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In this newsletter:
- Texas Interim Legislative Activities
- Local Policy Actions
- Proposed Residential Demand Response Rules Published
- Oklahoma Legislature Publishes Interim Study Assignments
- SPEER’s Industry & Policy Workshop: September 19-20
- New Blog: "Resiliency is the name of the Power Outage Game"
- Upcoming Events and Webinars
- What We’re Reading/Hearing
- SPEER Resources
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Texas Interim Legislative Activities |  | |
In late Spring, both the Texas Senate and Texas House published the Senate interim charges and House interim charges for committee research and review ahead of the 89th Legislative Session in 2025. Several items have been listed relating to Texas energy. Public hearings in the Senate Business and Commerce Committee and House State Affairs Committee were held in June revolving directly around the State’s energy needs. In addition to the typical grid stressors, hearings were called to review the Hurricane Beryl response. The aftermath of the hurricane brings attention to the need to continue building resiliency into resource planning. Demand-side policies can aid in improving livability of homes and buildings while virtual power plants can get power to those impacted. We anticipate further review of hurricane preparedness and resiliency efforts at future hearings and during the next legislative session.
What’s next at the Lege?
The Senate Business and Commerce committee has more public hearings set on August 27th to review the implementation of the Texas Energy Fund, and on October 1st to review interim charges. Senate Finance Committee is meeting on September 5th to discuss several funds, including the Texas Energy Fund and Texas Water Fund.
A few key dates to remember as we move through the summer into the fall: November 5th is the general election, and on November 11th Texas legislators are able to begin filing new bills for the 89th session. The 89th session officially begins on January 14th, 2025.
If you are interested in attending or viewing any of the interim legislative activities, you can find more information posted on the Texas Legislature website here. SPEER will be monitoring and will provide updates through social media and this newsletter.
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Statewide: Several cities are in the process of developing their budgets for next fiscal year and holding public meetings to review potential changes or additions. Be on the lookout in your city to see what changes to the budget may impact your efficiency needs.
Texas Home Energy Rebates Community Session
The Texas State Energy Conservation Office (SECO) is hosting two public community sessions providing information on the Texas Home Energy Rebates to organizations and the community about program benefits and eligibility. SECO will also seek input from key stakeholders for program design. The first session will be offered virtually on August 27 from 10am-12pm CST and the second session will be on August 27 from 2pm-4pm. For more information please visit the SECO website.
Austin: The Austin City Council will hold its regular meeting on August 29th . On the agenda are three items related to Austin Energy. All three, if passed, would approve issuance of capacity-based incentive programs. For more information, please see the Austin City Council Agenda here.
Dallas: The Dallas City Council will hold a regular meeting on August 28th . On the draft agenda is an item relating to potential approval of a resolution in support of the Comprehensive Climate Action Plan and Environmental Commission recommendations for the 2024 Bond Program. For more information, please see the Dallas City Council Agenda here.
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If you are aware of upcoming policy discussions or actions in your area and would like to share them in this newsletter, please send information to noaks@eepartnership.org. | |
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Proposed Residential Demand Response Rules Published
**ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITY**
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The Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) staff have released their proposed rules creating goals for reducing average total residential load in ERCOT region in Project Number 56966. This rulemaking is the implementation of Senate Bill 1699 from the 88th Legislative Session that would establish a demand response program offered through retail electric providers to residential customers. Demand response plays a critical role in slowing down and/or completely stopping energy consumption during times of highest grid stress due to demand. Currently, these programs have been used to incentivize industrial customers to reduce their consumption, however residential customers were not included in the incentives. This is important because peak demand in Texas is driven by residential customers' heating and cooling needs.
PUCT commission staff have requested public comments be submitted through the PUCT website no later than September 27th. SPEER intends to file comments. If you have any questions or would like to discuss the proposed rules, please reach out to us!
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Oklahoma Legislature Publishes Interim Study Assignments | |
Both the Oklahoma House and Senate have released their interim study assignments for the respective committees to investigate prior to the next legislative session beginning in 2025. Both chambers have several items relating to energy, climate, and affordability for Oklahomans. Some materials are available already on the Oklahoma Legislature website. Committees will be holding meetings in the coming weeks to review progress. For more information you can visit the Oklahoma House site or the Oklahoma Senate site. | |
SPEER's Industry & Policy Workshop: Only Three Weeks Away! | |
It's almost here! 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 from energy experts and leaders focused on the most pressing energy matters in our region, including consumer's role in resiliency, shifting demand with energy efficiency policies and residential demand response programs, heat pump insights and EER requirements, navigating DER policy implementation and much more. Let’s create change and expand efficiency together. | |
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Session Highlight: Shifting Demand: The Power of Energy Efficient Policies & Residential Demand Response
→ Senator Nathan Johnson, District 16, Texas Senate
→ Robert Cavazos, Manager of EE Consumer Programs, AEP Texas
→ Matthew Boms, Executive Director, Texas Advanced Energy Business Alliance
→ Ramya Ramaswamy, Director of Energy Efficiency, PUCT
Texas peak demand is estimated to almost double by 2030, due to residential heating and cooling needs, AI and cryptocurrency mining businesses, and electrification across industries. The Texas Legislature and PUCT have worked to address this growing load through incentivizing generation resources, however there is tremendous opportunity for demand resources to help Texas keep the power on and save residents money. In recent years, both the Legislature and PUCT have considered changes to existing energy efficiency and demand response programs. Our experts will review this potential for energy efficiency, demand response, and the suite of demand-side resource policies to help build a more resilient, reliable grid in Texas. Join us as we discuss.
Check out the entire Workshop agenda here.
| Haven't registered yet? It's not too late! Head here for conference info and register today. The SPEER team looks forward to seeing you in just a few weeks! | |
New Blog: "Resiliency is the Name of the Power Outage Game" | |
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On August 20th, 2024 Texas set a new all-time peak demand record of 85,931 MW, due in large part to extremely high temperatures and buildings with systems that are not equipped to handle these long durations of high heat and extreme weather. While the grid operated as expected, there continues to be trepidation whenever extreme temperatures hit the state about whether Texans will still have power.
Couple this high heat with hurricane season and other catastrophic weather events, increased high energy industries like data-mining and crypto centers, and the ongoing flow of new Texans entering the state every day, and we can see why there is a clear demand issue in ERCOT. We must address demand-side resources to help with the influx of energy consumption throughout the region. Building resiliency would be a huge step for Texas. SPEER Managing Director, Liz John, wrote about the need for increased weatherization, adopting stronger building codes, and deployment of distributed energy resources and their positive impacts to consumer costs in a recent SPEER blog post: Resiliency is the Name of the Power Outage Game.
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Upcoming Events + Webinars | |
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August 29th, 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM CST
REScheck and IC3 Features and Key Updates from the 2021 IECC for Residential Buildings : Join us for an informative webinar where we will explore REScheck and IC3, the essential software for energy code compliance, and delve into the significant updates from the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) that impact residential buildings. This session will provide valuable insights for architects, engineers, and building professionals on how to leverage these tools and standards to enhance energy efficiency and ensure compliance with the latest regulations. Don't miss this opportunity to stay ahead in the evolving landscape of energy conservation and building performance. If you are interested in attending, please register here.
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SPEER's State and Local Policy webpage features state-specific policy information, including links to key state agency webpages, our previous public comments, and additional information about our work in both Texas and Oklahoma. You will also find our released reports, templates and materials for engaging with policy leaders, and additional materials on how our Policy Program interacts with the ongoing Heat Pump Working Group, SPEER Codes Program, and SPEER Local Governments Program.
Missed our recent newsletters focused on energy codes, local government updates, powering efficiency forward in Oklahoma, and other regional energy news? Head over to our archive page to catch up.
Did you know SPEER's YouTube page has over 180+ recorded webinars? Topics include: Energy Code Basics, Building Thermal Envelope 101 & HVAC Energy Savings, Heat Pump Rooftop Units, Understanding Table R402.1.1 and air barriers, and much more. Subscribe now!
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