Northfield Joins 20 Cities To Promote Home Energy Efficiency – Patch.com

May 13, 2021

Northfield has joined 20 other Minnesota communities to promote home energy efficiency to help residents lower their energy bills and increase home comfort.

The Intercity Home Energy Squad® Challenge was formed to challenge residents to get a home energy visit through the Home Energy Squad to learn how their home uses energy and identify energy-saving opportunities. By learning more about home energy use, residents can be better stewards of our resources and increase the comfort of their own home by making small improvements. The Home Energy Squad is usually delivered as an in-person home visit, however, to help Minnesotans save energy and meet customers at their comfort level, Xcel Energy and CenterPoint Energy also offer free Virtual Home Energy Squad visits.

As new components of the Challenge, recognition will also be given to cities with the most air sealing and insulation rebates per capita. And, in 2021, Xcel Energy will also highlight Community Champions in participating cities that go the extra mile to get residents engaged in saving energy.

“Many people don’t think about how their home uses energy and simply pay their energy bills each month,” said Beth Kallestad, program coordinator for the City of Northfield. “We thought this challenge was a great idea to help our residents learn more about their home’s energy use, and with free virtual Home Energy Squad visits, residents can safely learn about energy saving opportunities and get a plan to address any issues they find.”

During a virtual visit, an energy consultant will guide customers on a walk-through assessment of their homes via video chat. Residents will receive energy saving tips to start saving energy right away and recommendations for next steps that may include an in-person visit and the installation of energy saving products at a later date.