Energy Management Newsletter

News and Updates:

NCTCOG Awarded DOE Waste-to-Energy Technical Assistance
2021 Energy Star Top Cities
EPA Announces Anaerobic Digestion Grant Opportunity for Food Waste Management Projects
Better Buildings Team Updates Utility Incentive Lists for Energy Efficiency Upgrades
New Resource by Better Buildings - Benchmarking And Building Performance Standards: A Resource Compendium
DOE Releases “Energy Data Management Guide” as a Resource for Public-Sector Organizations
DOE SolSmart Program Management
Department of Energy’s Summer of Solar
DOE Highlights the City of Denver’s Energy Benchmarking Ordinance as an Implementation Model to Follow

SECO Funding Opportunities

Throughout the year, SECO announces funding opportunities to support efficiency programs. Funding opportunities include Notice of Loan Fund Availability for the LoanSTAR program, Request for Applications for energy efficiency grants and Requests for Proposals for qualified firms to contract with SECO on projects.
The "Local & County Government Lighting Conversion to LED Lights Retrofits" and the "Level 2 EV Charging Station installation" notices of reimbursable grant fund availability/request for applications are intended to assist with LED Lighting Retrofits and Electric Vehicle Charging Stations. The "Public School LED Lighting in Gymnasiums, Multi-Purpose Rooms and/or Interior Hallways" and "Local & County Government Lighting Conversion to LED Lights Retrofits" is intended to enable public K-12 ISDs and governments to replace lighting equipment in gymnasiums, high ceiling multipurpose areas and interior hallways, with high-efficiency LED lighting.

Application deadlines are August 6, 2021 at 2 PM CST
Learn More: Comptroller.Texas.gov

NCTCOG Awarded DOE Waste-to-Energy Technical Assistance

The North Central Texas Council of Governments has been selected to receive forty hours of free technical assistance by the Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). This technical assistance will support a waste-to-energy project in our region in collaboration with partners from the City of Lewisville, the City of Plano, Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, and Toyota Motor North America. As part of this assistance, experts from DOE and NREL will conduct a Cost-Benefit Analysis on the installation of an anaerobic digester in the region to convert organic waste to renewable fuel. This project is one of sixteen across the nation to have been selected for this assistance.

Read More: Energy.gov

2021 Energy Star Top Cities

ENERGY STAR has recently released their 2021 ENERGY STAR Top Cities which shows which metro cities across the U.S. were home to the most ENERGY STAR certified buildings. Four Texas cities made the Top 25 list and Dallas is representative of the entire DFW Metropolitan area. The ENERGY STAR certification is based on one year of actual measured energy performance and the certification is valid for one year. ENERGY STAR buildings are found to be more energy efficient than 75% of similar buildings nationwide, using, on average, 35% less energy that typical buildings resulting in lower emissions. This includes 35% fewer greenhouse gas emissions.

Top 25 U.S. Cities
#7 Houston. 195 buildings
#8 Dallas, 194 buildings
#17 Austin, 107 buildings
#25 San Antonio, 52 buildings

Learn more: EnergyStar.gov

EPA Announces Anaerobic Digestion Grant Opportunity for Food Waste Management Projects

Currently, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is accepting applications to help reduce food loss and waste and divert food waste from landfills by expanding anaerobic digester (AD) capacity in the United States. Beneficial byproducts of Anaerobic Digestion include renewable energy in the form of biogas and digestate that can be used to improve soil health. EPA anticipates awarding up to $2 million in total AD funding. Individual projects could be in the range of $50,000-$200,000 for the funding period of two years.

All applications must achieve one or more of the following objectives:

Develop new or expand existing AD capacity for processing food waste.
Demonstrate solutions and/or approaches for increasing food waste AD utilization that can be replicated by other communities, governments, or other entities.
Support state, Tribal, and/or local government programs that seek to use AD to increase their food waste diversion rates.

Applications are due on October 7, 2021.
Learn More: EPA.gov

Better Buildings Team Updates Utility Incentive Lists for Energy Efficiency Upgrades

Recognizing that energy efficiency upgrades save costs upon completion but initial investments can prove to be prohibitive, the Better Buildings Space Conditioning and Plug and Process Load Technology Research Teams have recently updated utility incentive lists to help building owners and operators find ways to mitigate the costs. The lists can be searched by utility, state, type of offering/incentive, or product type with the incentives falling into three categories:

Custom incentives relate to a reduction in energy consumption.
Prescriptive incentives are based on the installation of a specific device.
Upstream incentives are offered directly from the vendor or manufacturer.

To learn more and check out the available incentives, please visit: BetterBuildingsSolutionCenter.Energy.gov

New Resource by Better Buildings - Benchmarking And Building Performance Standards: A Resource Compendium

In June, the Better Buildings program released a new resource focused on helping organizations navigate benchmarking and building performance standards. Increasingly popular with cities and energy management stakeholders that are seeking to mitigate climate change through the built environment, this resource is sure to help them find all the tools and resources that they need.

Check out the Compendium here: BetterBuildingsSolutionCenter.Energy.gov

DOE Releases “Energy Data Management Guide” as a Resource for Public-Sector Organizations

The Department of Energy has recently their Energy Data Management Guide as a new resource to help provide public-sector organizations with a seven-step approach to establishing a robust yet sustainable energy data management program. The guide features proven practices from over 30 Better Buildings Challenge partners, representing a variety of sizes, staff and financial resources, and geographic distributions, that can be replicated. One featured partner is the City of Houston which reduced their energy consumption by 15% from 2008 to 2019 by installing more efficient mechanical equipment and implementing lighting retrofits. Additionally, they recovered $215,000 from inaccurate utility rate tariffs by working with a consultant to audit their historical consumption information.

Energy Data Management Guide and more information on its release: BetterBuildingsSolutionCenter.Energy.gov

DOE SolSmart Program Management

The activities to be funded under this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) will support the government-wide approach to the climate crisis by driving the innovation that can lead to the deployment of clean energy technologies, which are critical for climate protection. Specifically, this funding program will help to reduce the soft costs of solar energy deployment—those costs not associated with the hardware—which account for up to 64% of the upfront cost of a residential solar installation. This FOA seeks an entity to manage and expand the Department of Energy's (DOE) SolSmart program, which supports and recognizes local governments that reduce soft costs and expand access to solar energy. This community designation and technical assistance program was launched in 2016 and has recognized almost 400 communities from Florida to Alaska. Now, the DOE is expanding the program to incorporate new solar-related technologies and respond to the evolving needs of local governments. The chosen entity will manage the program for the next five years. Applications are due August 17, 2021.

View the Grant Opportunity: Grant.gov

Department of Energy’s Summer of Solar

The U.S. Department of Energy is celebrating the Summer of Solar by recognizing diverse people who are taking advantage of the sun’s energy and the communities who are making it easier to go solar. If you own a solar energy system, the DOE wants to see your project via social media! They have drafted the below templates for posting online that can be personalized with selfies or photos of your rooftop or community solar system. Don’t forget to follow the campaign hashtags: #SummerOfSolar and #RunningOnSunshine on social media.

Posts for Twitter and Instagram: My home is #RunningOnSunshine – and I want yours to be, too! Join the @ENERGY #SummerOfSolar celebration to learn all the ways you and your community can go solar: https://www.energy.gov/solar

Posts for Facebook and LinkedIn: Welcome to the #SummerOfSolar with the U.S. Department of Energy! We’re celebrating how solar energy powers our lives! Are you running on sunshine? Share a photo of how solar has improved your life, and join me for more fun in the sun: https://www.energy.gov/solar #RunningOnSunshine

Want to have your solar story featured in their Summer of Solar newsletter? Email solar@ee.doe.gov with your name, experience, and photo.

Sign up for the mailing list: Public.GovDelivery.com

DOE Highlights the City of Denver’s Energy Benchmarking Ordinance as an Implementation Model to Follow

The Department of Energy recently highlighted the City of Denver’s Energy Benchmarking Ordinance, part of the city’s 80x50 Climate Action Plan, which is designed to help the city to reach their goal of an 80% greenhouse gas emissions reduction by 2050. Denver set sector-specific goals to establish a clear path to 2050 with a strong emphasis on measurable carbon reductions from all key sectors. The ordinance requires building owners and managers to annually assess and report building energy performance; it also provides them with targeted resources to improve their energy efficiency. Denver achieved a 90% compliance rate for the first three years after the law’s enactment.

More Information: BetterBuildingsSolutionCenter.Energy.gov

Electric Utility and Local Government EV Working Group

Join the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) for a special working group of electric utilities serving North Texas focusing on utilities roles with electric vehicle (EV) incentives, rates, and programs. If your electric utility is interested in developing an EV or EV infrastructure rebate, rate structure, project or program, register for this meeting and hear from other utilities on their experience, lessons learned and driving forces in navigating the growth of the EV industry. The target audience for this meeting includes electric utilities and local government staff.

Date: August 27, 2021
Time: 9:30 – 11:00 am (CST)
Registration: Link Here

9th Annual Market Transformation Conference

This conference will offer a broad range of topics for those involved in the Guaranteed Energy Savings Performance Contracting (GESPC) community and will also feature a number of networking opportunities. These networking opportunities are designed into the conference schedule for exhibitors and attendees to maximize their conference experience. The ESC Market Transformation Exhibit Expo will feature displays of the latest technologies and trends in energy efficiency products, strategies and services from our conference sponsors.

Date: September 20 - 22, 2021
Registration: Conference2021.EnergyServicesCoalition.org

2021 National Conference on Energy Efficiency as a Resource

This conference on policies and programs aims to reduce customers' energy waste and thus help utilities meet the grid's demand for electricity. The role of energy efficiency in transforming the utility industry has become increasingly essential and more utilities are setting ambitious corporate carbon reduction goals. Meanwhile, policymakers are expanding their expectations for what energy efficiency programs deliver, from greenhouse gas reductions to job creation, economic recovery to bill affordability, many with a focus on energy equity and justice.

Who are the likely participants? Utilities and program administrators, regulatory commissions, state government, consultants, manufacturers, environmental organizations, consumer groups, and research institutes.

Date: October 19 - 21, 2021 and October 26 - 27, 2021
Registration: ACEEE.org