Detroit's clean energy upgrades are cutting home bills and training the crews to install them

For plenty of Detroit families, winter has meant choosing between a warm house and an affordable gas bill. A wave of clean energy programs is working to end that tradeoff, and it is creating local jobs along the way.

The city runs other pieces of the same effort. Renew Detroit replaces roofs for senior, low-income, and disabled homeowners. Weatherization reaches more households through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. Both target the drafts and heat loss that push bills up in older homes.

The part that turns this into jobs is the training pipeline. DTE Energy and Walker-Miller Energy Services run the Energy Efficiency Academy, which gives Detroit and metro Detroit residents paid, multi-week training and connects them to a recruitment network for clean energy work. Trainees earn credentials including OSHA 10, Building Science Principles, and a Building Analyst Technician certification, plus a State of Michigan Lead Abatement Worker License. The first Detroit novice cohort started March 2, 2026.

The demand is real. Every retrofit needs someone trained to do it.

For residents, the way in depends on the program. Renew Detroit runs through the Office of Sustainability, and weatherization runs through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. The Energy Efficiency Academy takes applicants who are 18 or older with a high school diploma or GED and a valid driver's license.