Austin Energy has long struggled to find enough customers to take part in its multifamily energy efficiency rebate program. The trend continued last fiscal year when more than half of its rebate funds, which don’t carry over into subsequent years, never made it into customer hands. Denise Kuehn, the utility’s director of energy efficiency services, […]
Austin Energy
As a municipally-owned electric utility, Austin Energy is a rarity in the largely deregulated State of Texas. Its annual budget clocks in at over $1 billion. The utility’s annual direct transfer of a Council-determined percentage of its revenues offers the city a notable revenue stream.
Posted inEnergy
Austin Energy plans to purchase more wind energy
The Electric Utility Commission unanimously recommended the approval of a new energy contract that would bring Austin Energy’s percentage of renewable energy up to 61 percent by the middle of 2021. That is only 4 percentage points below the City Council-approved goal of generating 65 percent of the city’s energy from renewable sources by 2027. […]
Posted inEnergy
Council denies request for mobile energy community center
City Council rejected a costly Austin Energy mobile outreach program in June that would have acted as a “community center” on wheels for customers to learn about energy programs offered by the utility. Austin Energy currently uses two sport utility vehicles for mobile outreach and support, but this contract would feature a 27-foot modular trailer […]
Posted inEnergy
Austin Energy says Decker employees will be prepared for transition
Belated plans to decommission two aging steam turbines at Decker Creek Power Station have brought into question the futures of the estimated 39 employees who will be out of work when the last steam unit shuts down in late 2021. In March, Council Member Kathie Tovo voiced her concern, requesting monthly updates from Austin Energy […]
Posted inCity Hall
Auditor says Austin Energy employee accepted utility poles from vendor
Investigators in the Office of the City Auditor have released a report showing that an Austin Energy supervisor asked for and received favors from a city vendor early last year. In the report, which was released Monday, an investigation found evidence that John Wilson, a supervisor in Austin Energy’s distribution services group, asked the vendor […]
Posted inEnergy
Should natural gas be a required secondary fuel source?
Even as the city strives to reach net-zero community-wide greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, the Energy Code for Austin still, with some exceptions, requires the use of natural gas for water heating when a residential building is constructed adjacent to natural gas service. Recognizing this inconsistency with the city’s goals, the Resource Management Commission unanimously […]
Posted inEnergy
Austin Energy buys biomass plant for $460M
Austin Energy will, in fact, be purchasing the Nacogdoches Generating Facility for $460 million. Buying the East Texas biomass power plant is the city-owned utility’s way out of a controversial $2.3 billion contract that has been under intense scrutiny over the past few years. The 20-year contract has lost Austin Energy an estimated $54 million […]
Posted inEnergy
Contractors cry foul over changes to Austin Energy’s weatherization program
Why is Austin Energy spending so much less on its weatherization program than in the past? The answer depends on whom you ask. In the 2017 fiscal year, the utility spent $1.6 million on a long-standing program that offers free weatherization upgrades to apartment buildings with a significant number of low-income tenants. The following year, […]
Posted inEnergy
City electric water heating restrictions not plugged in to affordability, climate reality
The Joint Sustainability Committee is asking the city to reconsider an outdated prohibition on electric water heating as part of the upcoming code rewrite process. The committee passed a resolution Feb. 27 claiming the prohibition is a barrier to affordability and a constraint to the city’s energy goals. The resolution came out of an initial […]
Posted inEnergy
Austin Energy considers scams, rising home values in changes to assistance programs
The city-owned electric utility Austin Energy has been a national leader over the past 30 years in helping customers lower their electric bills through energy efficiency programs. In addition to helping customers of all income levels cut costs by reducing their energy consumption, AE provides discounted rates to low-income customers and has programs in place […]
Posted inEnergy
Austin Energy tries to encourage Austinites to buy electric cars
Last week, the city of Austin was awarded a coveted $2.5 million grant from a foundation funded by former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg to pursue a number of environmental initiatives focused on energy efficiency and green transportation. While the Transportation Department will be using part of the grant to zero in on getting people […]
Posted inCity Hall
Austin Energy employee accused of fraud found to be ‘not in violation’
After three hours of discussion surrounding the definition of “intent” in application to fraud, the Ethics Review Commission found Curtis Graves, Austin Energy’s former superintendent of system operations, not in violation of city code by virtue of three votes. “You are here accused of misrepresenting the hours you worked on your timesheet for gain,” Chair […]