Shining a light on energy efficiency: a new focus for Hastings Environmental Protectors

August 2025

By Keely Rau

The ‘environment’ in Hastings Environmental Protectors used to primarily focus on environmental conservation in the Dakota County city; that is, until Dwight, Joe, and Mark — the three leads for this community-based group — participated in Al Gore’s Climate Reality Project training. Soon after, the group began to shift the ‘environmental’ focus in their name towards climate action and clean energy.

After learning about CERTs Seed Grants, the group saw an opportunity to build on the City of Hastings’ recent Energy Action Plan, and applied for a project with the goal of reaching underserved communities in Hastings with direct access to energy efficiency resources.

It was their first grant to support clean energy in their community; Dwight, Joe, and Mark recounted their surprise and excitement when they got the news they had been accepted: “We got the grant” “What?” “We got the grant!!”

Energy assessments for manufactured home park residents

To build on the City’s Energy Action Plan, the Hastings Environmental Protectors set out to connect residents in Hastings’ older, energy burdened neighborhoods with home energy assessments and map out information on upcoming rebates and tax credits for energy-saving upgrades through the Inflation Reduction Act. In an initial meeting with CERTs, they learned about additional resources and outreach methods in manufactured home parks and began researching and contacting park managers.

Xcel Energy’s Partners in Energy then joined the initiative, offering support to help plan an event at Three Rivers Mobile Home Park. After receiving permission from Partners in Energy to deliver free energy assessments through Home Energy Squad in the park, the group used some of their funding to make the offer and follow-through even more enticing: providing gift cards — one for signing up and another for completing the audit.

Their outreach, including going door-to-door to each of the park’s 300+ homes delivering free energy conservation kits, led to 46 residents signing up for audits through the Home Energy Squad! Much of this success they also credited to their partnership with Hasting Family Service, a local and well-known service organization, for drawing interest to their table, thanks to their trusted and familiar presence.

After the success at Three Rivers, the Protectors wanted to bring their effort to another local park, Hastings Terrace. When dropping by just to get a sense for the community, they had a chance encounter with the park manager and were given an invitation to participate in the National Night Out event. There, meeting that quick turnaround, they shared energy efficiency resources and signed up seven more residents for Home Energy Squad assessments.

Following these events, the group found themselves with some leftover funding; the programs they had connected residents with brought much good, and there were still some DIY energy-savings gaps that weren’t covered yet through the utility conservation kits they had handed out. The group endeavored to cover those gaps themselves, purchasing additional items like foam sealant, window insulation, outlet and switch sealers, foam coil cleaner, and more, and assembling kits themselves for distribution at Hastings Terrace and Three Rivers.

Lessons learned

As they worked to connect with the community, the Hastings Environmental Protectors discovered that it takes persistence, resourcefulness — and sometimes a bit of luck. Reaching park managers proved challenging, but showing up in person, whether by walking into a park office or meeting someone on-site, helped build trust and demonstrate their commitment.

They also saw firsthand how valuable partnerships can be. CERTs helped them launch their clean energy and efficiency efforts in Hastings. Xcel Energy provided resources and support to make the project happen. And Hastings Family Service added a familiar, trusted presence that helped engage the community and offer additional resources.

“Partnerships like this are tremendously valuable to us. We wanted to do something but we didn’t know where to start. CERTs gave us the starting point.”

What the future holds

After completing this project, the Hastings Environmental Protectors saw new possibilities for advancing energy efficiency and clean energy in their community. The experience sparked fresh ideas and showed that the opportunities are numerous and great for this small but determined group.

Their next big goal is to collaborate with CERTs and other local partners to bring energy efficiency solutions to businesses and local government buildings in downtown Hastings. While they anticipate inevitable challenges ahead, this group thrives on problem-solving.

PROJECT SNAPSHOT

Clean Energy Focus: Energy Efficiency within Manufactured Home Parks

Metro CERT Grant: $5,000

Collaborators: Xcel Energy, Home Energy Squad, Community Utility Board, Hastings Family Services

Energy Savings: 55,980 kWh/year & 4,590 therms/year

Monetary Savings: $10,260/year

People Reached and Involved: 153 youth and adults

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