Typically it’s not public entities that benefit from deregulation, but a 1999 law deregulating Texas’ electricity-generation market has been a boon for the Lower Colorado River Authority’s transmission business. “It’s a future of continued growth,” said Ross Phillips, LCRA executive vice president of transmission services, at a meeting of the LCRA Planning and Public Policy […]
Energy
Posted inEnergy, Resources
Full-scale solar option remains on table
In spite of a lengthy debate about how much solar capacity the city should contract into next month, the City Council Austin Energy Utility Oversight Committee did not appear to rule out any options at its meeting on Thursday. The course that the discussion followed was similar to the one that has taken place over […]
Posted inEnergy
Debate heats up over solar energy contracts
There is a solar energy tug-of-war taking place at City Hall. Amid calls from solar advocates for the city to quickly procure 600 megawatts of utility-scale solar energy, Austin Energy will propose to City Council at an Oct. 1 meeting that it take smaller steps and authorize 200 to 300 megawatts’ worth of solar contracts […]
Posted inEnergy
Council changes energy demand charge policy
Following weeks of buildup, City Council has amended a contentious Austin Energy policy in an attempt to help small businesses avoid potentially costly demand charges. Rather than adhere to an Electric Utility Commission recommendation that Mayor Pro Tem Kathie Tovo proposed, Council opted during a Wednesday budget adoption meeting to go with a compromise put […]
Posted inEnergy
Demand charge change could cost $7 million
As the deadline closes in for City Council to decide whether to increase the demand charge threshold for small commercial Austin Energy customers as part of the city budget, utility staff has released figures that may impact that decision. Austin Energy staff reported on Tuesday that consultant NewGen Strategies and Solutions estimates that, based on […]
Posted inEnergy
Council committee asks for ambitious solar plan
Solar advocates have scored a minor victory in their push for Austin to invest heavily in solar energy and to do it fast. The Austin Energy Utility Oversight Committee recommended Thursday that City Council direct staff to bring a plan forward for Council consideration by October that would involve the city investing in 600 megawatts […]
Posted inEnergy
Pressure mounts to change demand charge policy
As City Council comes closer to adopting the budget for the upcoming fiscal year, members of the public are stepping up their requests for amendments. One such push reached a turning point last week when the Electric Utility Commission passed a resolution recommending that Council change Austin Energy’s demand charge policies for small businesses in […]
Posted inPremium Types
TipSheet: Austin Energy Utility Oversight Commitee 8.27.15
This week, the Austin Energy Utility Oversight Committee will hold its monthly meeting. Unlike other committees, this one is a committee of the whole, so we’ve given it its own little tip sheet. Following the committee’s adjournment, City Council members convene to hold their last public budget hearing. Below are the Austin Energy items that […]
Posted inEnergy, Resources
Austin Energy projects $1 residential bill increase
According to current forecasts, the average residential Austin Energy customer will see his or her monthly bill increase this fall by 1 percent, or about $1. However, that number may change once the utility figures in cost data for May through July, when residents are likely to consume a lot of power. Austin Energy staff […]
Posted inEnergy, Resources
AE GM responds to AIBA call for demand charge change
Austin Energy General Manager Larry Weis responded on Thursday to Austin Independent Business Alliance Executive Director Rebecca Melançon’s request that the city change the utility’s policies on demand charges. “The policy on demand charges is based on Cost of Service and is consistent with policies of utilities operating under the jurisdiction of the Public Utility […]
Posted inEnergy, Resources
Local small-business alliance proposes energy policy change
Small-business owners often wrestle with financial uncertainty, and some have complained that Austin Energy policies contribute to that challenge. Rebecca Melançon, executive director of the Austin Independent Business Alliance, wrote a letter to City Council and Austin Energy management Monday proposing changes that she believes will improve the situation. Melançon’s primary request is that the […]
Posted inEnergy
City gears up for energy cost-of-service study
As the city prepares to study how much it costs to run Austin Energy in order to have new electric rates ready for the fall of next year, there are many questions ahead. City Council and staff discussed what the study process might look like in a June 25 meeting of the Austin Energy Utility […]