October 5, 2023 Sahan Journal Andrew Hazzard Small grants aimed at boosting energy efficiency in manufactured home parks are sprouting into an Xcel Energy pilot program that will insulate mobile homes in Maplewood and Faribault. Read more.
New Minnesota law aims to lower barrier for participating in public utility cases
October 2, 2023 Energy News Network Frank Jossi Small nonprofits will be eligible to be reimbursed for expert testimony in a broader range of cases under the new state law, which aims to diversify the viewpoints heard by commissioners. Read more.
Minnesota regulators stick with decision for smaller rate increase than Xcel wanted
September 14, 2023 Star Tribune Mike Hughlett and Burl Gilyard “Minnesota utility regulators on Thursday stood by their earlier decision to approve a considerably smaller electricity rate increase than Xcel Energy requested.” Read more.
Project FINE incorporates energy efficiency resources into operations
January 2023 Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs) Chris Meyer “The nonprofit Citizens Utility Board (CUB) and Project FINE held free energy bill clinics and a presentation about home energy use in the cities of St. Charles and Winona. Fifteen families participated in the bill clinics and 27 residents attended the presentation.” Read more.
Separating fact from fiction in Xcel Energy’s profits
August 30, 2023 Star Tribune Brian Edstrom and Annie Levenson-Falk Recent action from the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission was properly focused on ratepayers, not the stock price. Read more.
Conversaciones con la comunidad / Conversations with community
August 3, 2023 Clean Energy Resources Teams (CERTs) Emily Haeg Nguyen “We’re really big believers in word of mouth,” she says. “There’s a lot of value in learning information from someone you feel connected with. It’s going to mean more, and you may even pay a little bit more attention.” Read more.
Xcel says state regulators erred in rate case and asks for do-over
August 8, 2023 Star Tribune Mike Hughlett Xcel Energy claims Minnesota utility regulators erred legally and showed “unreasonableness” when they recently granted the company a considerably smaller electricity rate increase than it requested. Read more.
Expect high utility costs to rise even higher in the coming years
August 1, 2023 MinnPost Annie-Levenson Falk Any Minnesotan opening a natural gas bill already knows this: the cost of gas delivered to our homes and businesses continues to rise year over year, and many ratepayers are feeling the pain. Read more.
Consumer advocacy group dings Minnesota gas utilities for overspending on capital investments
July 27, 2023 Star Tribune Mike Hughlett Minnesota’s three large gas utilities are on track to spend more than $19 billion on capital investments by 2040, increasing their residential customers’ base costs by two to three times, according to a report by a ratepayer watchdog group. Read more.
Minnesota gas companies are upping their investments, leading to higher fees
July 27, 2023 Minnesota Reformer Madison McVan Natural gas delivery fees have increased significantly since 2010, and researchers expect the fees to increase even more over the next several years while private utility companies reap the profits. Read more.