Energy Management, Efficiency, and Renewable Energy
The Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) region is expected to grow by 48% by 2040, to approximately 10.6 million. Conservation and resource efficiency will be critical to accommodating growth while also preserving existing regional resources. Implementing energy management programs, energy efficiency, and renewable energy projects can positively impact the North Central Texas region by reducing emissions through the reduction of power generation needed. The linkage between water and energy, or the energy-water nexus, is also important to reducing consumption of important water resources in North Central Texas.
Regional Energy Management Program
In 2018 the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) kicked off a regional effort with the State Energy Conservation Office (SECO) to offer water and energy conservation trainings and workshops, expand the use of the ENERGY STAR Building Portfolio Manager tool, provide assistance to local governments in taking advantage of SECO resources, and enhance Senate Bill 898 energy program reporting.
SECO's Local Government Energy Program
The Local Government Energy Program is available to all Texas' publicly funded: Cities; Counties; Public Independent School Districts and Special Districts (Airports: Port Authorities; Utility Districts; Water Districts and River Authorities). Its purpose is to provide a number of integrated services to assist in setting up and maintaining effective energy efficiency programs. The program assists entity officials through energy-efficient partnerships, technical support, preliminary energy assessment services and training workshops.
Local Government Energy Reporting
The Texas Health and Safety Code §388.005(c) requires each political subdivision in a non-attainment area or an affected county to establish a goal to reduce electric consumption by at least five percent each state fiscal year. In 2019, the 86th Legislature passed Senate Bill 241, extending the timeline for this requirement seven years beginning September 1, 2019.
Each political subdivision must submit a report annually to SECO regarding the entity's progress and efforts to meet the five percent annual reduction goal. Fiscal Year 2019 reports should be submitted online to SECO by February 1, 2020. Beginning 2021, SECO will require entities to report their annual electric consumption based upon the calendar year, rather than the fiscal year, and reports will be collected by February 1 of each year. Information submitted to SECO will be included in an annual report to members of the Texas Legislative and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, providing entities a great opportunity to gain recognition for energy efficiency efforts.
To learn more about who must report, and how, please visit the SECO webpage for Local Government Energy Reporting.
Technical Assistance for Local Governments
Looking for help with your energy or water management? SECO's Local Governments Energy Program can provide free assistance with various aspects of an organization's energy and water efficiency. They can also assist with the identification and implementation of a wide range of energy and water-related facility and infrastructure upgrade and retrofit initiatives. To learn more about these resources or request
services from SECO, simply visit the corresponding online resource linked below.
- Flyer: SECO Resources for Achieving Reduced Energy Costs and Maximizing Efficiency
- Preliminary Energy Assessments (PEA's)
- Technical Assistance for Local Governments
- City Efficiency Leaders Project
Additional Resources
- SECO Funding Opportunities
- Building Portfolio Manager and Benchmarking
- ENERGY STAR to learn more about ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager®.
- Procurement
- SPEER Local Government Energy Reporting Outreach
All archived events can be found on the Conserve North Texas Past Events page.
Publications
​Whitepapers:- Local Government Energy Reporting Requirements in Texas
- Integration of Energy Resilience into Hazard Mitigation Planning
Case Studies:
- Development of an Energy Management Plan for Tarrant Regional Water District
- The City of Lewisville's Energy Consumption Reduction
Other Publications:
- Best Management Practices for Incorporating Energy Resilience into Hazard Mitigation Planning
- Virtual Microgrid Tour: Successful Projects Across the U.S.
Conserve North Texas
This website was developed to provide local governments and other users a "one-stop-shop" for a comprehensive inventory
of programs, tools, case studies, and other resources that address water, energy, and transportation topics. It is hoped that
this will help users quickly locate resources that meet their needs while also highlighting “silo-busting” projects that have
found ways to conserve resources in multiple areas. Visit www.conservenorthtexas.org for more information.
Go Solar Texas
To increase deployment of solar across Texas, NCTCOG has worked to compile key resources for Texans interested in
learning more about going solar, and developed Texas-specific resources on best management practices for local
governments. Visit www.gosolartexas.org for more information. Links to the most popular topics on this page are below:
Key resources and projects that NCTCOG supports for North Central Texas are highlighted below.
Fall 2023 Energy Funding Newsletter
Winter 2024 Energy Funding Newsletter
DFW Clean Cities Coalition
The use of alternative fuels support reduction goals of the DFW Clean Cities Coalition. Visit www.dfwcleancities.org for more information.
Renewable Energy Projects
State Energy Conservation Office
In 2016 NCTCOG partnered with the Texas State Energy Conservation Office (SECO) to expand best management practices for solar photovoltaic systems throughout the State of Texas. Under the project, NCTCOG focused on supply side and demand side activities, including items such as outreach to niche markets, providing trainings and solar information statewide, and expanding permitting and ordinance templates statewide. Visit www.gosolartexas.org for more information.
Solar Ready II
In 2013 and 2014 NCTCOG participated in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Ready II program by partnering with the National Association of Regional Councils, the Mid-America Regional Council, and Meister Consultants Group. NCTCOG worked with local governments and interested parties to implement best management practices and provide training for solar energy in the DFW region. The goal of this project was to improve the DFW solar market by providing a more streamlined and standardized solar process. Visit www.gosolartexas.org/local-governments for more information.
Regional Stewardship
Regional Integration of Sustainability Efforts (RISE) Coalition
The Regional Integration of Sustainability Efforts (RISE) Coalition, formerly the North Central Texas Stewardship Forum, works to engage interested local governments in peer-exchange opportunities to support sustainability and environmental initiatives.
The North Central Texas Environmental Stewardship Forum (Forum) began as an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grant funded effort dedicated to bringing together North Central Texas (NCT) governmental and quasi-governmental organizations to share best practices, lessons learned and resources to ease the burden of developing and supporting sustainability and environmental initiatives. Having completed the grant, the participating cities and EPA acknowledged the value the Forum brought to communication and collaboration to achieve environmental goals and have recently established the Regional Integration of Sustainability Efforts (RISE) Coalition to carry on the activities the Forum started. Visit www.nctcog.org/envir/development-excellence/rise-coalition for more information.
Resources
For more information, please contact Crysta Guzman at cguzman@nctcog.org or 817-695-9107.