The Minnesota Department of Commerce Office of Energy Security (OES) had requested proposals from all Minnesota public schools districts, park districts, towns, cities, counties, and townships for the Facility Cost-share Grant Program funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The primary factors to be considered in assessing an applicant’s potential of success were the amount of energy saved and labor hours paid relative to grant funds requested. The UMVRDC assisted Lac qui Parle County in applying for funds for a new boiler for the courthouse. Other potential projects were considered but the simple payback did not meet the criteria required within the guidelines.
Included as part of the requirement of the proposal was use of the Minnesota State Building Benchmarking system (B3). B3 Benchmarking is a building energy management system for public buildings in Minnesota including state, local government, and public school buildings. It is a very useful tool to help manage your buildings, improve your building portfolio efficiently, and monitor the improvements.
Visit www.mnbenchmarking.com to learn more. If you have any questions, please call Michelle Bouta at 320.289.1981 or michelle.bouta@umvrdc.org.
