Some cities in Minnesota require by ordinance a Property Maintenance Certificate, or a Truth in Housing (TIH) or Time of Sale inspection when a building is sold. The intent is to provide accurate information to buyers on the condition of the real property for sale and to help the city keep up the quality of buildings available. Every city determines the required inspection elements, such as sump pump/rain leader disconnection from the sanitary sewer system, blower door testing, inspection with an infrared camera, and ranking or certification of energy performance (see Minneapolis' Truth in Sale of Housing), using programs such as the Home Energy Score, Energy Star Home Energy Yardstick,Home Energy Rating System (HERS) Index, or Energy Fit Homes - a 2016 certification program specifically designed for energy efficiency in Minnesota’s existing homes, being delivered through existing utility programs.
Some local utilities send customers (including residential renters and owners) statements listing their energy use/costs in comparison to last month, last year and in comparison to similar building types. To help a would-be rental customer pick an energy-efficient apartment, work done in Bemidji during 2016 by Fresh Energy resulted in a sample ordinance through which a city would require landlords to disclose the energy usage for residential rental properties. Beginning in 2021 Minneapolis will require a Truth in Sale of Housing.
In 2013 Minneapolis became the first city in the Midwest to adopt an energy benchmarking and disclosure rule for commercial buildings above 50,000 square feet. To set an example, the city first began with a report of city-owned building performance. Hennepin County is currently working with interested cities in Minnesota that wish to have access to commercial building data and adopt a disclosure ordinance. In 2019 Edina adopted an ordinance for commercial/multi-family buildings over 25,000 sq. ft. and in 2020 St. Paul also adopted an ordinance. Cities with such an ordinance show collective commercial building energy use reductions of 2-3% per year. Note that in 2019-2021 the Great Plains Institute will work with a group of cities - the Efficient Buildings Collaborative - interested in beginning commercial energy benchmarking programs.
Renewable Energy Ready Home (includes EV-ready elements) specifications were developed by the U.S. EPA to educate builders on how to assess and equip new homes with a set of features that make it easier and less expensive for homeowners to install solar energy systems after the home is constructed. Zero Energy Ready Home specifications produce a high performance home which is so energy efficient that a renewable energy system can offset all or most of its annual energy consumption.
Local utility sends customers statements listing how well they are doing in comparison to last month, last year and in comparison to similar building types; incorporate residential blower-door (ACH50 or CFM50) or energy efficiency rating (HERS or equivalent) in truth-in-housing reports. Report sump pump/rain leader disconnection under action 20.3; city buildings under action 1.1
Require an energy audit with blower door test as part of truth-in-housing inspection and include results in all TIH reports.
Require energy use disclosure for specified commercial buildings, using Hennepin County's tools for cities in Minnesota; link disclosure to business recognition/assistance programs; require landlords to disclose the energy usage for residential rental properties; require residential energy disclosure at time-of-sale; report both Energy Efficiency rating and Renewable Energy Ready Home (includes EV-ready elements) site assessment results or certification. Report city policies that incentivize acting on commercial building ratings - recommissioning and retrofitting - under action 2.6
Who's doing it
Bloomington - 3 star
Date action report first entered:
Date of last report update:
Year action initially completed: 2022
Implementation details:
Mayor’s memo: Energy disclosure ordinances will help City reach sustainability goals
Bloomington Briefing Published January 31, 2022
Updated on January 31, 2022
By Mayor Tim Busse
The buildings in our community play a big role in the local greenhouse gas emissions driving climate change—the electricity and natural gas used to fuel our buildings are the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions in the city. Bloomington’s Energy Action Plan outlines a goal of reducing these emissions by 75% by 2035. Last fall, the City Council took significant steps to meet this goal when they adopted these two energy disclosure ordinances.
One of the ordinances adopted in September focuses on large building benchmarking. This ordinance requires public, commercial and multifamily buildings that are larger than 75,000 square feet to benchmark and disclose high-level energy metrics on an annual basis. The City will implement these requirements in phases based on building size and type. Public buildings were the first to require benchmarking, with an initial reporting date of December 30, 2021. Commercial and multifamily buildings more than 100,000 square feet will follow, with an initial reporting date of June 1, 2022.
“Benchmarking helps building owners track energy performance, control costs and identify options to improve efficiency,” said Steve Flagg, Bloomington sustainability commissioner and founder of the Bloomington-based Quality Bicycle Products, which will be a participant in the benchmarking program.
The second ordinance the City Council adopted will help potential homebuyers know important things about a home’s energy efficiency before buying. The time-of-sale energy disclosure ordinance leverages the City’s existing time-of-sale inspection to gather and disclose information about a home’s energy assets.
Beginning on April 1, 2022, inspectors will collect energy metrics about a home’s heating and cooling system, water heater, wall and attic insulation, and windows before it is listed for sale. The City will summarize those metrics in an energy disclosure report and require sellers to display that report at open houses. Bloomington is the second city in the state to require energy disclosure at the time of sale.
Sharing information about a home’s energy assets helps potential buyers understand the energy cost of ownership. Energy disclosures also provide the City a way to identify and connect residents with resources to address inefficient homes.
More information:
Time of Sale Energy Disclosure Links
Time-of-Sale Energy Disclosure Video (3 mins)- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHYPZ5FN-YA
Energy Disclosure Webpage- https://www.mncee.org/energy-disclosure?about
Home Energy Score Map- https://www.mncee.org/energy-disclosure?find-energy-scores
Ordinance- http://www.amlegal.com/pdffiles/Bloomington/2021-29.pdf
Large Building Benchmarking Links
Large Building Benchmarking Webpage- https://www.bloomingtonmn.gov/cob/large-building-benchmarking-program
In June of 2019, Edina's City Council passed the Efficient Buildings Ordinance, amending Chapter 20 of the City code, pertaining to efficient building benchmarking whereby all buildings 25,000 sq. feet or larger must comply to the policy which requires energy use intensity (EUI), annual greenhouse gas emissions, and an energy performance score (using the EPA's benchmarking tool 'Energy Star Portfolio Manager Tool') of a building and is also shown in comparison to the energy usage of other buildings with similar functions be reported to the city and made public information by any entity or property owner. This information must be included in mandatory benchmarking data reports which will be required to be updated annually and reported to the City of Edina by years dependent on class (building size) designation (class 1, 2, or 3) by all city-owned and covered properties of minimum size.
Outcome measures/metrics/money saved:
Policy was passed requiring all residential and commercial properties 25,000 sq. feet or larger to publicly disclose energy usage and annual GHG emissions. in Edina.
The City of Fergus Falls uses the Minnesota B3 Benchmarking database for the city owned facilities. Otter Tail Power Company uses a monthly energy rating system for their clients. They send out statements listing how well they are doing in comparison to last month, last year and in comparison to similar type homes.
On every utility bill that the City sends to its water/electric residential customers, the City includes an energy rating for their property as well as a comparison to other similar properties. This allows all residents to compare how much energy they are using compared to their neighbors and the savings they may be able to realize by taking energy saving steps.
All four local electric and natural gas utilities send customers statements listing their energy use comparisons to previous months and years. Three of those four companies provide websites that allow customers to monitor their energy use.
The City of St. Cloud, which is the water utility, also provides comparisons, utility history, and real-time monitoring of water use. The City is upgrading all water meters. The new metering system will provide real time information for water use improving your ability to use water wisely. The system provides monitoring for leaks and allows you to set up warnings for an increase in water use.
Outcome measures/metrics/money saved:
All St. Cloud residents are in the process of being moved to new smart water meters that allow them to monitor water usage and set alerts for high usage. All St. Cloud residents reside in territory for Xcel Energy, Connexus, Stearns Electric, or East Central Energy. All of these residents have access to the monitoring and comparison data. The St. Cloud population is approximately 67,000 and all residents who receive an electric, natural gas, or water bill have access to comparison data for energy or water consumption.
The city of Saint Peter has a disclosure policy for utility ratings for residents and business owners and this is posted on the city's website. Also, the city has online energy analysis where residents and business owners can use to view their energy usage and how can be done to save more.
