Minneapolis Home Energy Disclosure program wins Innovation Award

The city of Minneapolis Home Energy Disclosure program was honored with a competitive Innovation Award from the Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (MEEA) on March 23, 2021. Starting with the program’s kick-off in January 2020, all Minneapolis homes listed for sale are now required to have an energy disclosure report and score. The energy disclosure effort was recognized for several original elements that drove its successful first year, including its unique and replicable course of adoption.
“Despite huge challenges, 2020 proved to be a pivotal year for advancing energy efficiency in the Midwest,” said MEEA Executive Directory Stacey Paradis.
The program got its start in 2019 when Minneapolis partnered with the nonprofit Center for Energy Environment (CEE) to pass a time-of-listing energy disclosure policy for single-family homes. City Council members Cam Gordon and Jeremy Schroeder co-authored the ordinance that won full council approval, making Minneapolis the fourth U.S. city with such a policy designed to inform and motivate homeowners to make energy improvements.
In its first year, more than 6,000 homes received their energy disclosure report and score, compared to 1,000 previously. The policy provides an energy report that shows Minneapolis home sellers and buyers how they can make their home more energy efficient and resilient. Recommended improvements make homes less drafty, lower energy costs, and enhance resilience for climate-induced temperature extremes. To further support the policy, the City partnered with CenterPoint Energy and CEE to provide follow-up communications and an energy advisor service for new homeowners.
In Minneapolis, data collection to generate the energy disclosure report was added to an existing pre-sale inspection. “This creative approach reduced opposition because it controlled costs for home sellers while simplifying the overall process,” explained local real estate agent Todd Shipman.
More online at online at https://www.mncee.org/energy-disclosure/.