Newsletter – Making Progress Toward Our Goals

Dear Friends of TEPRI,

We recently conducted a review of our 2019-2021 Strategic Plan to assess this year’s growth toward our mission. We are happy to report that we are making good progress on all three of our major goals: to improve energy service and support to LMI households; to reduce LMI energy burdens; and to increase resource efficiency. We are excited to continue this momentum into 2020 and we invite you to take a look at our Strategic Plan here for more information. Thank you, as always, to all of our members and partners for supporting these goals.

We’ve also released a lot of great content lately, including webinar materials, a podcast interview, our latest report, new Clearinghouse resources, and more. Check out those resources and the rest of our newsletter updates below for additional information on our recent work. As always, please reach out if you’d like to connect.

Warmly,

Dana Harmon
Executive Director

Build San Antonio Green

TEPRI is excited to announce Build San Antonio Green (BSAG) as a supporting member. Their mission is to protect and enhance the quality of life of the citizens of the metropolitan San Antonio area by developing standards by which to certify newly constructed and existing structures to green standards, and to provide leadership, expertise, and education for the wise, efficient, and sustainable use of energy and resources.

Anita Ledbetter, Executive Director of BSAG, shares these thoughts about the mission alignment of BSAG and TEPRI:

“As someone who grew up in energy poverty in San Antonio, I know firsthand the impact that it has on families. I have dedicated my career to creating solutions to help reduce energy burden and help create a more resilient community for everyone. I’m looking forward to this partnership with TEPRI to continue our shared mission of reducing the energy burden on low-income communities.”

TEPRI is thrilled to have BSAG join our growing network and we look forward to the deep functional expertise that their team brings to this important work.

Community Development Corporation of Brownsville

TEPRI  welcomes the support of the Community Development Corporation of Brownsville (CDCB)in addressing low-income energy burdens. The Community Development Corporation of Brownsville is a multifaceted affordable housing organization devoted to utilizing collaborative partnerships to create sustainable communities across the Rio Grande Valley through quality education, model financing, efficient home design, and superior construction.

Edna Oceguera, Deputy Director for CDCB, shares the following thoughts about the partnership with TEPRI:

“The Community Development Corporation of Brownsville is delighted to be a part of TEPRI and to support their mission to inspire lasting energy solutions for low-income communities. We are excited to work together towards this mission moving forward.”

TEPRI looks forward to working with CDCB to lessen the energy burden on low-income communities in Texas. Housing development is a critical piece of the low-income energy discussion, so we are thrilled to have CDCB involved.

TEPRI Participates in e-Lab Forge: Texas 2019

Earlier this month, TEPRI attended e-Lab Forge: Texas 2019 to participate on two teams with goals of increasing solar access in underserved markets in Texas. Our Executive Director, Dana Harmon, also served as a faculty member alongside nine other thought leaders representing regulatory, private sector, non-profit, and philanthropic organizations to support the teams in accelerating their projects.

CELC Features TEPRI in Webinar

On September 26, TEPRI presented our “Building a Better Understanding of Texas Low-Income Communities and Energy” findings for a City Efficiency Leadership Council (CELC) Webinar. The CELC webinar, entitled “Energy + Equity,” covered the ins and outs of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Clean Energy for Low-Income Communities Accelerator (CELICA) Toolkit and Low-income Energy Affordability Data (LEAD) Tool.

TEPRI’s key findings from our LICP Texas Overview Report were presented in the webinar as these tools were vital resources in our analysis.

Download the LICP Texas Overview Report here.

Watch a recording of the CELC webinar and download the presentation slides here.

Houston DER Pathways Project

Our project “Pathways for DERs to Reduce Energy Burdens: Houston” is underway, aiming to identify the optimal pathways for DERs to reduce energy burdens on low-income households in Harris County. Part of the project involves facilitating a stakeholder working group and the first meeting was held in Houston last week. The group included representatives from the City of Houston Office of Sustainability, CenterPoint Energy, Direct Energy, Green Mountain Energy, Hillcroft Group, Enerchoice, and BBVA.

These stakeholders came together to learn about the size of the energy affordability gap for people with low-incomes in Harris County. We also discussed how energy burdens are distributed across the county, how they affect renters and home-owners differently, how they affect single-family and multifamily homes differently, the community impact of high energy burdens, as well as tools and strategies that the group has seen to be effective at addressing energy burdens in Harris County.

We’d like to thank BBVA for sponsoring this event! We look forward to our next stakeholder meeting in Houston to discuss what effect energy efficiency and rooftop solar can have as tools to address the problem.

October 2: Energy Efficiency Day 2019

On October 2, a growing network of advocates, companies, government agencies, utilities, and others will showcase the benefits of energy efficiency during the 4th annual nationwide Energy Efficiency Day. Various stakeholders across the country will be hosting events throughout the day to help others engage with the cause.

Find out how to get involved here.

October 2-3: The Electrification Experience

From October 2-3 in San Antonio, Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and CPS Energy will co-host an event called “The Electrification Experience” as part of EPRI’s 2019 U.S. Symposium Series. The series is designed to provide attendees with a deeper dive into regional issues and opportunities associated with end use electrification and its costs and benefits.

The Electrification Experience will bring stakeholders together to listen, learn, and network in two primary breakout tracks focused on defining and delivering the ultimate customer experience and navigating today’s and tomorrow’s innovative technologies. TEPRI will be speaking in the Session 3 Customer Experience Breakout Session to discuss making electrification affordable for limited-income households.

Learn more and register here.

October 2-4: Hunger and Poverty Summit

From October 2-4 on Baylor’s campus, Texas Hunger Initiative will host its “Together at the Table: Hunger & Poverty Summit” for participants to learn and connect with others on solutions to hunger and poverty. Many of the discussions can be applied to the energy poverty space, addressing issues such as public policy and low-income communities in Texas.

Learn more and register here.  

October 8: LIEIF Webinar

On October 8, TEPRI will share our “Building a Better Understanding of Texas Low-Income Communities and Energy” Webinar with the Low Income Energy Issues Forum (LIEIF). The webinar is based on findings from our LICP Texas Overview Report, which can be found here, and will provide an example of what can be accomplished with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Low-Income Energy Affordability Data (LEAD) Tool.

October 9-10: Power Matters Conference 2019

Association of Women in Energy (AWE) will be hosting their Power Matters Conference in Austin from October 9-10. They will be discussing the competitive energy market, featuring panels and discussions on cybersecurity, finance, regulations, and grid modernization.

Learn more and register here.

Marketing and Communications Intern

TEPRI is hiring a Marketing and Communications Intern! Download the job description here to find out how to apply. 

Why Join TEPRI?

Become a member to partner with TEPRI as we advance our work to alleviate energy burdens for low-income communities. TEPRI conducts research surrounding energy poverty and facilitates a deeper understanding of the causes, effects, and solutions thereof. We seek collaborative relationships with other energy and poverty stakeholders through membership.

Learn about our Membership Opportunities.