Energy Efficiency
& Waste Management

The Lake Street Council can help your business take advantage of several local rebate and grant programs that can help you reduce your cost of operations, comply with local regulations, reduce pollution, and create healthier work environments.

Help your business reduce your cost of operations, comply with local regulations, reduce pollution, and create healthier work environments.

"Just wanted to thank you for your invaluable help in submitting our light fixtures upgrade rebate application! We just received a check for $600! Thank you all for the great work you all do for our beloved Lake Street!”

Daniel Farias, Owner, Mi Boleto Travel

Energy Efficiency and Equipment Grants

In partnership with Energy Smart, a program of the MN Chamber, we can help you find ways to reduce your energy bills and upgrade your equipment with significant discounts. Energy Smart can provide a free energy assessment for your building, during which they will discuss your priorities and walk through your building with you to identify key energy-saving opportunities.

If you are planning to buy equipment that uses electricity or natural gas to operate, or recently made a purchase, get in touch! There may be rebates available from Xcel Energy or CenterPoint Energy that can help make it more affordable to buy new, high-quality, energy-efficient models. Additional grants from the City of Minneapolis and other entities can sweeten the deal even more.

Equipment that often qualifies for rebates includes:

  • Lighting - LEDs

  • Kitchen equipment - hoods, refrigerators, ovens, deep fryers, 

  • Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) units

  • Water heaters

  • Air compressors

  • Industrial equipment

 

Waste Management and Recycling

Hennepin County can help you make your waste collection system work better by improving your internal set-up, increasing your recycling rates to reduce your tax burden, and right-sizing your service levels so you aren’t paying too much for trash hauling.

According to local and state law, all businesses must have single-sort recycling services in place to recycle bottles, cans, paper, and cardboard. The good thing is that recycling almost always will save you money because it isn’t taxed.

Additionally, as of January 2020, businesses in Hennepin County that work with food (including restaurants, grocery stores, and child care centers) must have an organics recycling system in place to capture food waste. 

Setting up new recycling systems can feel daunting, but there are resources out there to help you. Hennepin County has free recycling and organics bins, signage, and training available. 


For more information or to get assistance, fill out this form on Hennepin County’s website.

 

For more information or to get assistance, contact Matt Kazinka at 612.823.0096 or mkazinka@lakestreetcouncil.org.