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SPEER Events

Building a Sustainable Future: Affordable Housing Innovations

May 14 at 10:30 am- 12:00 pm

At Levven, our mission is clear: making homes more affordable to build, purchase, and operate. We are excited to invite you to our upcoming webinar, where we will explore innovative strategies to reduce the costs and environmental impact of homebuilding. Our experts are passionate about developing products that save time and materials and enhance the value delivered to all stakeholders involved in the homebuilding process.

This webinar will provide valuable insights for builders, tradespeople, and anyone interested in the intersection of affordability and sustainability in the housing industry. Join us to discover how Levven is making a difference in the world by making essential shelters affordable and environmentally friendly.

SECO Grant Webinar: Empowering Energy Efficiency & Sustainability

May 30 at 1:00 PM CST

SECO will provide reimbursable grants as part of the Infrastructure and Investment Jobs Act (IIJA) to support state organizations' energy efficiency, sustainability, and workforce development efforts. Over $30,000,000 in funding will be used for multiple programs to reduce carbon emissions in all sectors of the economy. 

Public school districts, rural and community hospitals, and tribal governments can apply for funding to assist in lighting retrofit projects and solar/battery-powered storage system implementation. Additionally, Texas community colleges and technical schools will have the chance to expand their energy-efficiency certification programs by applying for funding to purchase equipment that will help bring new learning opportunities for their students.

CELC Webinar: Heat Pump Rooftop Units: Underutilized Energy Efficiency and Decarbonization Strategy for Low-Rise Commercial Buildings

June 6th at 10:00

This webinar will describe the recently launched Commercial Buildings Heat Pump Accelerator by the U.S. Department of Energy, which aims to drive adoption of high-efficiency heat pump RTUs available today and develop next-generation cold-climate heat pump RTUs.

Objectives:

• Gain a better understanding for the key barriers and opportunities for HP RTUs.
• Learn about several case studies where building owners have adopted HP RTUs.
• Understand how the Accelerator can support and amplify the work they’re doing.

SPEAKERS:

• Jim Young – Associate Director: Guidehouse
• Rachel Lebendinsky – Consultant: Guidehouse
• Saad Saleem – Senior Consultant: Guidehouse

SPEER's Industry & Policy Workshop: September 19-20

This year's SPEER Industry + Policy Workshop will be held in Austin at the Archer Hotel on September 19-20th.  Join us in the Lone Star state for insightful discussions and presentations encompassing:

• Consumer’s role in resiliency: shifting demand with energy efficient policies and residential demand response programs
• Heat pump research insights & a deep dive into estimated energy requirements (EER) and their impact on heat pump adoption
• Navigating DERs policy implementation and VPP expansion 
• Overcoming skill gaps in local governments as they prepare their communities for a clean energy future and build resiliency

Head over to our registration page to save your spot and browse sponsorship opportunities! Interested in sponsoring our rooftop happy hour reception or providing attendees with a company-branded custom welcome gift? We got you covered. If caffeine is more your thing we invite you to sponsor a coffee and snack break. The SPEER team looks forward to seeing you in the fall!

Resources

ICYMI: Five Key Takeaways from the Planet Texas 2050 Symposium

From February 27 – 29, Planet Texas 2050 held its annual symposium. If you couldn’t make it, fear not: they’ve compiled highlights of some of the compelling and surprising things they learned! (You can watch full videos of the sessions on their YouTube channel.)

Mapped: The Age of Energy Projects in Interconnection Queues, by State

By the end of 2023, over 11,000 energy projects were in U.S. interconnection queues, waiting for a green-light from regional grid operators to proceed with construction. In recent years, both the number and generation capacity of queued projects have surged in the United States, along with the length of time spent in queue. This new infographic maps out the average age of active energy projects in interconnection queues by state.

Using LIHEAP and WAP to Expand Low-Income Solar Access

A new report by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), “Solar Pathways in Federal Energy Assistance Programs: Expanding the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP),” chronicles NREL’s efforts to document successful implementation pathways through analyzing LIHEAP and WAP annual plans, surveying LIHEAP grant recipients and WAP Grantees about obstacles to solar implementation, and conducting interviews and workshops with program administrators.

ACEEE Scorecard Released

Which U.S. cities have made the most progress toward increasing energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions? The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy recently released their 2024 City Clean Energy Scorecard, which ranks 75 of the largest cities on these metrics, identifies the best-performing cities, the most improved, those with substantial room for improvement, and makes recommendations for making further progress. Find out which cities are leading the way and where your city ranks.

Job and Grant Opportunities

Special Funding Opportunity: Hurricane Response Marine Debris Removal Fund

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) requests proposals under the Hurricane Response Marine Debris Removal Fund through July 26. With funding from the NOAA Marine Debris Program, NFWF is seeking applications for approximately $6 million in grants to remove marine debris from impacted coastal areas. The program will primarily fund marine debris assessment, removal, restoration, and disposal activities in Alaska, Florida, Georgia, Puerto Rico, and South Carolina coastal communities. Projects will prevent further damage to sensitive coastal habitats and species and reduce the impacts of marine debris on properties, community infrastructure, assets of economic importance, and navigation safety. Apply here!

Jobs

Environmental Specialist, Travis County

Product Developer UT Austin City+Climate Colab, University of Texas