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Home My WebLink AboutSustainability Commission - 05/12/2026Approved Meeting Minutes Eden Prairie Sustainability Commission 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 12, 2026 City Center – Heritage Rooms 1&2 8080 Mitchell Road Eden Prairie, MN 55344 ATTENDEES Commission Members: Aaron Poock (Chair), Cindy Hoﬀman (Vice Chair), Tim Conners, Michelle Frost, Daniel Hendrickson, Alexis Junker, Heike Peters, Moussa Ousmane, Carolyn Wieland Student Commission Members: Lillian Beutz, Avni Maheshwari, Ava Muilenburg, Shailee Rana, Paili Rice, Atharva Sarmah, Jhansi Senthilkumar, Syon Shetty, Ipshita Tiwari, Colin Weiher City Staﬀ: Jennifer Fierce - Sustainability Coordinator, Kristin Harley – Recording Secretary MEETING AGENDA I. Call the Meeting to Order Vice Chair Hoﬀman called the meeting to order at 7:04 p.m. Commissioners Poock and Wieland were absent. All student representatives were present. II. Approval of Agenda and Other Items of Business MOTION: Conners moved, seconded by Junker, to approve the agenda. Motion carried 6-0. III. Minutes A. Sustainability Commission meeting held Tuesday, April 14, 2026 MOTION: Peters moved, seconded by Ousmane, to approve the minutes of the Sustainability Commission Tuesday, April 14, 2026. Motion carried 6-0. IV. Reports A. Reports from Staﬀ 1. Hennepin County Residential Weatherization/Electriﬁcation Action Plan SUSTAINABILITY COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES May 12, 2026 Fierce displayed a PowerPoint and summarized the background of this initiative by Hennepin County to explore electriﬁcation of all single-family homes in the county. The goals of the project were to 1) model what it would take to weatherize and electrify all one- to four- unit homes in the County to meet the 2050 carbon-free goals, and 2) create an action plan for the County’s role in decarbonization. Frost stated she worked for the Center for Energy and Environment, a non-proﬁt working with utilities on programs such as the Home Energy Squad and other clean energy eﬃciency eﬀorts. She presented the data model: Energy Model Methodology To create a statistically representative energy model of all 300,000 residential buildings, the process was to integrate data, statistically sample the data, derive physics-based energy simulations, and apply weatherization and electriﬁcation upgrade scenarios. Model cost scenarios included baseline, only weatherization, all electric, dual fuel 50 percent and dual fuel 80 percent for heating systems, weatherization, and other electriﬁcation. There would be implications for emissions with each scenario. Upgrades underway would be made electric: In the chart, the blue bars represented the number of replacements per year currently with gas; the orange bars represented the number needed to be electric to meet climate goals; and the ﬁnding was equipment did not need to be retired before end of useful life. ASHP, water heaters, stoves, clothes dryers, and weatherization represented a varying level of emissions reductions, with heat pumps/HVAC showing a marked reduction compared to the others. The main outcomes of the model showed the cost to the homeowner in terms of utility bill and emissions impacts. Costs ranged from $6,000 to $10,000 depending on the improvement. Induction stoves and heat pump dryers would reduce emissions less than heat pumps/HVAC, which would contribute the most to emissions reduction, with weatherization and heat pump water heaters in the middle. High performance cold climate heat pumps come at a cost premium; but lower performance heat pumps locked in more natural gas heating. SUSTAINABILITY COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES May 12, 2026 The median annual energy bill change showed high and low estimates based on baseline, only weatherization, dual fuel 50 percent, dual fuel 80 percent, all electric without weatherization, and all electric. Reductions ranged from -$162 to -$549. Gas rates ranged between a lower of 0.8 $/therm to 1.1 $/therm. All electric eliminated the gas connection fee and saved $110/year. Hoﬀman asked what comprised weatherization, and Frost replied it was mostly insulation. The additional labor force needed was already in place: beyond the current workforce, 318 new workers were needed for weatherization. Conners expressed concern over the retirement of current tradespeople. Peters echoed this concern. Model results: Existing technologies and measures could eﬀectively decarbonize all homes. There were multiple pathways to meet needs around cost versus emissions. Replacement at end of life was fast enough to meet climate goals. Growth was needed in the pace of weatherization, however. Targeted funding and workforce growth were also needed to scale retroﬁts. Frost demonstrated the Hennepin County Residential Weatherization and Electriﬁcation Scenarios tool. Frost stated the next step for the county was a pilot program, probably initially focused on the lower income areas. Hoﬀman asked how many households were upgrading on their own every year, and Frost did not have that number; it was not close to the 12,800 households needed every year to meet the 2050 goals. Fierce stated weatherization was signiﬁcantly behind to meet the goals, but this was not a great need in Eden Prairie, which was already signiﬁcantly weatherized. There were current programs for weatherization that are not as accessible as they could be; navigating the process was often complicated. Hoﬀman asked how long weatherization lasted, and Frost stated it potentially could never be replaced, unlike a furnace. Hoﬀman noted weatherization could emerge as a priority. Conners stated the weatherization of high-need buildings could have a great impact. Windows did not make a great diﬀerence unless they had leaks; ceiling insulation was important. Peters noted new construction could have avoided gas heating/fuel/cooling at the outset. Conners stated new construction could explore this as well as an induction stove, but many residents preferred gas. Discussion followed on new development standards. [Hendrickson arrived at 7:45 p.m.] SUSTAINABILITY COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES May 12, 2026 Takeaways and Actions: • Access to state rebate program would help close the gap. • Make sure income-qualiﬁed programs install electriﬁcation measures. • Eden Prairie was better positioned to move right to electriﬁcation than most core cities and ﬁrst ring suburbs. • All Eden Prairie households saw annual bill savings with dual fuel 50 percent. • Many households would see savings with all-electric or dual fuel 80 percent options. • Utilize or create rebate/cost-share programs. • Support contractor network. • Continuing access to advisor service. • Increase/align utility rebate programs. • New development electriﬁcation. Hennepin County would be looking at a pilot plan for low-income weatherization. Discussion followed on prioritization regarding new construction versus existing buildings. Fierce stated every state was diﬀerent; for example, Colorado could set codes at a city level, achieving results Eden Prairie could not as the city is bound to the state building code. Ousmane asked if it was feasible to have low- to no-interest loan program options. Fierce replied there is an existing housing loan program that covers energy eﬃciency upgrades, but she would check if it also would cover ASHP. Hendrickson stated the electric companies oﬀered loans for replacement of gas appliances. 2. Eden Prairie Climate Action Plan Update/Adaptation Plan Fierce displayed a PowerPoint and announced that the City received a grant to update its Climate Action Plan, which would be examined and refreshed. City operations would be inventoried and strategies examined. The City would implement a ﬁve-year implementation plan and an adaptation plan. There would be a climate vulnerability assessment, strategies to address vulnerabilities, and community engagement, including an online survey. Once the contract was ﬁnalized, this would kick oﬀ in June and end in June of 2027. This project will help the city meet its Comprehensive Plan requirements as well. 3. Student Commissioner Farewell Fierce thanked the student representatives, who received a round of applause from the commission members. She asked them to share their next steps and/or college plans if they wanted to with the group. SUSTAINABILITY COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES May 12, 2026 B. Reports from Commissioners Conners stated he attended an assistance climate lobbying meeting and there was funding for students to travel to DC for this. He oﬀered to share the information with the student representatives. Conners stated the Eco Expo went very well, despite some nonproﬁts having to cancel. There were 40 exhibitors (32 last year) six dealerships (two last year) raﬄe prizes, and double the attendees compared to 2025 (approximately 7,300 attendees). Frost stated composting and the mandatory composting fee was the top issue. Junkers stated she found residents who were interested but needed information on how to start. Local representatives and Senators and other dignitaries, including the Eden Prairie Mayor, attended. C. Reports from Students The student representatives commended the Eco Expo. V. Upcoming Events A. Board and Commission Banquet – Thursday, May 14, St. Andrew Lutheran Church, 6 PM to 8 PM VI. Next Meeting A. Tuesday, June 9, 2026 VII. Adjournment MOTION: Hendrickson moved, seconded by Ousmane, to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried 7-0. Vice Chair Hoﬀman adjourned the meeting at 8:10 p.m.