Energy Management and Renewable Energy Newsletter

News and Updates:

2019 Texas Energy Summit Outstanding Government Organization Award to NCTCOG
Local Government Energy Reporting – Reminder and Update to Reporting
Dallas Fort Worth Clean Cities Fleet Recognition Awards and Annual Survey
North Texas Electric Vehicle (EV) Registration
No-Cost Technical Assistance to Cities Interested in Achieving SolSmart Designation
Notice of Loan Fund Availability for the LoanSTAR Program
Texas GLO Mitigation Action Plan Released for Public Comment – Opportunity for Infrastructure and Planning Funding
TXU Energy Urban Tree Farm and Education Center
Estimating the Health Benefits per-Kilowatt Hour of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Events:

DOE Webinar: Best of the Betters - The Better Plants 2019 Better Project and Better Practice Presentations - January 7
SPEER Webinar: Energy Savings Performance Contracting Basics - January 14
ACEEE Webinar: How do Nonresidential Energy Efficiency Programs Benefit Low-Income Communities? - January 15
Broadband USA Webinar: The Benefits of Smart Building Technology - January 15
NCTCOG Webinar: Leveraging COG Programs and Funding to Support Energy Management for Your Members - January 22
Save-the-Date: Greater Dallas Planning Council Regional Climate Policy Workshop, co-hosted by NCTCOG - February 26
ERCOT Market Summit - February 25-27
Texas Water 2020 - March 31 - April 3
Earthx2020 - April 17 - 26
North Texas Building Professional Institute - May 11 - 14

2019 Texas Energy Summit Outstanding Government Organization Award to NCTCOG

The 2019 Texas Energy Summit was held November 12 through November 14 in Austin, Texas. Hosted by the Energy Systems Laboratory, this annual conference and business exposition provided attendees the opportunity to interact with industry professionals, state and local policy makers, researchers, and utility and energy service providers to discuss clean air initiatives, improvements to the built environment, and the future energy economy. This year, staff from the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) served on the conference steering committee, assisting with several sessions related to the Texas Emissions Reduction Plan and transportation electrification.

As part of the conference, the Texas Energy Summit recognized individuals, organizations, and companies who demonstrated outstanding contributions to cleaner air and environmental quality through energy efficiency and other related programs. NCTCOG was recognized with the Outstanding Government Organization award for leadership in clean air and clean energy initiatives including the ability to create clean air solutions.

Local Government Energy Reporting – Reminder and Update to Reporting

On behalf of the Texas State Energy Conservation Office (SECO), the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) would like to remind you of the state mandated energy reporting requirement. Under Texas Health and Safety Code §388.005(c), all political subdivisions, state agencies and institutes of higher education located in ozone nonattainment or near nonattainment counties are required to submit a Local Government Energy Report to the SECO, tracking annual electricity consumption and progress toward the goal of a five percent reduction in annual electricity consumption. In 2019, the passage of Senate Bill 241 of the 86th Legislature extended this requirement until August 31, 2026.

SECO has extended the deadline for this year’s report from November 1, 2019, to February 1, 2020, covering electricity consumption based upon the state fiscal year of September 2018- August 2019. The report must be filled out and submitted online to SECO. The online reporting form can be found here.

Beginning in 2021, SECO will require entities to report their annual electric consumption based upon the calendar year, rather than the state fiscal year. Reports will be collected by February 1 of each year.

For any questions regarding the Local Government Energy Reporting program or report submission, please contact Bailey Muller at bmuller@nctcog.org or (817) 695-9299. Please forward to an appropriate staff member if needed.

Dallas Fort Worth Clean Cities Fleet Recognition Awards and Annual Survey

On December 17, the DFW Clean Cities (DFWCC) held their Annual Meeting and Fleet Recognition Awards which comprised of presentations from industry leaders Ingevity and GPS Insight. Each year entities from across the region submit a DFWCC Annual Survey which is an opportunity to showcase the work fleets are doing to improve vehicle efficiency and alternative fuel use. Fleets are scored based upon the information provided to us in their annual survey and are eligible to receive a Fleet Recognition Award. At this year’s Annual Meeting, there were seven bronze awardees, 11 silver awardees and for the first time, three gold awardees. Our 2019 DFW Clean Cities Annual Survey will be rolling out in January 2020 and will be due on February 21, 2020. For more information on the DFW Clean Cities Annual Survey and Fleet Recognition Awards visit our website!

North Texas Electric Vehicle (EV) Registration

As of December 2019, there were over 14,000 electric vehicles (EVs) registered in the North Texas region. Each month staff from the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) and DFW Clean Cities produce an EV registration report that encompasses EV registration for the entire state of Texas. From this report, staff develops visual maps to showcase the density of EV registration by city and per capita EV registration by city in North Texas. For more information regarding EVs in North Texas and to access the online interactive EV registration report, visit https://www.dfwcleancities.org/evnt.

No-Cost Technical Assistance to Cities Interested in Achieving SolSmart Designation

The North Central Texas Council of Government (NCTCOG) wants to connect communities interested in becoming SolSmart designate with free technical assistance! SolSmart has created a team of national experts who evaluate programs and practices impacting solar markets to identify high-prospect opportunities for improvements and help communities across the country. All cities, counties and regional organizations are eligible to become designated and receive no-cost assistance. For program details and to request a free consultation with the SolSmart team, check out their website or contact NCTCOG.

Notice of Loan Fund Availability

for the LoanSTAR Program

The LoanSTAR program is administered through the State Energy Conservation Office (SECO) and finances energy-related cost-reduction retrofits for eligible public sector institutions. Low interest rate loans are provided to assist qualified institutions in financing their energy-related cost reduction efforts. Loan recipients may be cities, counties, independent school districts, state agencies, public institutions of higher education and tax-supported public hospital districts. For program details and eligibility requirements, click here. Open enrollment through August 31, 2020.

Texas GLO Mitigation Action Plan Released for Public Comment – Opportunity for Infrastructure and Planning Funding

The State Action Plan for $4,297,189,000 in Community Development Block Grant Mitigation (CDBG-MIT) funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has been released for public comment. The 45-day public comment period will close Monday, January 6th, 2020. The State Action Plan provides detailed allocation and award amounts, eligible and ineligible project activities, and scoring criteria for 13 funding competitions. The Council of Governments, cities, counties, and other local governments in North Central Texas are eligible for some of the competitions to fund projects such as infrastructure improvements (such as water and sewer facilities, streets, etc.); natural or green infrastructure; economic development; and, hazard mitigation plans. Additionally, a Resilient Communities Program is proposed to fund the development, adoption, and implementation of modern and resilient building codes, flood damage prevention ordinances, zoning codes, and creation of land use and comprehensive plans that incorporate hazard mitigation considerations. A Regional and State Planning competition will focus on funding regional approaches, in addition to specific local solutions, that promote sound mitigation practices such as flood control, drainage improvements, resilient housing solutions, homelessness, surge protection, economic development, infrastructure improvements, and other local and regional planning activities consistent with 24 CFR 570.205 including open space and recreation, energy use and conservation, transportation, and small area and neighborhood plans.

The plan has been published for public comment on the GLO’s recovery website. All public comments received prior to 5:00 p.m. on January 6th, 2020, will be considered. The GLO will respond to these comments in the final submission of the document to HUD for approval. Public comments can be submitted via email at cdr@recovery.texas.gov.

TXU Energy Urban Tree Farm and Education Center

Planting trees in public right-of-ways, parks, and yards of residential properties can lower energy costs and increase property value. The Urban Tree Farm and Education Center located on the campus of Richland College in Dallas is one of Texas’ largest-known urban tree farms. The Tree Farm is managed by the Texas Trees Foundation. The four-acre tree farm features state-of-the-art production and irrigation technology with the capacity to produce over 7,000 ten-gallon trees per planting season. Trees grown onsite are planted throughout North Texas for our various projects and programs. Every year the Texas Trees Foundation looks for ways to improve the TXU Energy Urban Tree Farm and Education Center with the help of volunteers and partners. The site offers potential opportunities for urban forestry research and education, practicing new tree care techniques and hosting educational and recreational events for students and the local community. For volunteer opportunities click here.

Estimating the Health Benefits per-Kilowatt Hour of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)

EPA has developed a set of values that help state and local government policymakers and other stakeholders estimate the monetized public health benefits of investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy. Benefits per kilowatt-hour values (BPK) are reasonable approximations of the health benefits of energy efficiency and renewable energy investments and are available in four different EERE strategies:

Uniform Energy Efficiency
Peak Energy Efficiency
Solar Energy
Wind Energy

Health benefits per kWh for Texas are provided below, representing the benefits from fossil-fuel generation reduced or avoided as a result of energy efficiency, solar and wind projects, programs, and policies.

Fact Sheets on Go Solar Texas

Solar and energy storage applications can provide energy, capacity, shade, mobility, resiliency and other benefits to local governments. The five fact sheets on the Go Solar Texas website provide a case study of each of the five model solar applications as well as show inputs and results from a benefit-cost model designed to illustrate current project economics for a selected solar application. Local government stakeholders may download the financial pro forma model and customize it to meet the special requirements of projects being considered for their communities.

Implementing an Air Temperature Regulation – City of Fort Worth Administrative Regulation

In October 2009, the City of Fort Worth, TX adopted an Administrative Regulation (AR) that establishes policy, practice, and procedures to help provide effective temperature regulation within the City's facilities air conditioned spaces. This AR is intended to improve air quality through sustainable resource conservation. Effective through September 30, 2024, this AR was established to provide sustainable resource conservation and utility cost containment by regulating the air temperature and maintaining acceptable thermal environments all while preserving thermal comfort for occupants in City facilities. The AR applies to all City departments and includes definitions of key terms, heating and cooling maximum and minimums based on occupancy, and applicable references and Appendices. The City of Fort Worth has made this AR publicly available so that other local governments may use it as a potential resource for developing their own AR targeting air temperature regulation in air conditioned spaces. A copy of the City of Fort Worth’s Air Temperature Regulation within Condition Spaces can be found on the Conserve North Texas website at this link.

Best of the Betters: The Better Plants 2019 Better Project and Better Practice Presentations

The Better Practice and Better Project Awards were created to recognize outstanding accomplishments in industrial energy efficiency at both the organizational and facility level. Award recipients range from diverse manufacturing sectors to water and wastewater utilities. Join this webinar to hear from some of our exceptional 2019 applicants and awardees about their innovative, industry-leading energy management work.

Date: Tuesday, January 7, 2020

Time: 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM CST
Register online here

Webinar: Energy Savings Performance Contracting Basics

Local Government Program Manager Cassidy Ellis will be hosting the Energy Services Coalition (ESC) webinar on Energy Savings Performance Contracting Basics. The Energy Services Coalition (ESC) is a national network of public, private, and non-profit sector experts engaged in promoting the adoption of energy efficiency and building upgrades through energy savings performance contracting (ESPC).

Date: Tuesday, January 14, 2020

Time: 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM CST
Register online here

Webinar: How do Nonresidential Energy Efficiency Programs Benefit Low-Income Communities?

This webinar will highlight the findings of a newly released ACEEE report on how energy efficiency program implementers reach nonresidential and community-serving institutions in low-income areas. These groups may include nonprofits, schools, local government buildings, locally owned businesses, medical facilities, shelters, and community centers. The ACEEE report surveys 39 programs that serve these institutions and provides insights on design, delivery, and evaluation trends, as well as policy considerations. The webinar will also include two program case study examples, including Energy Outreach Colorado’s Nonprofit Energy Efficiency Program and the City of Minneapolis’s Green Cost Share Program. The program implementers will discuss how their programs reach community-serving institutions in low-income communities through program design, delivery, partnerships, and key successes.

Date: Wednesday, January 15, 2020
Time: 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM CST
Register online here

Webinar: The Benefits of Smart Building Technology

Smart buildings are quickly becoming the building blocks of smart cities, providing benefits to both the building owners and tenants. They provide greater energy efficiency, improved use of building resources, and increased productivity of the occupants. Developing smart buildings can lead to an exponentially positive impact on the surrounding community. This Broadband USA panel will discuss smart buildings use cases, the foundational technologies that support them, and the benefits reaped.

Date: Wednesday, January 15, 2020
Time: 02:00 PM EST
Register online here

Webinar: Leveraging COG Programs and Funding to Support Energy Management for Your Members

Created by the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) just for other Council of Governments (COGs) - this webinar will showcase how to leverage existing COG programs that already have complementary energy management related elements to help drive energy efficiency and management initiatives for members in your region. NCTCOG will share with other COGs their experience on working with energy management programs and provide recommendations on programs that can help facilitate leveraging funds that are already available to you. Example program areas include: solid waste, emergency preparedness, air quality, transportation, and weatherization programs.

Date: January 22, 2020
Time: 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM CST
Register online here

Save-the-Date: Greater Dallas Planning Council Regional Climate Action Workshop, co-hosted by NCTCOG

The Greater Dallas Planning Council, in partnership with the Regional Integration of Sustainability Efforts (RISE), University of Texas at Arlington, Dallas 2030 District, and NCTCOG, is sponsoring a workshop focusing on sustainability practices and GHG programs, with a specific emphasis on climate action planning. The workshop format is intended to facilitate an exchange of information between the private and public sector. Representatives of some of the major corporations in the region will share their programs, policies, and actions that they are implementing internally that cities or other local governments can adopt or implement to support and accelerate business-related sustainability programs.

Date: February 26, 2020
Time: 12:00 PM - 4:30 PM CST
Location: Transportation Council Room
North Central Texas Council of Governments, 616 Six Flags Drive, Arlington, Texas
Register online soon here

ERCOT Market Summit

The ERCOT Market Summit will examine new market rules and economic drivers, while bringing policy-makers together with utility, solar, wind, IPP, finance, and trading executives to explore potential solutions and opportunities. They will examine the possible impacts of an anticipated upsurge in solar capacity not only on power prices but also resource adequacy, as well as how the changing generation mix will drive opportunities for storage and DERs to meet market needs.

Date: February 25-27, 2020
Location: Sheraton Austin Hotel at the Capitol - Austin, TX
Register online here

Texas Water 2020

Coordinated and sponsored by the Texas American Water Works Association (TAWWA) and the Water Environment Association of Texas (WEAT), Texas Water is the largest regional water conference in the United States. For those working in the water and wastewater industry, Texas Water 2020 is a great opportunity to collaborate with a broad range of industry administrators, operators, engineers, and manufacturers. Attendees will have the opportunity to participate in many of the technical sessions and special events and network with fellow industry peers and friends.

Date: March 31 - April 3, 2020
Location: Fort Worth Convention Center - Fort Worth, TX
Register online here

Earthx2020

Earthx is the world's largest environmental exposition, conference and film festival for sharing the latest initiatives, discoveries, research, and innovations. EarthxConference, April 23-26, is a series of conferences that convenes experts from the fields of energy, transportation, law, education, city planning and more. The conference goals are to educate, promote and instigate activities that sustain environmental initiatives with a substantial, positive impact on all living things on our planet. EarthxFilm, April 17-26, will showcase films and emerging media that explore conservation, climate change and environment while honoring the heroes working to protect our planet.

Date: April 17 - 26, 2020
Location: Fair Park - Dallas, TX
Register online here

North Texas Building Professional Institute

Building Professional Institute (BPI) will hold its annual four day program offering continuing education in the areas of: Re-certification for Plumbing Inspectors, International Plumbing & Mechanical Code, Texas Accessibility, Architecture/Green Building, Code Enforcement, Electrical, Engineering, Environmental Health, Fire Prevention, International Building Code, Energy Code, International Residential Code, Permit Tech, Plan Review, Planning, Residential Construction & Inspection, and Special Topics on Human Trafficking, SIPS, Containers for Commercial Applications, and Building Code.

Date: May 11 - 14, 2020
Location: Irving, TX
Register online here