Design and remodeling

As a homeowner, you have a number of opportunities to make environmentally sound choices when building a new home or remodeling existing one. Learn how to integrate green building concepts into your new construction or remodeling.

Finding green building products

Green building products often use less electricity, use recycled materials, or even keep our indoor air cleaner--reducing our home's impact on the environment.

Heating and cooling

Heating and cooling your home, especially in Minnesota, can take a lot of energy-and money. Here are our top tips conservation and efficiency in your home.

Conserving water

Using less water overall—particularly hot water—is a plus for the environment and your pocket book. There are many simple things we can do to conserve water in our homes.

Saving energy

No-cost, low-cost, and long-term investment tips for reducing electricity use in your home.

Alternative energy

Tapping into solar, wind, biomass, and other renewable energy sources can be as easy as buy green power from your utility company for a few dollars a month or can be a larger project, such as installing solar panels on your home.

Breathe easy: Indoor air quality tips

Green building means creating healthy spaces for us to live. Indoor air can be up to five times more polluted than outdoor air. On top of that, most of us spend 90 percent of our time indoors. Here's a sample of indoor air problems and what you can do about them.

Green building case studies

See how Minnesotans are incorporating green building ideas into the design and remodeling of homes and buildings around Minnesota.

Building greener: Minnesota examples

MPCA's Green Building Program has developed brief case studies of new and renovated buildings in Minnesota to demonstrate real-world applications of sustainable building principles and strategies.

Bright ideas for lighting your home

Lighting accounts for close to 20 percent of the average home's electric bill. Most of us can cut our lighting costs in a few simple steps. Start with conservation. It’s free and you can do it today.