Center for Energy and Environment

05/27/2026

“It was honestly a little bit scary to make this pivot to market transformation, because my background was in chemistry and engineering... like, very technical,” said Steve Sylvestre. 🧪⚙️ “My job with Wise Window Hub is extremely interpersonal. It’s relationship building. And I've absolutely loved it.”

As the initiative manager for high-performance windows, Steve manages the Wise Window Hub team at CEE. He engages with industry stakeholders, including manufacturers, utilities, and contractors, to develop and implement major market intervention initiatives.

Learn more about him in our newest staff spotlight:

In this blog series, we spotlight the backgrounds and key achievements of the people who make CEE great. This week's spotlight is on Steve Sylvestre, the initiative manager for ETA's high-performance windows initiative, known as Wise Window Hub.

05/26/2026

Our New Homes team doesn’t like to brag, so we are going to do it for them: The team has again won the High Efficiency New Homes Program HERS Rater of the Year award from Xcel Energy and CenterPoint Energy! 🏅

Raters on CEE’s New Homes team provide guidance to developers, architects, and builders to help them plan and construct residential buildings that meet their energy efficiency goals. Then, our team members evaluate the new construction, generating a score that indicates how efficient it is. A low HERS score = very efficient! 🏡⚡

Through this work, the team (along with these developers, architects, and builders) brought 58 above-code homes to life in Minnesota 2025. Congrats to New Homes!

05/22/2026

POV: You’re ready for a heat pump but have no idea where to start. A qualified heat pump contractor can help you choose the right system for your home and ensure it’s installed for peak performance. ⚡✅

Use our preferred contractor network to find the right fit for the job: https://www.mnashp.org/find-contractor?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=social

05/20/2026

We’re celebrating a big CEE anniversary this week: Happy 30 years to CEE’s Senior Director of Small and Medium Business, Kristen Funk! 🥳

Kristen joined CEE in 1996, working as program support for the Metropolitan Airport Commission (MAC) Noise Mitigation program. From there, she helped start up CEE’s One-Stop Efficiency Shop (One-Stop) in 2000. 💡

Initially, the One-Stop team was solely focused on lighting retrofit rebates for small commercial customers. With Kristen’s dedicated guidance, One-Stop has nimbly adapted to the needs of Minnesota’s small business community.

The program evolved beyond lighting by adding HVAC rebates in 2016, free smart thermostats for Xcel Energy’s AC Rewards program in 2019, and refrigeration, LED grow lighting, and fuel-switching measures in 2024. These additions have allowed One-Stop to serve nearly all energy efficiency needs of small to medium businesses and further reduce the carbon impact of the commercial sector in Minnesota.

Kristen’s impact not just on One-Stop, but CEE as a whole, feels immeasurable. But here are a few stats we want to call out – under Kristen’s leadership, and with the help of the fantastic team she’s built, One-Stop has:

• Served over 25,000 businesses 🛍️

• Helped businesses obtain $136 million in rebates 💰

• Achieved 13 billion kWh saved ⚡

Help us say a big congrats and happy 30 years to Kristen!

05/20/2026

Is your AC nearing the end of its life? Make an upgrade that’s worth the cost. 💵

Heat pumps are a 2-in-1 system, cooling your home in the summer and heating it in the winter. Because heat pump technology moves existing heat rather than generating it, they’re much more efficient than a traditional HVAC system.

Curious what your savings could look like? Use our savings estimator: https://www.mnashp.org/savings-estimator?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=social

05/19/2026

Congrats to this stellar group of CEE staff, who just completed our third Leadership Development Academy! 🎉

The staff development program, which runs from October to May, involves regular Zoom meetings and three in-person, day-long workshops. The framework for the academy is "Leading Self, Leading Others, and Leading the Business," all presented with an underpinning of Emotional Intelligence.

"Leadership Academy helped me gain tools for better relationship management in my role," said participant and Initiative Marketing Manager Keller Brussow. "An unexpected benefit was the chance to take this course with colleagues I don’t work with frequently. I feel it strengthened connections not just between us as individuals, but between our teams and the work we all do."

05/18/2026

It’s Minnesota Air Source Heat Pump Week! Do you know how a heat pump works? ⚡

Instead of creating hot or cool air like a traditional HVAC system, heat pumps move heat that already exists, like how a refrigerator keeps food cool by moving heat from the inside to the outside. This makes heat pumps one of the most efficient technologies available.

Learn how a heat pump could help you save (and find all the tools you need to get started): https://www.mnashp.org/starting-your-ashp-journey-now-step-step-guide_?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=social

05/15/2026

CEE is proud to partner with the City of Bloomington's Time of Sale Inspection program. 🏡⚡

Did you know? ➡️ The City's inspectors gather data on every home put up for sale in Bloomington. CEE turns that data into an Energy Disclosure report so prospective buyers know how efficient their new home will be, as well as actions they could take to improve the score.

05/11/2026

We love getting out and connecting with the local business community. 🤝 Last Friday, CEE team members Laura, David, Keller, and Ian attended the St. Paul Chamber of Commerce Small Business Summit and Expo.

David and Laura, from the One-Stop Efficiency Shop team, chatted with small businesses about taking the first step toward saving energy and reducing operating costs by scheduling a lighting, refrigeration, or HVAC consultation. 💡

Ian and Keller, from Next Gen RTUs, connected with businesses about replacing aging RTUs with dual fuel heat pump RTUs. Paired with stackable rebates, these upgrades offer a cost-effective path to achieving energy reduction goals. ⚡

Thanks for having us, St Paul Area Chamber!

05/07/2026

It's National Small Business Week! 🛍️ Did you know that CEE's One-Stop Efficiency Shop helps small businesses across Minnesota access rebates and find energy-saving solutions?

See how the energy efficiency experts at One-Stop helped equip Dream Shop owner Markella Smith with the knowledge she needed to lower energy use at her business:
https://vimeo.com/1121603736?fl=pl&fe=ti

05/06/2026

Last week, we had the chance to gather with old and new friends from Minnesota's clean energy industry at the Metro CERT Annual Event in Bloomington. 🌱⚡

We always look forward to this valuable opportunity to connect with our partners and learn about the exciting projects they're developing in pursuit of our shared mission. Thank you to Clean Energy Resource Teams for another great gathering!