Newsletter – Entering A New Decade

Dear Friends of TEPRI,

As the year comes to a close, our team here at TEPRI is reflecting on the progress we’ve made. 2019 was our strongest year yet, and we look forward to continued growth in 2020. We’re pleased to highlight six of our accomplishments from this year:

1. Launched the Energy Poverty Clearinghouse
2. Released the Texas Low-Income Communities Profile Series Overview Report
3. Welcomed 7 new supporting members to our network
4. Published our Community Solar Landscape Analysis
5. Secured grants from Energy Foundation, Mitchell Foundation, Environmental Defense Fund, and US Department of Energy
6. Shared our work at 9 conferences, 6 webinars, 3 funder convenings, and on 2 podcasts

We are grateful to the members of our network for supporting our work this year. None of this work would be possible without you!

Thank you all for your continued support of our work and for serving our neighbors with limited incomes. I hope everyone has a happy holiday season, and, as always, feel free to reach out.

Warmly,

Dana Harmon
Executive Director

Affordable Homes of South Texas, Inc.

TEPRI is excited to announce Affordable Homes of South Texas, Inc. (AHSTI) as a supporting member. Their mission is to improve substandard housing conditions and help prospective homebuyers achieve their dream of homeownership at an affordable price. AHSTI provides a range of non-profit housing solutions and takes on the role of land developers, general contractors, and a full-service mortgage company. AHSTI also provides a multi-cultural, in-house home buyer education and development program to their clients.

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

Community Solar for Low-Income

In our latest blog, TEPRI Executive Director Dana Harmon shares her takeaways on TEPRI’s recent Low-Income Community Solar Landscape Analysis Report.

Check it out here.

TEPRI Member Luncheon

On December 2nd, we held a successful End of Year Member’s Luncheon. Special thanks to SPEER for hosting us this year! We would also like to thank all of our members that were able to come and join us. TEPRI appreciates your hard work and dedication in helping us to serve Texas communities.

Are you a TEPRI member but couldn’t make it? Please let us know and we will share the presentation with you. If you or your organization are interested in becoming a member of TEPRI, you can learn more about our membership opportunities here.

DER Pathways for Houston

On December 4th, we held the 3rdstakeholder meeting for the “Pathways for DERs to Reduce Energy Burdens: Houston” project. We enjoyed a great turnout from stakeholders representing a variety of entities in the energy and nonprofit space. We further discussed the opportunities for using rooftop solar and energy efficiency in single-family buildings to address the Energy Affordability Gap in Harris County.

Our 4thand final meeting is set for January 24th. We’d like to thank BBVA for sponsoring our last meeting!

Contact us to learn more about how to support TEPRI for similar work in the future.

TEPRI Announces New Chair, Vice Chair, and Secretary/Treasurer

We are excited to announce our 2020 Board leadership:

Chair, Margo Weisz of City Lights Group

Vice Chair, Ned Ross of Direct Energy

Secretary/Treasurer, Suzanne Russo of Pecan Street

TEPRI thanks all of our Board members for their commitment and dedication to our organization. With these newly appointed positions, we look forward to the progress that will be brought forth in the coming year.

February 19: AESP Annual Conference & Expo

On February 19th, Michael Stockard, one of the founding members of the TEPRI Board of Directors, former TEPRI chairman, and current Principal at Stockard Energy Advising, will be speaking about “Understanding Low-Income Energy Consumers in Texas” on TEPRI’s behalf at AESP’s Annual Conference & Expo in Anaheim, California. This premier energy industry conference will draw energy professionals in a wide array of areas and will discuss subject matter varying from marketing, implementation, evaluation, diversity, and more.

Learn more about the conference here.

February 25: ACEEE Rural Energy Conference

TEPRI Research Fellow Jacquie Moss has been invited to present our work on “Increasing Energy Affordability for Rural Households” at ACEEE’s upcoming Rural Energy Conference in Chicago, IL on February 25th. This dynamic one-day event will explore how energy efficiency and clean energy are increasing rural prosperity. Leaders from utilities, government, industry, nonprofts, financial institutions, and acdemia will be in attendance.

Learn more about the conference here.

Energy Poverty Clearinghouse

With the addition of our Energy Poverty Clearinghouse tool, we will be sending regular email updates with curated lists of the most relevant resources in the energy poverty space as they are added to the Clearinghouse. Stay up to date with what our team is reading through those emails. If you would like to opt-in to receiving updates for specific topic areas of the Clearinghouse, you can make a free account at www.energy-poverty.info and select the topic areas that are most useful to you.

Check out our most recent resource email here.

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.