Minnesota requires that utilities operating in the state re-invest a portion of revenue to projects that reduce customer consumption of energy and promote the efficient use of energy. The state Conservation Improvement Program (CIP) is managed by the Department of Commerce whose Commissioner ensures that investor-owned electric and natural gas utilities comply with the program's intent. Since 2002 municipal utilities have been required to spend the same amount as regulated utilities, which means that 1.5 percent of Water and Light revenue must be spent on CIP.

Water and Light offers commercial entities in East Grand Forks rebates for installing certain types of energy improvements. Details can be found in this letter describing the program.

The following are examples of how Water & Light reinvests our 1.5% share toward CIP:

  • Demand Side Management (DSM) is designed to assist customers reduce energy use in residences, commercial buildings, or in industrial processes. Examples include promoting the use of high-efficiency lighting and appliances, improving insulation, and installing energy-efficient motors. Reducing energy demand not only reduces use of natural resources, it can also postpone the need to construct new generating plants and other infrastructure which may reduce overall energy costs.
  • Load Mangement is the active control of customer loads during periods of peak energy use. Simply put, peak usage occurs when customers simultaneouly increase energy consumption by turning on appliances and other electric loads causing the overall demand for energy to increase, or peak. For East Grand Forks these times are typically in the morning when people are getting ready for work, or school, and then again in the evening when returning home. You can see a graph of the current demand for electricity provided by Water and Light by following the link to Utility Load graph on the cities web site. To reduce these peaks, Water and Light can install devices on the customer premises that respond to a signal to reduce load when these peaks are predicted to rise above normal. Examples of controlled loads include electric water heaters, air conditioners, and off-peak heat.
  • Energy audits are offered in a limited capacity where on-site surveys are conducted by trained people to identify high heat-loss areas in the home or business and other areas where energy is being wasted. These audits will also provide suggestions to correct these definiencies.

We have a list of tips for saving energy which you can use to conduct your own energy audit.

CIP and Energy Conservtion Links