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Good Energy Connections: Navigator Program is up and running 

September 11, 2025
James Birr
Good Energy Connections logo
Learn more about Good Energy Connections here. 
 

If you’ve been following CUB for the past few years, you know about our efforts to educate consumers about the variety of programs available to increase their energy efficiency, reduce their energy usage, and lower their monthly bills. Since 2018, we’ve been a part of the Twin Cities Energy Efficiency Cohort, a group of local organizations and community members working to understand the energy needs of underserved communities.  

Out of those conversations came Good Energy Connections, an energy navigation program ensuring that community members have information about all the energy programs, upgrades, and options available to them. The goal of this service is to not only connect community members to programs they’ll benefit from but also ensure that the programs and projects run smoothly and efficiently.  

We’re pleased to share that the program has entered its pilot phase, and work with residents is underway! Keep reading to learn more about the exciting new chapter of this work. We encourage you to share information about this new and impactful program!  

Here’s what’s happened since our last update: 

  • Two navigators have been hired by Community Power to begin working with residents in St. Paul and Minneapolis.
  • Navigators have been working with a handful of households and are actively adding additional households to their workload
  • Representatives from Community Power, Center for Earth, Energy & Democracy (CEED), Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs), and CUB continue to meet regularly to manage the implementation of the program. Advisors from our four focus neighborhoods provide community feedback and insights.
  • Cuts to federal programs and funds have resulted in a shifting of course for the navigator program. However, the Cohort remains confident that it will be able to complete much of the work it has set out to do. Read more about those funding concerns here.  Work continues to fill funding gaps. 

How does the program work? 

The program is designed to support to households seeking to make their home more energy efficient.  Navigators will help community members identify programs, rebates, and incentives that make upgrades and improvements affordable based on their unique needs.  Learn more about the ins-and-outs of the Navigator Program here. 

  1. Energy Efficiency Navigators meet with residents to understand their home comfort goals, provide tips to reduce energy bills, and identify pathways to make upgrades that fit their situation, timeline, and budget. 
  2. Once the pathway is chosen, the Navigators assists with any applications, gathering information, and answering any questions.
  3. The Navigators support residents as needed from the home energy audit through to the end of installation for any chosen upgrades. 

Navigators work with homeowners in the following Twin Cities neighborhoods: 

  • In Saint Paul: Rondo, Midway, Frogtown, Payne-Phalen, Dayton's Bluff
  • On the Minneapolis Northside: Camden, Folwell, Jordan, Hawthorne, Willard-Hay, Harrison
  • On the Minneapolis Southside: Phillips, Central, Powderhorn, Corcoran 

The program has two overarching goals: to enhance the delivery of energy efficiency benefits to households, and to build a community of knowledgeable and engaged residents who can help shape the energy landscape overall in the Twin Cities. In time, the vision is to expand its reach to more of Minneapolis, Saint Paul, and beyond.  

Are you interested in participating in the Navigator program? 

If you have general questions about the Navigator program, contact Kyle Goertz, Program Development Manager, at kyle@communitypowermn.org 

CUB is excited to see the Navigator program come to fruition. It comes out of years of hard work by community organizations and members who seek to meet community needs through energy: lowering energy bills, increasing home comfort/safety, addressing climate impacts, and building power to change systems to better reflect community needs. 

Along with our partners in this work, we want to see a Minnesota where everyone can afford to live comfortably in their home while reducing the energy burden and emissions associated with home energy consumption. We hope the Navigator program will be able to move Minnesota towards that goal.