Texas Ranks 19th in Energy Efficiency

AUSTIN – A new report released today by the American Council on an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) ranks Texas 19th in the nation for programs to promote energy efficiency in homes, appliances, transportation and electric utilities. Environment Texas seized on the findings to call on the Texas Legislature to do more to reduce the state’s dependence on fossil fuels, save consumers money and fight global warming.
 
“Energy efficiency is the cheapest, fastest and cleanest thing we can do to start solving our energy problems,” said Environment Texas Director Luke Metzger. “The Texas Legislature made some progress in 2007 to promote efficiency, but this report shows that we’ve barely scratched the surface of our potential.”
 
The report points out that in 1999, Texas became the first state in the nation to establish an energy efficiency resource standandard, “requiring electric utilities to offset 10% of load growth through end-use energy efficiency”. However, Texas spends only about 0.3% of energy dollars on efficiency, eight times less than the national leader Vermont. In 2007, the Texas Legislature passed HB 3693 by Rep. Joe Straus, which doubled the mandate on utilities to 20% of load growth by 2010. The report also directed the state’s Public Utility Commission to study whether increasing the program to 50% of load growth is technically possible. That report is expected out later this year. An independent report by ACEEE found that Texas could meet 107% of load growth through efficiency.
 
Environment Texas called on the Legislature to redouble its efforts towards efficiency by:

• Requiring utilities to offset 50% of load growth through efficiency by 2015 and reducing total electricity consumption by 2% per year thereafter
• Increasing building codes to require 30% greater efficiency
• Adopting efficiency standards for several consumer appliances including swimming pool pumps
• Increase funding for the Texas LoanSTAR Program to $200 million to support efficiency measures for new school, university and state buildings
• Establishing a program to retrofit apartment complexes with efficiency measures

“We are in the midst of an energy crisis,” said Metzger. “Energy prices are rising, we remain dangerously dependent on fossil fuels, and global warming threatens our future. Thankfully, adopting currently available energy efficiency technologies will save consumers money, help our environment, and make our economy more secure.”