Coop forms to develop a community-based energy future for South Minneapolis

A quiet revolution is taking place across the rooftops, attics and walls, and community meeting rooms of a number of Twin Cities neighborhoods. Groups of residents are coming together to make the transition to a clean, efficient, and community-based energy future, working together to tighten up their homes’ energy use and generate clean energy in the neighborhood. Cooperative Energy Futures (CEF), a co-op of community members, has emerged to help residents work together to cut costs and simplify the process of contracting home efficiency and clean energy improvements.

In early 2012, the CEF launched a neighborhood insulation group-contracting program, helping a group of South Minneapolis residents in the Phillips, Powderhorn Park, Corcoran, and Longfellow neighborhoods work with a qualified home efficiency contractor, SustainMax, to insulate and air seal their homes, cutting winter heating costs and summer cooling costs by up to 50% and creating a noticeable improvement in home comfort.

The second phase of Cooperative Energy Future’s bulk buying programs is launching May-August, with deadlines for residents and groups of neighbors to sign up by August 15th, 2013 and to commit to projects by September 15th, 2013. The four programs currently offered include:

Details about these programs can be found at http://cooperativeenergyfutures.com/bulk-buying/, where dates and locations of educational workshops and events where interested residents can learn more will also be posted. Interested residents, neighborhood groups, and local governments wishing to bring Cooperative Energy Future’s bulk buying programs to their community should contact contact@cooperativeenergyfutures.com, or call 612-568-2334.