), increasing 10% every five years towards an ultimate target of 90% in 2025. Projects beginning the Schematic Design phase on or after May 1, 2013 are required to use Version 2.2 of the B3 Guidelines.
Date added to DSIRE	2000-01-01
Last DSIRE Review	2013-04-25
References	DSIRE

Summary

Minnesota has several energy efficiency policies for state buildings, dating back to 2001. In April 2011, Governor Dayton signed a series of Executive Orders which created a comprehensive energy savings plan for state facilities. In addition to creating several new initiatives, the Orders also incorporated existing energy efficiency and renewable energy statutes and programs.

Energy Reduction Requirements Executive Order 11-12 set a goal of reducing energy use in state facilities by 20%. The Order does not set a deadline for reaching this goal, but sets deadlines for establishing benchmarks, goals, and implementation plans. Each agency must maintain its consumption data in the B3 Energy Benchmarking web site. By September 1, 2011, each agency was required consult with the Commissioners of Administration and Commerce to develop energy reduction goals through both energy efficiency improvements and on-site renewable energy installations. Executive Order 11-13 requires each agency to report on these goals to the Real Property Executive Committee and Commissioner of Administration in an annual [ http://www.pca.state.mn.us/index.php/living-green/living-green-government/state-agency-sustainability-action-plans.html Sustainability Plan]. Each state agency must use the Guaranteed Energy Savings Contracts and State Energy Improvement Financing Program to implement cost-effective energy improvements. By December 31, 2011, all state agencies were required to assess their building automation systems and monitoring points in order to identify any necessary improvements or upgrades. Projects beginning the Schematic Design phase on or after May 1, 2013 are required to use Version 2.2 of the B3 Guidelines.

Executive Order 11-13 requires that all multifunctional devices on the state standards program be Energy Star labeled by June 30, 2013.

Sustainable Building Guidelines for New State Construction and Renovations Construction of new state buildings in Minnesota is governed by a series of state laws enacted and amended at different times. In 2001, Minnesota required the Departments of Administration and Commerce to develop Sustainable Building Design Guidelines (Minn. Stat. 16B.325) for new state buildings. These guidelines are mandatory for new buildings funded fully or in part by state bond money after January 1, 2004, and major renovations funded from bond proceeds after January 1, 2009. Major renovations are defined to at a minimum encompass more than 10,000 square feet or involve the complete replacement of a mechanical, ventilation, or cooling system. The provision applying the law to major renovations was added in April 2008.

The guidelines require that projects exceed the January 2004 state energy code by 30 percent. In 2008, a separate section of the state code (Minn. Stat. 16B.32) law was amended to state that managers must supply 2% of a building's total energy use with on-site wind and sun power or supply a full cost and carbon analysis explaining why renewables would not be cost effective.* Noncompliance results in loss of any further state money for the project. The guidelines developed as a result of this law now contain the on-site generation requirement, as well as a rule requiring building operators to select new equipment and appliances that meet Energy Star criteria. This stipulation is meant to operate in addition to the 30% energy use reduction attributable to the building itself. Other portions of the guidelines address additional aspects of sustainability, such as water management, indoor air quality, and waste reduction. Building construction or renovations funded by state bonds may use up to 5% of the allotted funds for solar PV or solar thermal systems of less than 40 kilowatts (kW) capacity. Systems must be Made in Minnesota.

The Public Buildings Enhanced Energy Efficiency Program (PBEEEP) was launched in 2009 in order to provide assistance to state government buildings for recommissioning and retrofit projects. PBEEEP works with State Agencies to identify opportunities for energy savings, implement cost effective changes, identify funding mechanisms for the changes, and verify the effectiveness of the changes. Annual reports for this program are available on the Minnesota Department of Commerce web site. Executive Order 11-12 (2011) requires agencies to perform an assessment of the cost-effectiveness of installing renewable energy generation equipment along with any major renovations in state-owned facilities.

Sustainable Building 2030 (SB 2030) In May 2008 Minnesota enacted S.F. 2706, directing the Commerce Commissioner to contract with the Center for Sustainable Building Research at the University of Minnesota and granting $500,000 annually to coordinate and implement the development of new Sustainable Building 2030 performance standards. At least $350,000 of this must be spent for subcontracts to undertake technical projects. These standards were designed to achieve energy consumption reductions of 60% in 2010 (2003 baseline), increasing 10% every five years towards an ultimate target of 90% in 2025. Beginning on July 1, 2010, all Minnesota State bonded projects — new and substantially renovated — that had not already started the Schematic Design Phase on August 1, 2009 were required to meet the Minnesota SB 2030 energy standards. The SB 2030 requirements will be incorporated into the existing Sustainable Building Design Guidelines developed prior to SB 2030.

Executive Order 11-13 (2011) incorporated SB 2030 into the new comprehensive energy savings plan.

* Minn. Stat. 16B.32 also requires that certain state building designs specifically evaluate the possibility of using active and passive solar systems and earth-sheltered construction in addition to the 2% on-site wind and solar provision. A separate section (Minn. Stat. 16B.326) requires the evaluation of geothermal and solar thermal applications for heating and cooling during pre-design review.

Incentive Contact

Contact Name	Richard Strong
Department	Minnesota Center for Sustainable Building Research (CBSR)
Address	1425 University Avenue SE, Suite 115
Place	Minneapolis, Minnesota
Zip/Postal Code	55455
Phone	(612) 626-2737
Fax	(612) 626-7424
Email	stron081@umn.edu
Website	http://www.csbr.umn.edu/

Contact Name	Energy Information Center
Department	Minnesota Department of Commerce
Division	Division of Energy Resources
Address	85 7th Place East
Address 2	Suite 500
Place	St. Paul, Minnesota
Zip/Postal Code	55101-2198
Phone	(800) 657-3710
Fax	(651) 297-7891
Email	energy.info@state.mn.us
Website	http://www.energy.mn.gov

Contact Name	General Inquiries
Department	Public Buildings Enhanced Energy Efficiency Program
Email	pbeeep@mncee.org

Authorities (Please contact the if there are any file problems.)

Authority 1:	Minn. Stat. § 16B.32 et seq.
Date Enacted	05/29/2001 (subsequently amended)

Authority 2:	Minn. Stat. § 216B.241(9)
Date Enacted	2008-05-08

Authority 3:	11-121.pdf Executive Order 11-12
Date Enacted	2011-04-08

Authority 4:	11-131.pdf Executive Order 11-13
Date Enacted	2011-04-08

Authority 5:	H.F. 1752
Date Effective	2012-05-11
Date Enacted	2012-05-11

• Incentive and policy data are reviewed and approved by the N.C. Solar Center's DSIRE project staff.