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The Minnesota Department of Commerce, Division of Energy Resources announces seventeen new Conservation Applied Research and Development (CARD) grant projects. The grants, totaling over $5 million, were chosen from more than 40 full proposals submitted in response to a general topic request for proposals (RFP). These new CARD grant projects will ultimately help Minnesota consumers and businesses save energy, cut energy bills, and reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
CARD funds projects to help Minnesota utilities identify new technologies or strategies to maximize energy savings, improve the effectiveness of energy conservation programs, or document the carbon dioxide reductions from energy conservation projects.
These new projects will help maximize energy efficiency in commercial buildings, low-income housing, multifamily buildings, grocery stores and more; improve the efficiency of residential air source heat pumps, heat pump water heaters, as well as commercial building ventilation; provide research to help develop insights into insulation and thermal storage, as well as inform the development of load management, district geothermal and electric vehicle programs.
Grantees include a range of nonprofit and for-profit groups, many of which have years of experience working with utilities to help them achieve energy conservation goals. The grant funds are intended to benefit the State of Minnesota and Minnesota ratepayers specifically. All programs, products and services generated by the grants will be delivered to utility customers, end-users, and trade partners located in Minnesota.
The CARD grantees and their projects include:
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Grantee
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Project
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Total
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End Date
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Center for Sustainable Building Research
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Unlocking the Potential for Safe Energy Retrofits Over Inaccessible Crawlspaces
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$407,783
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01/30/2027
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Slipstream Group, Inc.
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Advanced Connected Diagnostics for Commissioning Residential Heat Pumps and Central Air Conditioners
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$239,591
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11/30/2025
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Center for Energy and Environment
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Continuous Exterior Insulation: A cold climate solution for deep savings and a pathway to cost-effective decarbonization
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$444,388
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10/31/2026
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Cadmus Group
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Consistent Load Shapes for Fuel-Switching Tests and Assessing Flexible Load Potential
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$222,335
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12/21/2025
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Center for Energy and Environment
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CO2 Heat Pump Water Heaters for Multifamily Buildings
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$359,592
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12/31/2026
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Michaels Energy
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Ventilation Control Using Occupancy Counters
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$359,060
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11/30/2025
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Slipstream Group, Inc.
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Strategic Decarbonization for Larger Utility Customers
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$199,971
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12/31/2025
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Center for Energy and Environment
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Realizing the Potential Savings from Floating Suction Pressure Control in Minnesota?s Existing Grocery Stores
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$494,561
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12/31/2026
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Center for Energy and Environment
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Packaged Terminal Air Conditioner Replacement Field Study
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$388,411
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12/31/2026
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Center for Energy and Environment
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Heat pumps with thermal storage: Efficient and resilient electric space heating
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$434,635
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12/31/2026
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Center for Energy and Environment
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Establishing Protocols for a Commercial ERV Tune-Up Service
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$277,413
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12/31/2026
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Frontier Energy, Inc.
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District Geothermal Site Selection & Feasibility Study
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$182,060
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11/30/2026
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Center for Energy and Environment
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Industrial Process Electrification Through Air Source Heat Pump Adoption for Process Loads
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$257,792
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06/30/2025
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Slipstream Group, Inc.
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Mapping Electrical Barriers, Motivations, and Perceptions about Efficient Fuel Switching
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$357,088
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01/31/2026
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2050 Partners
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Right-Sizing Water Distribution Pipes and Water Heating Systems to Save Energy and Reduce Building Costs
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$299,110
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12/31/2025
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Slipstream Group, Inc.
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Indigenous Communities and Residential Electrification Pathway Demonstration
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$380,485
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08/31/2026
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Synapse Energy Economics, Inc.
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Advancing and Optimizing Electric Vehicle Adoption in Minnesota through Utility Energy Conservation and Optimization (ECO) Programs
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$60,000
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09/30/2024
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