Minnesota Technical College – Commercial Efficiency Program

Client Overview

Michaels Energy recently had the opportunity to work with one of Minnesota’s top-ranked technical colleges to conduct a campus-wide building study and find opportunities to save.

The campus includes diverse building types, such as classrooms, labs, fitness facilities, vehicle storage, and specialized training spaces. The college’s Facilities team brought valuable experience and knowledge to the project—they know their systems inside and out and contributed many great ideas that we confirmed. Their team needed support in quantifying, validating, and prioritizing the many opportunities they already suspected existed. Even the savviest Facility teams can benefit from the added horsepower of a utility-backed program to help turn ideas into action. Still, aging equipment, varied HVAC systems, and complex controls created challenges that made it harder to identify actionable savings. While past improvements had been made, the college needed a trusted team, including their natural gas provider, and a clear roadmap to identify opportunities for deep energy savings.

Solution

Through the gas provider’s Commercial Efficiency program, Michaels Energy conducted a Phase 2 study in 2025, building on earlier work with this client. The study included:

• Onsite assessments and data logging
• In-depth review of BAS and mechanical systems
• Custom analysis of operational trends and energy use

The result: A targeted list of 15 Energy Conservation Opportunities (ECOs), with a focus on natural gas savings through low-cost recommissioning (RCx) measures and long-term capital projects.

Implemented Measures & Results

The college began implementation of some measures immediately and is now actively working with Michaels Energy with support from their gas provider to verify and fine-tune their progress.

Top Measures Include:

• Reducing VAV box airflow during unoccupied hours
• Optimizing AHU energy recovery wheel controls
• Bathroom exhaust fan controls via occupancy sensors
• Boiler staging adjustments to minimize cycling

Potential Savings Impact:

• Over 23,000 Therms of natural gas saved annually
• Nearly 93,000 kWh in electric savings
• Annual energy cost savings of $25,747 from RCx measures
• Average RCx payback: 1.3 years

Identified projects are still in the implementation phase, and capital measures with longer paybacks are under consideration as future budget cycles allow.

This client stands out as a model for long-term engagement within their utility’s Commercial Efficiency program. With active support from Michaels Energy, our client transformed a complex campus with diverse building types into a leading example of how collaboration and persistence can drive operational savings. Through strong teamwork and implementation follow-through, the college is already realizing significant savings and is poised for long-term performance improvements.

Why It Worked

The success of this project is rooted in trust, collaboration, and commitment. Our end-user client brought responsiveness, and a genuine desire to improve campus operations. The gas utility provided dedicated program support and funding, while Michaels Energy brought engineering expertise and practical recommendations.

This three-way partnership exemplifies how lasting customer engagement, mutual accountability, and a desire for continuous improvement can turn technical recommendations into meaningful, measurable outcomes.

Looking Ahead

With continued guidance and support, the college plans to:

• Implement improvements tied to ECOs
• Engage staff in training for sustained operations
• Serve as a model for other institutions in the utility’s service territory