The Public Buildings Enhanced Energy Efficiency Program (PBEEEP) is designed to support and utilize the utilities' Conservation Improvement Programs (CIP). By offering support to state government in recommissioning/retrocommissioning (RCx) and retrofit projects, PBEEEP not only delivers savings in support of Minnesota's statutory goal of reducing energy usage by 1.5% annually, but also does so in a cost-effective manner that will meet the reporting and verification requirements of the utility programs with minimal additional work. By working with energy engineering PBEEEP Providers throughout the process of the Screening and Investigation phases, PBEEEP will assure the production of energy studies that meet a uniform standard of rigor and quality that are easily compared with one another. This will ultimately make the work of the utility easier throughout the administration of the CIP programs. The standard PBEEEP process not only bases the energy and cost savings calculations on the actual rate structure of each utility company, it also requires an understanding of the cost sharing opportunities that the utilities offer.

To be fully successful, a Provider will involve not only the PBEEEP representative, but also the utility company representative as full partners in each project. This involves attending several important meetings during each project and maintaining close communications with the Provider and the Center for Energy and Environment (CEE), PBEEEP program manager. By working together and applying best practices, we can meet the shared goals of energy and cost savings.

Utility Participation

How Can Your Utility Get Involved?

To get involved, contact us.

Typically the first point at which a utility gets involved in a PBEEEP project is when a utility release is sent to them from CEE (following receipt of a project application). PBEEEP would like to have an established contact with each utility for processing these requests. The utility information is used to create an energy use index (EUI) of the facility and becomes part of the criteria used in determining whether to do a full investigation.

In the investigation phase, the ideal project team will include the provider, facility manager, PBEEEP program manager, PBEEEP project engineer, and a utility company representative. This group would meet in person at the kickoff, midpoint review, and final project review meetings, and communicate by phone or email during the course of each project. These relationships will be essential for successful projects, and we look forward to the participation and support of all these PBEEEP stakeholders.