Bloomington promotes energy benchmarking to cut business costs
The Bloomington City Council highlighted its large building energy benchmarking program at a Wednesday meeting, showcasing how the initiative helps major employers reduce operating expenses while supporting the city's climate goals.
The city's benchmarking program requires large buildings to measure and track their energy use, allowing businesses to identify where they can cut costs and improve efficiency. Two major Bloomington employers — Donaldson's Corporate Campus, a 600,000-square-foot facility, and Friendship Village of Bloomington, an 800,000 to 900,000-square-foot senior living community — shared how the program has benefited their operations.
Participants emphasized the financial incentives. "When you become more energy efficient, you save money, your operating expenses get reduced, you can lower your overhead," one representative said. The program works by connecting businesses with available grants and rebates for energy improvements, making upgrades more affordable.
City officials framed the initiative as central to Bloomington's environmental strategy. "Energy benchmarking provides information that can help buildings to reduce their greenhouse gas usage, which aligns with the city's climate goals and strategic plan," a city representative explained. The program also helps the city identify which businesses could benefit from state and federal energy assistance programs.
The fundamental principle driving the effort is straightforward: "Benchmarking is important because you can't manage what you don't measure," a speaker noted. By tracking energy consumption, businesses gain the data needed to make informed decisions about efficiency upgrades. The program is also active in Hennepin County for larger properties, suggesting a regional approach to sustainability. While no votes were recorded at the meeting, the presentation underscored the city's commitment to reducing emissions while helping local businesses lower their operating costs.
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Full analysis
Benchmarking is important because you can't manage what you don't measure. And by benchmarking, it allows businesses to control their costs and also to identify areas for energy improvements.
When you become more energy efficient, you save money, your operating expenses get reduced, you can lower your overhead.
Energy benchmarking provides information that can help buildings to reduce their greenhouse gas usage, which aligns with the city's climate goals and strategic plan. Benchmarking also helps the city to identify businesses that can benefit from energy grants and rebates and to connect them with those resources.
Source document
[0:00] - [Jamila] We really appreciate businesses
[0:01] that are doing their effort
to be as energy efficient
[0:05] as possible, and we wanna thank them
[0:06] for their participation in
the city's large building
[0:09] benchmarking program.
[0:11] - We are at our corporate
headquarters here in
[0:13] Bloomington, Minnesota.
[0:14] Donaldson is a technology-led
filtration company.
[0:17] We're in many different
filtration markets,
[0:19] from engines to life sciences,
anything you can imagine
[0:23] with filtration, and we're in it.
[0:25] - Friendship Village of
Bloomington has independent living,
[0:28] assisted living, memory
care, and skilled nursing,
[0:32] which is both long-term
care and short-term care.
[0:35] People move in here with
the idea that every aspect
[0:38] of their aging journey
can be taken care of here.
[0:41] - [Hans] Donaldson's
Corporate Campus is one
[0:43] of our largest buildings
in our entire portfolio.
[0:46] We're at 600,000 square feet total
[0:48] between all the office and lab space here.
[0:50] - Friendship Village of
Bloomington sits on about 27 acres
[0:53] of land, and we have roughly eight
[0:56] to 900,000 square feet of property.
[0:59] You can see in this common
area, we've got LED lighting.
[1:02] We are part of the benchmarking
program in Hennepin County,
[1:05] in the city of Bloomington
for larger properties.
[1:08] For the last year and a half,
[1:09] we've been doing our benchmarking,
[1:11] putting all that
information into the system.
[1:14] And we're being monitored,
[1:16] we're being compared to other real estate.
[1:18] - Benchmarking is important
[1:19] because you can't manage
what you don't measure.
[1:22] And by benchmarking, it allows businesses
[1:25] to control their costs
[1:27] and also to identify areas
for energy improvements.
[1:31] - [Hans] When you become
more energy efficient,
[1:33] you save money, your operating
expenses get reduced,
[1:36] you can lower your overhead.
[1:38] - [Ed] When you're saving
money on your utility budget,
[1:40] it really helps the rest
of your operating budget
[1:43] and operating expenses.
[1:44] - [Hans] We've done a lot of upgrades
[1:46] to our HVAC systems in these buildings.
[1:49] We've done a lot of lighting upgrades.
[1:51] We've made enhancements
to our hot water systems.
[1:55] - There's never really one
major solution to it all.
[1:58] It's a combination of
all the little projects.
[2:00] Our campus itself has got a big footprint,
[2:03] and we know there's an
opportunity around every corner.
[2:05] Being a part of Donaldson,
[2:06] we do focus on filters
and cleaning up the world,
[2:09] but we know that all of these
projects that we take place
[2:11] of, we can also do our hand
in cleaning up the world
[2:13] from a sustainability approach as well.
[2:16] - [Jamila] Energy benchmarking
provides information
[2:19] that can help buildings
[2:20] to reduce their greenhouse
gas usage, which aligns
[2:23] with the city's climate
goals and strategic plan.
[2:26] Benchmarking also helps the
city to identify businesses
[2:30] that can benefit from
energy grants and rebates
[2:34] and to connect them with those resources.
[2:36] We're interested in
working with businesses
[2:38] that want to make energy improvements
[2:40] and are here to connect
them with resources.
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