Austin Energy has installed solar projects on municipal facilities such as City Hall, libraries, and recreation centers to increase public awareness about solar power and demonstrate the effectiveness of this technology. View the location name, address, year installed, and system size in kW. Go to austinenergy.com/go/solar to learn more about solar solutions from Austin Energy.
Please note that this data set is no longer updated and should be considered static.

The system fuel cost average is the cost of fuel purchased, divided by the number of kilowatts generated. View the system annual average fuel cost (cents/kWh) starting in 2006. Go to http://austinenergy.com/go/reports to learn more.

Austin Energy’s system annual average production cost is total operations and maintenance costs divided by total generation in kilowatt-hours. Find more information at http://austinenergy.com/go/reports.

Power Partner was launched in 2013 and is a voluntary program for residential customers who use internet-connected thermostats. View dates and times, starting in calendar year 2006, when we used either this or its predecessor voluntary program to reduce residential energy demand. Go to austinenergy.com/go/powerpartner to learn more.

This report is the result of the Austin City Code 6-7’s Energy Conservation Audit and Disclosure Ordinance approved in November 2008 (amended in April 2011) to improve the energy efficiency of homes and buildings that receive electricity from Austin Energy. The ordinance meets one of the goals of the Austin Climate Protection Plan, which is to offset 800 megawatts of peak energy demand by 2020. In addition, this report contains information on multi-family properties older than 10 years that are required to perform an energy audit and report the results to the City of Austin and all residents living in those communities. The Austin Energy report quantifies the 2014 energy efficiency findings and the progress towards meeting City Council goals of Resolution 20081106-048.

Qualifying utility customers receive waivers and discounts on their utility bills. The City of Austin has one of the most generous Customer Assistance Programs in the nation. Utility bill discounts are a key component of the program. They are provided to customers already receiving benefits through a variety of federal, state, county or city assistance programs. In February 2014, the Austin City Council voted to expand the discount program to 45,000 customers a year. Additionally, in 2015 the Austin City Council voted to no longer have a waitlist as well as include Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) vouchers as a qualifier.

Under the program, qualifying Austin Energy customers receive a waiver of the $10 monthly electric customer charge; are exempt from paying the portion of the community benefit charge that supports the Utility Bill Discount Program; and they receive a 10% discount on their kWh usage charge. Austin Water customers also receive a discount on the water/wastewater customer charge as well as a volumetric discount on a customer’s water usage. Watershed Protection provides a 50% discount on the drainage fee. Public Works under a separate qualification waives the transportation user fee.

Customers who qualify for utility bill discounts are receiving an average of $792 per year per family, $248 of which comes from Austin Energy. Total utility bill savings for the recipients is over $18 million annually.

Below is a summary of electric account savings only.

The Austin Energy Regional Science Festival is one of the largest regional science festivals held in Texas and the nation. Middle and high school students who win at their respective schools compete at the regional festival to advance to the state science fair competition. Five senior level projects receive Best of Fair awards and the winners of those projects have the option to advance directly to the international competition.

Central Texas middle and high school students have performed very well at past state and international competitions. Between 2004 and 2016, 100 students representing 71 projects advanced to the international level. Of those, 44 students representing 29 projects won 73 category and special awards. Since 2004, more than 1,225 students have advanced to the state level, where about 20% have won awards.

In 2016, the Austin Energy Regional Science Festival showcased 755 middle and high school projects. Unlike most regional events, Austin Energy also hosts elementary school students. Nearly 4,000 students and their families turn out for the event which includes a public viewing of the science projects as well as educational booths and scientific demonstrations.

Over 550 judges and 180 volunteers from the City of Austin, local businesses, colleges, and elementary/middle/high schools contribute annually to the event’s success. Revenues to fund the event come from fees paid by participating schools and companies that provide sponsorships.

This story details the cumulative projects that were rated by the Austin Energy Green Building Team since the program began.

Between 1982 and 2006, Austin Energy's energy efficiency programs offset the need to build a 700 megawatt (MW) power plant. This became known as Austin Energy's first conservation power plant. In 2007, Austin Energy kicked off a new goal with the Austin Climate Protection Plan, which is to offset another 800 MW of peak energy demand by 2020. Between 2007 and 2012, Austin Energy has offset an additional 318 MW which is 40% of the 800 MW goal.

Note: Total participation does not include GB commercial square foot.

Blank cells indicate data are not available because the program either had not started, has been discontinued, or we no longer track that data.

This report is the result of the Austin City Code 6-7's Energy Conservation Audit and Disclosure Ordinance approved in November 2008 (amended in April 2011) to improve the energy efficiency of homes and buildings that receive electricity from Austin Energy. The ordinance meets one of the goals of the Austin Climate Protection Plan, which is to offset 1200 megawatts of Peak Energy by 2025.

The Audit results are averages of the energy efficiency measures evaluated on site during the audit.