Resilient Communities

Stronger together. Smarter together.

Climate change challenges communities to strengthen our ties to each other, our buildings, and the environment.

We scale resilience solutions so that communities can adapt and thrive in a changing climate.

Energy planning + sustainability consulting for climate action

You have climate goals. We have 40 years of hands-on experience in thousands of buildings and a bench of experts with market analysis chops. We’ve guided governments and agencies—from Dane County, WI to NASA—to prioritize resources and drive impact through their climate action plans.

Technical assistance + building design

We help design teams understand how future climate scenarios should guide their energy design decisions today. Our in-house experts—and free-to-download energy analysis tools—help demystify the factors for how buildings use energy in different climates.

Technologies for resilient campuses + communities

Smart, connected technologies make for stronger communities. We prove the technologies to expand grid-interactive efficient buildings (GEBs) and turn buildings into better neighbors—into energy assets that interact with each other and the grid.

Program design to drive energy equity

Our programs improve how utility portfolios deliver climate solutions to more people, especially populations that traditional efficiency program have left behind. Rural communities, residents of manufactured homes, and the communities utilities find "hard to reach," to name a few. We test standards and strategies that can lead to better, more resilient affordable housing in cold climates.

We increase access to energy efficiency financing for those who need it most. We support Indigenous communities as they decarbonize. We undertake these efforts to address inequity for communities put at the highest risk by the climate crisis.

Webinars and trainings on community resilience

No two cities are the same, but every city can learn from each other. Browse our collection of free webinars and trainings to hear success stories that have made our communities stronger.

Key Partners

Government + Municipal Partners

U.S. Department of Defense
U.S. Department of Energy
NASA
Dane County, WI
State of Wisconsin
State of Minnesota
Chicago Housing Authority
NYSERDA

Utility Partners

ComEd
National Grid
South Jersey Gas

Foundations + Institutions

Southface Institute
JPB Foundation
Environmental Defense Fund

Professional Organizations + Research Partners

National Renewable Energy Laboratory
ASHRAE

Contact Us

Whether you represent a small village or a regional climate consortium, we can help you build resilience in your communities. Contact Connor Jansen or Jeannette LeZaks to learn more about our work.

A decade of difference in rural Michigan: Impacts from Slipstream’s energy-efficiency work with MECA

In a ten-year partnership with Michigan Electric Cooperative Association (MECA), Slipstream advanced energy efficiency research and proved the impact of our programs through high kWh and energy cost savings for frontline communities.

December 1, 2021

2020 Innovations: On-bill financing brings energy-efficient upgrades to rural homes

Scaling energy efficiency means making programs more equitable. As we expand programs to serve more people's energy needs, we must help the people who have the highest energy burden. Why should utilities focus on rural community needs? Regulators and utilities often consider rural communities hard to reach.

December 1, 2021

Loan and rebate program makes access to energy efficient solutions more equitable

Michigan Saves hosts a program for DTE Energy customers in Wayne and Washtenaw Counties that combines low-interest financing with rebates. The program provides access to home upgrades for comfort, health, and lower energy bills that might not be otherwise accessible.

November 9, 2021

Community prioritization and weatherization: Unpacking Milwaukee’s climate and equity plan with Matt Donath

Matt Donath has a lot on his mind.

October 29, 2021

Weatherization as community care: Peter Kilde on the mission to improve homes and lives

Weatherization is essential to making our homes more resilient to the effects of climate change, but its positive effects can be seen beyond the windows and siding.

October 29, 2021

Look out below: A story from the front lines of manufactured home weatherization

In February 2020, Bob Pfeiffer and I trained a new implementation subcontractor for a manufactured housing pilot with a major Midwestern utility.

September 29, 2021

Five climate solutions in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act

This week Congress is expected to vote on an infrastructure package aimed at addressing the climate crisis, job creation, and social justice.

August 18, 2021

Read: Slipstream's Bob Pfeiffer on Retrofitting Manufactured Homes

Manufactured homes are a key part of our nation's housing stock—they often provide the best option for affordable housing, especially in rural areas. Keeping residents of manufactured homes comfortable is a goal of many weatherization programs.

July 29, 2021

Slipstream to study the intersection of energy and health

Slipstream is launching a research project for CenterPoint Energy focused on exploring ways to integrate health and energy services to serve Minnesota families.

June 28, 2021

BIT Building: An affordable path to higher performance for smaller buildings

Jenny Carney, a co-founder of BIT Building, discusses how the framework helps owners and operators "go on a journey" with their building toward a better future.

May 20, 2021

Reimagining HVAC in New Manufactured Housing

Slipstream, partnering with the University of Central Florida–FSEC Energy Research Center, Washington State University Energy Program, and Northwest Energy Works received nearly $1,000,000 from U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to reimagine HVAC in new manufactured housing (MH) over three years.

March 3, 2021

Ten climate & equity expectations for the Biden/Harris administration

In light of Slipstream's federal work with the Department of Energy, the Department of Defense, and national labs, Robin Lisowski unpacks what we might expect from the new administration around climate and equity.

March 3, 2021

Deep transformation together: inspiration from the Paris Climate Conference

On January 20, 2021, the United States recommitted to the Paris Climate Agreement. Marge Anderson shares her takeaways from the 2015 climate conference—and how Slipstream's work carries forward its ideals.

March 3, 2021

Deep transformation together: inspiration from the Paris Climate Conference

The Renaissance façade of the Hotel de Ville glowed green through the pre-dawn dark. Light trapped by puddles in the street said Emerald City, not Paris. The cobblestones paving the wide, open space in front of this building has gathered the masses since the 13th century. Now, this space held a clean energy forest.

March 3, 2021

Ten climate & equity expectations for the Biden/Harris administration

1. GLOBAL CLIMATE LEADERSHIP. Our recommitment to the Paris Climate Agreement signals that the United States will once again lead globally on climate issues. John Kerry’s appointment as Global Climate Envoy, and his seat on the National Security Council, demonstrates that climate change is a security issue.

March 3, 2021

Don’t wait—harvest that corn now

1,000 acres of corn to harvest and get to market It’s not news anymore—nor even a topic of serious debate—that Earth’s surface air temperature is rising largely because of human activities since the industrial revolution.

December 30, 2020

Three climate solutions from the Wisconsin Governor’s Task Force on Climate Change Report that excite us

The Wisconsin Governor’s Task Force on Climate Change recently released an expansive new plan to address this crisis. Here are the three of the steps we think can make a vital impact.

December 30, 2020

Three climate solutions from the Wisconsin Governor’s Task Force on Climate Change Report that excite us

This month, the Badger State achieved a climate action milestone as the Governor’s Task Force on Climate Change released an expansive new outline for how Wisconsin plans to address this important crisis.

June 1, 2020

Dual fuel air-source heat pump pilot

Cold climate heat pumps provide economic, environmental, and grid benefits Can cold climate heat pumps deliver worthwhile results to homeowners and utilities? How do we design effective programs and product rebates to encourage heat pump adoption?

May 29, 2020

How could the Weatherization Assistance Program incorporate non-energy impacts?

Weatherization provides more benefits to residents outside of saving energy. However, the Department of Energy (DOE) guidelines don’t allow programs to count improvements that don’t tie directly to energy cost savings. We aim to change that.

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