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.

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.

This data set shows Austin Energy's current system rate, and the 2% affordability limit set by the Austin City Council. The difference between the current system rate and the 2% affordability limit is shown as both a dollar figure and a percentage. Note- the current system rate is based on budgeted system rates and is effective at the beginning of each fiscal year.

This dataset supports measure EOA.C.5.a of SD23

Data Source: Austin Energy

Calculations:

Dollar Amount- The 2% Affordability Limit is subtracted from the Current System Rate.

Percentage- The Current System Rate is divided by the 2% Affordability Limit, subtracted from 1, and then multiplied by 100.

View more details and insights related to this measure on the story page: https://data.austintexas.gov/stories/s/t4es-hvsj

This data set includes the data used to calculate Austin Energy's load-based carbon footprint. The load-based carbon footprint is a measure of the carbon emissions associated with the electricity that all Austin Energy customers use, referred to as "load," in a given time period.

This dataset supports measure HE.E.4 of SD23

Data Source: ERCOT Nodal Extracts

Calculation: Total Net Megawatts hours (MWh) of renewable energy divided by wholesale load

View more details and insights related to this measure on the story page: https://data.austintexas.gov/stories/s/dz3x-kc4h

This performance card shows the number of unique participants in the City of Austin's Customer Assistance Program.

This performance card shows the difference between Austin Energy's average annual system rate and the 2% affordability limit set by the Austin City Council.

This data set displays the number of households benefiting from Customer Assistance Program (CAP) for each fiscal year.

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. Discounts are provided to customers who are already receiving benefits through a variety of federal, state, county, or city assistance programs.

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 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.

This dataset supports measure EOA.G.4 of SD23

Data Source: Oracle Utilities Customer Care and Billing (CCB) System

View more details and insights related to this measure on the story page: https://data.austintexas.gov/stories/s/g4mj-r352

This performance card shows the amount of energy generated from carbon-free sources as a percentage of load.

This performance card shows the difference between Austin Energy's average annual system rate and the annual average system rate for all Texas entities.