Rebates/ Conservation

ENERGY STAR^® Central Air Conditioner Rebate 
Marshall Municipal Utilities offers rebates towards the purchase of new ENERGY STAR^® qualified central air conditioners when installed with MMU's load management receiver (ELF).

ENERGY STAR qualified central air conditioners have a higher Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER2), which make them about 8% more efficient than standard models.

Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER2) is a measure of equipment energy efficiency over the cooling season. It represents the total cooling of a central air-conditioner during the normal cooling season compared to the total electric energy input (in watt-hours) consumed during the same period.

 ENERGY STAR^® qualified models with a SEER2 rating of 15.2 or greater are eligible for a $100 per ton rebate. You will also receive a $3 monthly credit on your utility bill for 4 summer months as part of our Load Management Program.

To download a rebate application form, click here: ENERGY STAR CENTRAL A/C & HEAT PUMP Rebate Form

Installation of a programmable setback thermostat can provide additional energy savings by automatically adjusting your homes temperature to match your lifestyle. MMU offers residential customers a $25 rebate for the installation of programmable setback thermostats. Please use the ENERGY STAR CENTRAL A/C & HEAT PUMP Rebate Form  for programmable setback thermostat rebate claims.

ENERGY STAR^® Heat pump Rebate
Marshall Municipal Utilities offers Rebates towards the purchase of new high efficiency Geothermal or qualifying Air Source Heat Pump heating and cooling systems.

To download a rebate application form click here: ENERGY STAR CENTRAL A/C & HEAT PUMP Rebate Form

Ground Source heat pumps are eligible for a $200 per ton rebate.

Geothermal Heat pump

A Geothermal or Ground Source heating and cooling system will provide you with year-round comfort at dramatically lower prices than other, less efficient systems. Geothermal Heat Pumps use the earth as a heat sink in the summer and a heat source in the winter, and therefore rely on the relative warmth of the earth for their heating and cooling source. Through a system of underground (or under water) pipes, they transfer heat from the warmer earth or water source to the building in the winter, and take the heat from the building in the summer and discharge it into the cooler ground. Therefore, Geothermal Heat Pumps don't create heat; they move it from one area to another. For every watt of energy consumed by a geothermal heat pump, 2 to 4 watts of heat will be put out. Because this system uses heat from the ground, annual operating expenses can be 35% to 70% lower than most other heating systems available. In addition to lower utility bills, you can also receive valuable rebates from MMU on your purchase of a geothermal system.

Air Source Heat pump

ENERGY STAR^® qualified Air Source heat pumps with a SEER2 rating of 15.2 or greater are eligible for a $150 per ton rebate. You will also receive a $3 monthly credit for 4 summer months on your utility bill as part of our Load Management program.

Air Source Heat Pumps operate by moving or transferring heat, rather than creating it. During the summer, a heat pump captures heat from inside a home or business and transfers it to the outdoor air through a condensing unit. During the winter, the process is reversed. Heat is captured from outdoor air (even at temperatures below freezing), compressed, and released inside.

The key to understanding how a heat pump works is that even when it is very "cold" outside there is heat energy in the air. Air would need to be -460 degrees F ("absolute zero") for there to be no heat energy. A day that is 20 degrees F outside is 480 degrees F above absolute zero. 70 degrees F is 530 degrees F above absolute zero. So a heat pump only has to move the heat uphill a relatively small distance. It uses the "refrigeration cycle" to do this.

The Heat Pump Refrigeration Cycle
A refrigerant is a fluid which vaporizes (boils) at a low temperature. The refrigerant circulates through tubes ("refrigerant lines") that travel throughout the heat pump. We'll begin our description of the refrigeration cycle at point A on the illustration below, which describes the heat pump when it is heating the house. 

At point A the refrigerant is a cold liquid -- colder than the outdoor air. The refrigerant flows to the outdoor coil (point B). This coil is a "heat exchanger" with a large surface area to absorb heat from the air into the colder refrigerant. The heat added to the refrigerant causes the fluid to vaporize, so this heat exchanger is called the "evaporator coil" during the heating cycle. When materials change state (in this case from liquid to gas), large amounts of energy transfer take place.

At point C the refrigerant is a cool gas, having been warmed and vaporized by the outdoor air. It is too cool to warm the house, so that's where the compressor (point D) comes in. The compressor raises the pressure of the gas. When that happens, the gas temperature rises. One way to think about it is that the compressor concentrates the heat energy. The compressor is often thought of as the "heart" of the heat pump, since it does most of the work of forcing heat "uphill." The compressor also forces the now hot gas (point E) further into the cycle.

The indoor coil (point F) is where the refrigerant gives up its heat to the indoor air. A fan blows air past the indoor coil to distribute heat to the house. This cools the refrigerant to the point where much of it condenses, forming a liquid. In the heating season, the indoor coil is called the "condenser coil." This change of state results in a large transfer of heat energy.

The warm mixture of liquid and gas (point G) continues through the cycle to point H - the expansion device (sometimes called a "metering device"). This device reduces the pressure, causing the refrigerant, to become cold again - cold enough so that it is once again ready to absorb heat from the cool outdoor air and repeat the cycle.

Cooling with a Heat Pump
One advantage of a heat pump is that in the summer it works just like an air conditioner to cool the house. Most heat pumps have a "reversing valve" to switch the flow of refrigerant so that it pumps heat from indoors to outdoors.

Marshall Municipal Utilities offers residential customers a rebate of $100 for installing a qualifying electric water heater during new home construction or for switching from gas to a new qualifying electric water heater. Replacement of an existing electric water heater does not qualify. You will also receive a $3 monthly credit on your utility bill as part of our Load Management program.

Electric water heater rebate forms can be picked up at our office, mailed, faxed, or downloaded here: Electric Water Heater Rebate form.

ENERGY STAR qualified Heat Pump Water Heaters offer a unique opportunity to cut your water heating costs in half and qualify for a rebate of $250 from Marshall Municipal Utilities.

ENERGY STAR Electric water heater rebate forms can be picked up at our office, mailed, faxed, or downloaded here: Heat Pump Water Heater Rebate form.

To invest in a renewable resource, consider an ENERGY STAR Solar Thermal Water Heater and use free energy from the sun to heat your water. Marshall Municipal Utilities offers rebates of $20 per square foot of collector area up to a maximum of $2,000 towards the installation of a qualifying ENERGY STAR Solar thermal water heating system. In addition to rebates, solar water heating systems are Minnesota sales and property tax exempt and currently qualify for a 30% federal tax credit.

For additional information regarding ENERGY STAR^® electric heat pump or solar thermal water heating savings, rebates, and available tax incentives please contact Marshall Municipal Utilities at (507) 537-7005.

Marshall Municipal Utilities offers incentives for the purchase of ChargePoint® Home or Home Flex level 2 electric vehicle chargers. To qualify, each charger must be associated with one electric vehicle and ChargePoint Utility Web Portal access activated.

Marshall Municipal Utilities also offers a $150 rebate for the purchase of other brand EV chargers.

For additional Electric Vehicle rebate information and to download a Rebate Application Form click here: Electric Vehicle Rebate Application

For additional information about the benefits, selection, and savings opportunities of an electric vehicle please click on the following link: Electric Vehicle Information

Participation in Marshall Municipal Utilities Load Management Program is a condition of service for all new construction and remodeling where electric water heating, electric heating, or central air conditioning is installed. By allowing MMU to cycle these appliances during our peak times, we can keep our energy rates low by reducing the need to purchase additional volatile peak power and at the same time conserve our natural resources.

The controller is provided at no charge and MMU will pay $30 towards the installation and one connected load plus $10 for each additional load connected. Call us at 537-7005 for more information on how you can start saving money on your utility bill through our Load Management Program.

Marshall Municipal Utilities offers the following credits for participation in our Load Management Program.

Marshall Municipal Utilities offers rebates for the replacement of inefficient incandescent lighting with high-efficiency LED  lighting. Rebates are also available for new installations with savings based on the equivalent wattage of incandescent lighting.

WHAT IS AN LED BULB?

Light Emitting Diode or LED bulbs can also replace most standard incandescent bulbs and offer many benefits. They use up to 80% less energy than incandescent bulbs while providing the same amount of light output (lumens), can last over 25,000 hours, contain no mercury, and give off less heat than standard bulbs. Several designs and sizes are available to replace bulbs in indoor and outdoor light fixtures, lamps, recessed lighting, and floodlights.

WILL HIGH-EFFICIENCY LIGHTING LOWER MY UTILITY BILL?

High-efficiency LED lighting will save you money on your utility bill because they use less electricity than regular incandescent bulbs.

For example: If you were to replace a 60 watt incandescent bulb (840 lumens with an average life of 1,000 hours) with a 10 watt LED bulb (800 lumens with an expected life of 15,000 hours) you would save approximately $60 in electricity and bulb replacement costs over the life of the bulb based on MMU's current rates.

HOW MUCH WILL MY REBATE BE?

The rebate amount is $.20 per nameplate watt saved through the installation of high-efficiency lighting or the purchase price of the new lighting, whichever is less. The recommended minimum rebate application amount is $25.00.

For example: If you replace (ten) 60-watt incandescent bulbs with (ten) 10 watt LED bulbs, you would save 500 watts. 500 watts saved X $.20 per nameplate watt = $100.00. The rebate amount would be $100 or the price of the new bulbs, whichever is less. Most new LED's cost less than the rebate amount, so the entire cost of the bulbs are usually covered by MMU's rebate. You get the benefit of saving energy with no expense. Some LED bulbs will cost more than the MMU rebate amount, but the longer bulb life and additional energy savings will more than offset the higher initial cost.

WHAT DO I NEED TO DO TO RECEIVE MY REBATE?

To qualify for your rebate, you will need to fill out and sign a Residential Lighting Rebate Application Form and return it to MMU along with the following:

1) The original receipt for your new lighting .
2) The packaging showing the nameplate watts and lumens of the new bulbs.
3) The old bulbs that you have replaced. (Unless this is a new application)

After receipt of your completed application, MMU will issue a credit on your next utility billing, or a check if the rebate amount is over a $100, or you are a budget bill customer. Rebate amounts less than $100 are automatically given as a credit on your utility bill.

WHERE CAN I PURCHASE LED BULBS?

Bulbs can be purchased at most hardware stores, home improvement stores, and discount centers.

Bulbs with the ENERGY STAR^® logo offer the assurance of additional quality testing and a minimum 2 year warranty. To view a list of qualifying bulbs, visit the ENERGY STAR^® website.

MMU does not endorse any particular vendor, manufacturer, or product in promoting this rebate program. MMU does recommend the purchase of ENERGY STAR^® qualified lighting.

For more information on LED lighting, or questions regarding this rebate, please call MMU at 537-7005.

Compact fluorescent bulbs do contain a small amount of mercury. Minnesota Law requires all types of fluorescent bulbs to be recycled. To help ensure proper recycling, Marshall Municipal Utilities' customers can bring unbroken, burned out CFL's to our office at 113 South 4th Street, Marshall MN, and we will recycle them at no charge to the customer.

Bulbs can also be brought to the Lyon County Household Hazardous Waste Facility at 504 Fairgrounds Road, Marshall, MN 56258. For more information on recycling and hours of operation, they can be reached at 532-8210.

Marshall Municipal Utilities offers a rebate of $50 for installing qualifying WaterSense® labeled High Efficiency toilets when replacing an existing older unit, remodeling, or in new construction.

Toilets are by far the main source of water use in the home, accounting for nearly 30% of residential indoor water consumption. WaterSense, a program sponsored by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), is helping consumers identify high-performance, water efficient toilets that can reduce water use in the home and preserve our precious water resources.

The WaterSense label is used on toilets that are certified by independent laboratory testing to meet rigorous criteria for both performance and efficiency. Only high-efficiency toilets that complete the third-party certification process can earn the WaterSense label. WaterSense qualified toilets use 20% less water than the current standard while still providing equal or superior performance.

Replacing a 20 year old toilet with a new WaterSense qualified unit could save more than $100 per year in water and wastewater costs. So whether you are remodeling a bathroom, starting construction, or simply replacing an old, leaky toilet, installing a WaterSense labeled toilet is a high-performance, water efficient option worth considering.

WaterSense Toilet rebate forms can be picked up at our office, mailed, faxed, or downloaded here: High Efficiency Toilet Rebate form.

For additional information regarding WaterSense® labeled products and for a list of qualifying WaterSense toilets, visit the epa.gov website or contact Marshall Municipal Utilities at (507) 537-7005.

Marshall Municipal Utilities also offers our customers free WaterSense qualified Niagara water saving showerhead and faucet aerators. Please contact Mark Antony at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or (507) 537-7005 for more information on how to receive your free water saving showerhead or faucet aerator.

LEARN MORE - City of Marshall Water Softener Rebate Program