On February 8, the Minneapolis City Council unanimously voted to pass an ordinance requiring large commercial buildings to report and publicly disclose energy consumption, making it the first Midwestern city to adopt such a policy.

If you’ve cut your family’s energy and water use at home, you know your efforts have saved money and helped the environment. But have you wondered if owners of those big buildings in downtown Minneapolis are following suit? The City of Minneapolis is taking steps that will make that information available, building awareness and showcasing commercial buildings that have already beefed up their energy efficiency.

The City of Minneapolis is considering an ordinance that will require disclosure of the amount of energy that public and large commercial buildings use. Submit a comment on the ordinance or attend a public hearing!

Minnesota’s Department of Labor and Industry has proposed adopting a slightly amended version of the International Energy Conservation Code’s (IECC) most recent version—the IECC 2012.

Shopping for a home that’s energy efficient isn’t always easy. While hardwood floors, two-car garages, and swimming pools are typical searchable attributes, energy efficiency data and green building certifications are not so easily found.

Anyone who has built a new home or made a major home renovation knows that legal rules called codes help influence many aspects of the project—from how efficient your furnace should be to the proper way to install electricity.

Buildings consume a lot of energy. The more than 5 million commercial buildings and 115 million residential households in the United States consume around 40 percent of the nation’s total energy and 70 percent of all electricity. That’s a lot of energy—specifically, a lot of wasted energy.

It’s important that pro-energy code stories are present in the media. If you believe that Minnesotans want new homes built to energy efficient standards, write a letter to the editor.

Earlier this year, Fresh Energy wrote about the amazing success of the First Unitarian Society of Minneapolis, whose energy-efficient building upgrades earned top achievements in the Environmental Protection Agency’s Battle of the Buildings.

The U.S. Green Building Council recently released its 2011 list of top U.S. states for LEED-certified commercial and institutional green buildings, and Minnesota came in at number 10.