Blog

Fall energy saving tips
Published September 22, 2021 After such a warm summer, some of us may be looking forward to the cooler weather of the fall season! When it comes to energy use, early fall and late spring are typically our lowest energy use months because we’re not having to heat or cool our homes very often. As a transition…

Energy Efficiency Peer Learning Cohort update
Published September 8, 2021 Since 2019, an active group of community organizations and individuals have been busy increasing their knowledge of energy policy and energy efficiency programs. This group is known as the Energy Efficiency Peer Learning Cohort. The Citizens Utility Board has the pleasure of being part of planning this effort along with the…

IRPs, IDPs, and rate cases — Oh my!
Published September 8, 2021 It will be a busy fall at the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission. This blog post provides a brief overview of the policy and regulatory work CUB expects to be involved in over the next several months. There are already numerous complex dockets underway before the Commission, including several unique dockets arising…

Consumer advocates support Xcel’s workforce development pilot
Published September 2, 2021 In May of 2020, the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (“PUC”) opened a docket (the “Economic Recovery” docket) with the goal of identifying possible utility investments that could help Minnesota recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The PUC required utilities to provide a report of ongoing, planned, or possible investments…

CARD grant update
Published September 1, 2021; Updated December 7, 2021 Last January CUB was awarded a Conservation Applied Research and Development (CARD) grant from the Minnesota Department of Commerce. The purpose of the grant was to complete a research project that will seek improvements to energy efficiency programs to better serve renter, low-income, and Black, Indigenous, and…