2025 Business Energy Efficiency Grant Application

Business Energy Efficiency Grant Rules

The Business Energy Efficiency Grant Program (BEEGP) is a grant program of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce (MCC). The purpose of the BEEGP is to motivate business owners to complete projects that would otherwise not have been completed without the aid of the BEEGP. Applications for which a verbal or written commitment has been made to complete the project will not be considered. All grant applications will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, are contingent on available funds, Energy Smart evaluation of the specific project, and administrator final approval. The program may be changed or closed at any time.

Please reach out to EnergySmart@mnchamber.com if you are a contracting company submitting on behalf of an applicant. The Minnesota Chamber of Commerce reserves the right to revoke the grant award if the customer or contractor violates program rules and procedures. The Minnesota Chamber of Commerce is not liable for grants promised to customers as a result of a contractor misrepresenting this grant program, changing the work scope midproject, or miscalculating the grant award.

Funding Levels

 

  Grant Estimate Calculation:

up to $5,000 or $7,000

LED Projects = Utility rebate*0.5 (EJA = rebate*0.6)

Other Projects = Utility rebate*4 (EJA = rebate*5)

Environmental Justice Area Map

            Blue, green, purple, or yellow zones in the EJ Areas tab

 

Eligible Businesses

• Member of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce
  • Does not include affiliate or federation members
  • Must be a member before the project is completed to qualify for the higher grant rate
• or, Xcel Energy or CenterPoint Energy Commercial/ Industrial Customers

Non-Eligible Businesses

• Public facilities
• Schools
• Places of worship
• Multi-family facilities

Eligible Projects

• Reasonable accomodations will be made to minimum efficiency requirements - contact the program administrator
• LED to LED retrofits are not eligible
• Must receive a commercial utility rebate to be awarded funding
  • Projects that receive instant rebates are not eligible
• Must include line item make, model, and cost information on proposal to determine rebate eligibility
• Purchase order has not been signed and project work has not begun before submitting an application
• Must have reasonable simple payback - paybacks close to or less than one year are subject to additional review and/or pro-rating the grant award

Funding Details

• Up to $5,000/$7,000 may be approved for unique projects per year, per commercial customer facility or campus
• ONE grant will be awarded to LED projects, for all time – if the facility has already received a grant for a LED project, future LED projects will not be approved
• Applicants may re-apply year over year for non-lighting projects
• Final grant payments are based on the actual utility rebate, not the estimate
• The funding maximum is tallied in the calendar year the application is approved, up to $5,000/$7,000 per year based on chart above

Dates/Deadlines

Project Timelines:

• Projects must be completed, and rebate paperwork submitted to the utility with 120 days of grant approval
• Projects with delays outside of the control of the applicant will be honored, so long as sufficient communication is maintained
• Should applicants or contractors become unresponsive after 120 days, Energy Smart will send a notice indicating the forfeiture of funds. Applicants may re-apply

Xcel Energy Projects:

• Application closure: November 14th, 2025

CenterPoint Energy Projects:

• CenterPoint Energy rebate applications must be submitted by Dec. 31, 2025

Other Utilities:

• Final invoices and rebate paperwork submitted to utility within 120 days of application approval OR by rebate program deadlines outlined by the utility

Payment

• Grant funds are paid to the applicant business after the project is complete and utility rebate has been verified - payments will not be awarded to contracting companies
• Rebates generally take 6-8 weeks to be processed after invoice submission to the utility
• Applicant may submit a copy of the received rebate check to expedite grant payment
• Payment is delivered via mailed check from the Minnesota Chamber Foundation
• Custom rebates that fail utility analysis will not be awarded funds unless the technology also qualifies for a prescriptive rebate
• Final grant amount is based on the final utility rebate issued by the utility - major changes to the project that may impact the grant amount should be sent ASAP

Required Documentation

All Applications:

• Project proposal with make/model information (2-3 preferred)
• Copy of recent utility bill
• Signed utility release form- for each form below complete and save the 2nd page only
  • Link to Xcel Energy form
  • Link to CenterPoint Energy form
• Up-to-date W9
• Project final invoice once work is complete

Terms signing parties agree to:

• Applicant represents and warrants that it meets the criteria for eligibility listed in the section entitled Eligible Businesses.

• Applicant represents and warrants that the Project meets the eligibility criteria listed in the section entitled Eligible Projects.

• Applicant will comply with the funding application and reapplication requirements listed in the section entitled Funding.

• Applicant will comply with the requirements listed in the Project Timeline section.

• Applicant understands and agreed to the Payment terms.

• Applicant has provided complete and accurate information responsive to the sections entitled Business Information, Project Information, and Required Documentation.

• Applicant agrees to use funding received pursuant to this Agreement solely for the purposes described in this Grant Application. Applicant will repay MCC any portion of the funding that is not used for the designated purpose. 

• Applicant will maintain records to demonstrate its proper use of the funding received pursuant to this Agreement for six years following receipt of the final distribution of funding made to Applicant pursuant to this Grant Application.

• Upon request of MCC, Applicant will provide MCC all records demonstrating its use of the funding received pursuant to this Agreement.

• Applicant releases MCC and its officers, directors and agents from all liability related to the funding and use of the funding which is the subject matter of this Grant Application, and agrees to indemnify and hold MCC harmless in the event MCC is made or threatened to be made a party to any type of claim or proceeding as a result of Applicant’s use of the Funding or its performance or non-performance of its obligations pursuant to this Grant Application.

 

Applicant Demographics