Energy Design Assistance

Energy Design Assistance (EDA) is a free, comprehensive approach to energy savings includes several unique features designed to meet individual needs of builders, contractors, and architects including:

• Energy consulting services and predictive energy modeling, free to participants
• Enhanced services including goal setting meetings, massing, daylighting analysis and early HVAC rendering
• Quick opportunities allowing for projects to participate in shorter time frame than our EDA basic track
• Construction rebates for a package of whole building energy opportunities from envelope, lighting and cooling to unique opportunities such as heat recovery and solar water heating
• Measurement and verification including construction document review, onsite walk thru and data logging
• Design team reimbursement to participating team for participating in the EDA program

Three unique tracks are offered within Energy Design Assistance including: EDA Basic, EDA Quick, EDA Enhanced.

Energy Design Assistance supports long-range energy conservation.

Key benefits of the program include:

• Activity driven by the design team: We believe your chosen design team has the capability to design buildings that are 20-30% better than those that would just meet the Minnesota State Energy Code, with specialized support at key points in the process.
• Following a proven process—active for almost 20 years—with results for hundreds of buildings in the twin cities metro and extended suburbs
• Design team compensation for additional hours spent on the project through the EDA program
• One time rebate provided to the owner at the end of construction
• LEED® Energy & Atmosphere (EA) credit 1 point calculation for projects registered with the USGBC and participating in EDA Enhanced
• Additional analysis for builders participating in Minnesota’s B3 program through our EDA Enhanced process
• A simplified process for buildings late in design development

EDA Basic

Our core program offering under Business New Construction is ideal for projects with stated energy savings goals in mind and the ability to take advantage of strategy investigation through a full-integrated energy analysis and optimization.

• Suggested Project Size: 50,000 square feet (new construction, major renovations or additions
• Timing: Schematic or Early Design Development
• Energy Savings Requirement: 5% energy demand savings
• Rebates: $400 per kW and $.04 per kWh and $5 per Dth

EDA Enhanced

For design teams and owners interested in a very early goal setting and evaluation of options beginning in the pre-design and concept design stages. Refinement of these early options will follow with optimization as the design progresses. Our program history demonstrates that decisions made in the early stages of design have significant potential for energy conservation. Hence the Enhanced EDA option is limited to projects that are able to address Pre-design or Concept Design issues. Projects interested in obtaining LEED® certification should consider this option first.

• Minimum Project Size: 50,000 square feet (new construction, major renovations or additions)
• Timing: Pre-design or Early Schematic Design
• Energy Savings Requirement: 30% energy demand savings
• Rebates: $400 per kW and $.04 per kWh and $5 per Dth
• Proof of registration with a third party verified green building certification, such as United States Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and Minnesota B3 requirements
• Agreement to participate in at least two additional modeling reviews including massing, daylighting and early HVAC analysis

For more information on specific details of these analyses please see the Energy Design Assistance Requirements and Technical Brochure found in additional resources.

EDA Quick

• Square footage: Greater than 20,000 (including new construction, major renovation or additions)
• Timing: early design development phase
• Energy Savings Requirement: 5% energy demand savings
• Customer must have selected mechanical system types prior to application

Is your project less than 20,000 square feet? The Energy Efficiency Buildings program may be right for you.

Ready to start your project under EDA? Just fill out the Energy Design Assistance online application form.

Need help? Call your account manager, an Energy Efficiency Specialist at 1-800-481-4700 or email the new construction team.