Publication | March 1, 2017 by

Commercial roof-top units in Minnesota: characteristics and energy performance (final report)

RTUs are used in more than one third of U.S. commercial buildings, the highest of any cooling equipment type. Why? They are reliable and have a low capital cost, as well as established service and distribution networks. There is anecdotal evidence, however, that these systems operate inefficiently. To validate or refute this evidence, we conducted a multi-level field study sponsored by Minnesota Department of Commerce, Division of Energy Resources. More

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Publication | October 20, 2016 by Jeannette LeZaks

Minnesota Manufactured Homes Market Characterization and Performance Baseline Study

The manufactured home market offers an affordable housing option—and sometimes the only option—for many would-be homeowners. Residents of manufactured homes (also known as mobile homes) are more likely to be low-income than residents of other single-family homes, and energy costs may comprise a larger portion of their monthly expenses. We conducted a large-scale field study of Minnesota’s manufactured homes to identify energy savings potential and help inform energy efficiency programs that will save residents money. More

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Publication | October 1, 2016 by

Impacts of office plug load reduction strategies

Slipstream, along with the Center for Energy and Environment and LHB, conducted a field research study to demonstrate and measure savings from potential plug load reduction strategies in office buildings. We also characterized the types of devices and baseline usage in those offices, and documented occupant acceptance, operational issues and the cost-effectiveness of reduction strategies. This study was funded by the Minnesota Department of Commerce, Division of Energy Resources. More

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Publication | October 1, 2016 by

Power down, power off

This fact sheet was developed as part of a commercial plug load study funded by the Minnesota Department of Commerce, Division of Energy Resources. More

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Publication | September 13, 2016 by

SGIG consumer behavior study: Minnesota Power AMI behavioral research pilot (Phase 2)

Minnesota Power is a winter peaking investor-owned electric utility with ~145,000 customers in its ~26,000 square mile service territory that covers central and northeastern Minnesota. The utility's Smart Grid Investment Grant (SGIG) project includes a two-phase consumer behavior study. The first (Phase One) evaluates customer acceptance to various forms and timing of information feedback about electricity consumption, while the second (Phase Two) evaluates customer response to a TOU rate with a CPP overlay. More

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Blog | September 13, 2016 by Marge Anderson

Four energy engineers walked into a bar...

Actually, it wasn’t a bar. It was a dinner party. After the second local, sustainable micro-brew the truth came out. Shanti Pless from the National Renewable Energy Lab said he enjoyed Slipstream's case study of our "Living Lab" headquarters. But he had only one question—are we sure about those Lighting Power Density numbers? More

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