Nov 14, 2023 Resource Management

UM, BUT I PROMISED AT LEAST ONE COMMISSIONER THAT, UH, WE WOULD TAKE UP THE ITEMS FOR, UH, AUSTIN ENERGY AT THE BEGINNING.

SO, UM, I MAY HAVE TO, UH, LET THE BRIEFING, UH, UM, HAVE A, HAVE A RECESS AND THEN, UH, GO TO AUSTIN ENERGY'S SOLAR ITEMS, AND THEN GO BACK TO THE BRIEFING.

I UNDERSTAND THAT, BUT YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO TAKE A VOTE BECAUSE COMMISSIONER, UH, S SCNI CAN'T SHOW HER FACE UNTIL SHE GETS HERE.

SO IF WE COULD POSSIBLY, MAYBE TAKE, WE CAN POSSIBLY MAYBE DO THIS.

UH, MS. ROSLER, WOULD YOU, UH, UH, PLEASE, UH, UH, GIVE US YOUR BRIEFING AND ABSOLUTELY.

I APOLOGIZE IN ADVANCE IF I HAVE TO BREAK INTO THAT.

NO, NO WORRIES.

WHAT YOU'RE DOING IS VERY IMPORTANT, AND THEN WE CAN COME BACK TO THE, TO TAKE THE VOTE ON THE MINUTES AND THE RCAS, OF COURSE.

[2. Staff briefing regarding the Home Performance with Energy Star Program by Holly Prosser, Energy Efficiency Services Manager of Austin Energy. (Part 1 of 2)]

GOOD EVENING, UH, COMMISSIONERS.

YOU CAN HEAR ME? ALRIGHT.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR HAVING ME TONIGHT.

I REALLY APPRECIATE IT.

MY NAME IS HOLLY PROSSER.

I AM THE, UH, ENERGY EFFICIENCY SERVICES MANAGER FOR RESIDENTIAL ENERGY EFFICIENCY SERVICES.

UM, SO IT'S NICE TO BE HERE.

OR KNOWN AS HEATING, VENTILATION, AIR CONDITIONING.

UM, LET ME GO BACK ONE HERE.

I'M HERE TO PROVIDE AN, UH, BRIEFING ABOUT THE, WHAT WAS FORMALLY CALLED THE HOME PERFORMANCE WITH ENERGY STAR PROGRAM, WHICH IS BEING REBRANDED TO, TO HOME ENERGY SAVINGS.

SO, FIRST IS I'M GOING TO PROVIDE JUST A QUICK OVERVIEW ON WHAT A WHOLE HOME PROGRAM IS.

UH, I'M GONNA, WE'RE GONNA SAY GOODBYE TO HOME PERFORMANCE.

WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE NEW CHANGES THAT ARE COMING UP, UH, AS WELL AS OUR LONG-TERM PROGRAM GOALS.

AND THEN WE WILL, UM, GREET OUR NEW PROGRAM.

SO WHAT IS A WHOLE HOME, UH, PROGRAM AND, AND HOW DOES IT DIFFERENTIATE ITSELF FROM OUR OTHER ENERGY EFFICIENCY OFFERINGS FOR RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS? UH, WHOLE HOME IS ABOUT PROVIDING KIND OF A SYSTEMS APPROACH, A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO MAKING SURE A HOUSE IS FULLY ENERGY EFFICIENT.

SO RATHER THAN JUST A STANDALONE REBATE, WHICH WE DO OFFER, UH, THIS ENCOURAGES CONTRACTORS AND CUSTOMERS TO, UH, INVESTIGATE AND FIND OPPORTUNITIES TO ADDRESS ALL ASPECTS OF THE HOME SO THAT, YOU KNOW, IF YOU PUT IN JUST ONE APPLIANCE AND YOU DON'T TAKE CARE OF SOME OF THE ENERGY, OTHER ENERGY EFFICIENCY NEEDS OF THE HOME, YOU MIGHT NOT GET THE RETURN ON INVESTMENT THAT YOU WOULD THINK.

SO JUST SOME, UH, EXAMPLES ARE, UH, HVAC AIR CONDITIONING,

[00:05:01]

SO THAT'S ABOUT PUTTING IN A NEW, NEW AC UNIT, UH, PROVIDING AN AC TUNEUP AND DOING DUCT SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTS.

UH, WE ALSO FOCUS ON SAFETY.

SO WHEN YOU TIGHTEN UP A HOUSE AND YOU KIND OF SEAL UP THE CRACKS AND GAPS, UH, THERE'S AN INCREASED RISK OF CARBON MONOXIDE IF THERE'S GAS APPLIANCES.

SO WE MAKE SURE THAT THE HOME HAS, UH, UP TO DATE CARBON MONOXIDE ALARMS AND FIRE ALARMS. AND THEN WE ALSO DO JUST BASIC WEATHERIZATION LIKE INSULATION, UH, SOLAR SCREENS, AND WEATHER STRIPPING.

SO, YOU KNOW, ORIGINALLY THIS, UH, PRESENTATION WAS GONNA BE TITLED THE SUNSET OF HOME PERFORMANCE WITH ENERGY STAR, BECAUSE THE DE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY IS SUNSETTING THIS PROGRAM.

BUT WE THOUGHT WE'D ADD, YOU KNOW, A SUNRISE, WHICH IS GOING TO BE AUSTIN ENERGY'S HOME ENERGY SAVINGS, WHICH IS GOING TO BE AUSTIN'S VERSION OF, UH, OUR WHOLE HOME PROGRAM.

SO WHY ARE WE CHANGING THE PROGRAM? WELL, A VARIETY OF REASONS.

FIRST, LIKE WE SAID BEFORE, THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY IS SUNSETTING THEIR HOME PERFORMANCE WITH ENERGY STAR PROGRAM.

THERE'RE SUNSETTING IT, NOT BECAUSE IT'S A PROBLEMATIC PROGRAM.

IT'S BEEN VERY SUCCESSFUL ACTUALLY.

IT'S JUST THAT THE INFLATION REDUCTION ACT IS GOING TO BE BRINGING OUT A LOT OF, UH, NEW AVENUES FOR PROVIDING ENERGY EFFICIENCY SERVICES FOR CUSTOMERS.

SO THEY'RE SORT OF, UH, UH, CHANGING THEIR FOCUS ON THE INFLATION REDUCTION ACT AND ALL THE, THE MONEY AND OPPORTUNITIES THAT ARE COMING OUT FROM THERE.

UH, PRIOR TO US EVEN KNOWING THAT THE PROGRAM WAS GONNA BE SUNSET, WE HAD, WE HAD BEEN LOOKING, EYEING THIS PROGRAM FOR A REFRESH OURSELVES.

UH, SO WE HAD DONE SOME FOCUS GROUP FINDINGS, UH, IN 2022, UH, WHICH I'LL GO OVER IN THE NEXT SLIDE.

AND THAT KIND OF GAVE US SOME IDEAS ON WHAT A NEW PROGRAM OR KIND OF A REFRESH PROGRAM WOULD LOOK LIKE.

AND SO THAT, YOU KNOW, KIND OF HAPPENING AT ACCIDENTALLY AT THE SAME TIME REALLY GAVE US AN OPPORTUNITY TO REBRAND AND TO, UH, CREATE A CUSTOMIZED WHOLE HOME PROGRAM THAT WOULD REALLY, UH, SUIT AUSTIN'S NEEDS.

SO, UH, JUST A QUICK OVERVIEW OF, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE FOUND OUT IN OUR FOCUS GROUP.

UM, WE TALKED TO CUSTOMERS WHO HAD GONE THROUGH THE PROGRAM.

WE TALKED TO CUSTOMERS WHO DID NOT GO THROUGH THE PROGRAM.

WE TALKED TO CONTRACTORS AND WE TALKED TO INSPECTORS, AND WE GOT A, UH, SOME REALLY GREAT INFORMATION FROM THEM.

UH, YOU KNOW, FROM OUR CUSTOMERS.

THERE'S A LACK OF AWARENESS OF THE PROGRAM, UH, AND, UH, A LOT OF CONFUSION.

WHEN THEY WERE BROUGHT INTO THE, THE PROGRAM BY THEIR CONTRACTOR, THEY OFTEN WERE CONFUSED ABOUT THE PROCESS AND, AND CONFUSED ABOUT THE SCOPE OF WORK THEY WOULD RECEIVE FROM THE CONTRACTOR.

UH, THE CONTRACTORS TALKED ABOUT HOW THEY HAD DIFFICULTY NAVIGATING THE PROGRAM.

THEY FOUND THAT THE TRAINING THEY WERE RECEIVING FROM AUSTIN ENERGY COULD BE INCONSISTENT, AND THAT, UH, THE, THE REBATE PLATFORM THAT WE USED WAS CUMBERSOME AND DIFFICULT TO USE.

AND OUR INSPECTORS FELT LIKE THEY WANTED TO SEE A MORE COLLABORATIVE APPROACH WITH THE CONTRACTORS SO THEY COULD WORK CLOSE MORE CLOSELY WITH THEM AND PROVIDE, UM, YOU KNOW, ADDITIONAL, UM, UH, ADVICE OR INSTRUCTIONS OR, YOU KNOW, UH, UM, EXPERTISE.

UH, ESPECIALLY AT THE INSTALLATION STEP.

OUR INSPECTORS, UH, HAVE ALL WORKED IN ENERGY EFFICIENCY FIELD FOR, YOU KNOW, YEARS, UH, DECADES EVEN.

UH, AND WE CONSIDERED THEM TRUSTED ENERGY ADVISORS FOR OUR CUSTOMERS, BUT THEY'RE ALSO THOSE THAT SAME ROLE FOR OUR CONTRACTOR COMMUNITY.

UM, AND THEY ALSO CITED OUR REBATE PLATFORM AS, UH, NEEDING A REFRESH AS WELL.

SO WHAT ARE THE NEW PROGRAM CHANGES THAT WE'RE LOOKING TO, UH, UH, WORK ON OR WE'RE WORKING ON RIGHT NOW BASED ON WHAT WE FOUND? UH, WELL, WE WANNA BOOST CUSTOMER INTEREST THROUGH SOME NEW TOOLS, UM, SO THAT CUSTOMERS ARE AWARE OF THE PROGRAM AND THEIR, THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, KIND OF CALLING THE, UH, CONTRACTOR, YOU KNOW, EXPRESSING INTEREST SPECIFICALLY IN THIS PROGRAM.

UH, WE WANT TO IMPROVE THE CONTRACTOR EXPERIENCE, PROVIDE AVENUES TO BE MORE COLLABORATIVE.

UH, UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HAS COME OUT OF THIS PROCESS IS THAT A NEW, UH, QUALITY CONTROL CHECKLIST SO THAT THE CONTRACTORS IN OUR INSPECTION TEAM ARE USING THE SAME CHECKLIST WHEN THEY'RE AT A FINAL INSPECTION, WHICH REALLY HELPS MAKE EVERYONE LITERALLY ON THE SAME PAGE BECAUSE WE'RE ALL, YOU KNOW, FIN UH, FOLLOWING THE SAME CHECKLIST.

UH, WE ALSO ARE WORKING ON SOME CONTRACTOR WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES.

SO WE JUST LAUNCHED A NEW, UM, TRAINING INITIATIVE, WHICH WE CALL BACK TO BASICS.

UH, WE JUST HAD OUR SECOND ONE LAST WEEK.

UM, AND IT'S A FREE,

[00:10:01]

UH, TRAINING FOR CONTRACTORS TO BRING IN THEIR STAFF, UM, THAT, AND WE GO OVER THE BASICS.

IT'S LIKE, HOW TO PASS A, A FINAL INSPECTION THE FIRST TIME, YOU KNOW, HERE'S THE TOOL.

HERE'S SOME EXAMPLES OF SOME OF THE, THE MOST COMMON ISSUES WE SEE IN THE FIELD.

YOU KNOW, HERE'S, UH, HERE'S SOME EXAMPLES OF, YOU KNOW, UH, THE WORK DONE CORRECTLY.

LET'S HAVE A DISCUSSION, LET'S TALK ABOUT IT.

UM, AND IT'S BEEN A REALLY GREAT OPPORTUNITY.

WE, WE, THIS IS GOING TO BE AN OPPORTUNITY, YOU KNOW, WHEN A CONTRACTOR HIRES NEW STAFF, THEY HAVE A TRAINING THEY CAN JUST SEND THAT NEW STAFF TO, THAT WILL HELP GET THAT, UH, UH, NEW STAFF MEMBER UP TO SPEED QUICKLY.

AS WELL AS, UH, WE CONTINUE OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH THE NATIONAL COMFORT INSTITUTE.

WE JUST HAD A TRAINING TODAY HERE AT AUSTIN ENERGY ON DUCK SYSTEM OPTIMIZATION.

UH, WE OFFER 30% OFF FOR, UH, CONTRACTORS TO PARTICIPATE.

UM, WE'VE HAD RECORD ATTENDANCE SO MUCH THAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE ANOTHER, UH, SLATE OF CLASSES THIS WINTER AND SPRING.

AND, YOU KNOW, THIS IS THE, THE GREAT THING ABOUT THIS WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT IS IF, YOU KNOW, DEPENDING ON HOW THE INFLATION REDUCTION ACT TURNS OUT FOR OUR CITY, UM, WE'RE, WE'RE KIND OF PRE HELPING OUR CONTRACTORS TO ALREADY BE ABLE TO WORK IN THAT SPACE.

SO IT'S GOING TO, IT HAS MORE OF AN IMPACT THAN JUST OUR, UH, REBATE PROGRAMS. IT HELPS ALL CONTRACTORS, YOU KNOW, BY KIND OF BRINGING UP THE, THE, THE CONTRACTOR SPACE, UH, WITH MORE EDUCATION.

AND THEN, OF COURSE, THE NEW PROGRAM NAME AND OUR REBRANDING.

UH, SO KIND OF THE, THE BIG HIGHLIGHT I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT TODAY WAS OUR NEW CUSTOMER PARTICIPATION PATH.

SO WE HAVE A CURRENT CUSTOMER PARTICIPATION PATH, AND THAT PATH IS NOT GOING AWAY.

IT'S STILL GONNA BE AVAILABLE FOR CUSTOMERS TO, UH, FOLLOW IF THAT'S THE WAY THEY COME INTO THE PROGRAM.

AND THE CURRENT PATH IS AS FOLLOWS.

THEY BASICALLY GO TO OUR WEBSITE.

THEY SEE, UH, YOU KNOW, THEY SEE OUR PARTICIPATING CONTRACTOR LIST, THEY CALL CONTRACTOR.

THE CONTRACTOR COMES OUT, UH, EVENTUALLY, UH, THE, THE, WE WILL SEND AN INSPECTOR OUT TO CONFIRM SORT OF THE SCOPE THAT THE CONTRACTOR HAS PLANNED.

THE CONTRACTOR PERFORMS THE INSTALLATION.

WE DO AN INSPECTION, OR A THIRD PARTY DOES AN INSPECTION, AND THEN FINAL PAPERWORK.

AND AUSTIN ENERGY PAYS THE REBATE.

THE ADDITIONAL PATH WE WANNA OFFER IS BASICALLY SOMETHING THAT MORE ED PROVIDES AN OPPORTUNITY TO EDUCATE THE CUSTOMER.

UM, IT WOULD START WITH A ENERGY QUIZ, UH, THAT THE CUSTOMER CAN TAKE, AND IT KIND OF HELPS THEM POINT IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.

YOU KNOW, ARE THEY A RIGHT CANDIDATE FOR A STANDALONE APPLIANCE REBATE OR WEATHERIZATION PROGRAM, OR THE HOME ENERGY SAVINGS PROGRAM? IF THEY'RE THE RIGHT FIT FOR THE HOME ENERGY SAVINGS PROGRAM, UH, THEY WOULD THEN BE, UM, UH, DIRECTED TO AN INTEREST FORM, WHICH THEY COULD FILL OUT.

AND THEN WE WOULD HAVE AN INSPECTOR VISIT THE HOME AND SET A SCOPE FOR THEM.

UH, THIS WOULD PURELY BE A VISUAL ASSESSMENT, BUT IT, IT'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO TALK TO THE CUSTOMER, HELP EDUCATE THEM SO THAT WHEN THEY'RE IN THE MARKETPLACE LOOKING FOR, UH, REBATES OR UPGRADES FOR THEIR HOUSE, THEY'RE A LITTLE BIT MORE EDUCATED, UM, TO, AS TO WHAT TO LOOK LIKE.

AGAIN, OUR INSPECTORS ARE TRUSTED ENERGY ADVISORS FOR OUR COMMUNITY.

AND SO THAT'S GONNA BE A, A, A ROLE FOR THEM TO KIND OF HELP THE CUSTOMER BETTER UNDERSTAND AND TALK TO THE CONTRACTOR, AS WELL AS HAVE A PHYSICAL, YOU KNOW, SCOPE THEY CAN TAKE TO THE CONTRACTOR TO KIND OF BEGIN THAT CONVERSATION OF THE, THE UPGRADES FOR THEIR HOUSE.

AND THEN WE ALWAYS SUGGEST THAT A, UH, CUSTOMER SOLICIT AT LEAST THREE CONTRACTOR BIDS.

UM, AND THEN ONCE THEY CHOOSE THE CONTRACTOR, IT, IT BASICALLY FOLLOWS THE SAME PATH FROM THERE.

LONG TERM.

UH, YOU KNOW, WE WANNA SEE IF THERE'S MORE, UH, HOMES THAT WE, YOU KNOW, RIGHT NOW WE HAVE A ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA THAT, YOU KNOW, THINGS SUCH AS, UH, THE HOME NEEDS TO BE 10 YEARS OR OLDER, ITEMS LIKE THAT WE WANNA LOOK AT, WE WANNA UNDERSTAND WHETHER THERE'S OTHER HOUSES THAT WOULD REALLY BENEFIT FROM THIS WHOLE HOME APPROACH.

AND WE WANNA DRIVE THAT, UH, CONVERSATION THROUGH A LOOK AT DATA.

SO THAT'S GOING TO BE OUR FIRST LONG-TERM GOAL.

WE WANNA LOOK AT UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES, PARTICULAR MIDDLE INCOME, AND APPLY AN EQUITY LENS.

UH, WE CURRENTLY HAVE THE WEATHERIZATION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM, WHICH OFFERS THESE SAME SERVICES, 100% FREE FOR THE CUSTOMER, BUT WE'RE WORRIED THAT THERE MIGHT BE A, A KIND OF A MIDDLE GAP THAT MIGHT BE BEING MISSED.

UH, SO WE WANNA SEE WHAT, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, THROUGH DATA, LOOK AT THE, THE, THOSE OPPORTUNITIES AND WHAT WE CAN DO TO SERVE THE THOSE CUSTOMERS.

UH, WE WANNA LOOK AT, UH, NEW KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS AND USE THAT TO KIND OF SCREEN THE FUTURE OF THE PROGRAM AND ANY ADDITIONAL MEASURES THAT WE

[00:15:01]

MIGHT WANNA ADD BY LOOKING AT, UH, CARBON REDUCTION EQUITY AND AIR QUALITY.

AND THEN WE WANNA CONTINUE OUR WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT FOR CONTRACTORS AND SEE WHAT ELSE WE CAN ADD, UH, TO, TO HELP THE CONTRACTORS, UH, AND, AND INCREASE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT.

SO, UH, A FINAL NOTE.

UH, HELLO TO HOME ENERGY SAVINGS.

GOODBYE TO HOME PERFORMANCE, BUT HELLO TO HOME ENERGY SAVINGS.

SO THIS IS GOING TO BE A NEW PROGRAM BASED ON THE NATION'S BEST ENERGY EFFICIENCY PRACTICES, BUT CUSTOMIZED TO MEET AUSTIN EAT AUSTIN'S NEEDS.

BASICALLY TAKING, YOU KNOW, EVERYTHING WE LEARNED ABOUT HOME PERFORMANCE, BUT MAKING IT, UH, SPECIAL FOR AUSTIN.

AND BEFORE I TAKE QUESTIONS, I JUST WANNA THANK, UH, THE, MY TEAM, UH, JOANIE AND SALLY, UH, REALLY ARE THE, THE GENIUSES BEHIND ALL OF THIS.

I'M JUST THE FACE AND SARAH, OF COURSE, FOR HER SUPPORT.

SO I'M HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS.

HI, I HAVE A QUESTION.

SURE.

THIS IS MELISSA.

UH, CAN YOU GO BACK TO THAT SLIDE OF THE APPLICATION PROCESS? THERE WE GO.

YES.

SO ON HERE, YOU HAVE TWO DIFFERENT ROUTES, RIGHT? RIGHT.

COMING THROUGH.

UM, SO ONE IS, CAN YOU KIND OF GO THROUGH THAT, THE TWO DIFFERENT SCENARIOS AGAIN? SURE.

YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.

SO RIGHT NOW, THE CURRENT PATH IS THAT A CUSTOMER WILL REACH OUT TO A CONTRACTOR AND, YOU KNOW, BE I'M IN NEED OF A NEW HVAC UNIT.

AND IF THAT'S A PARTICIPATING CONTRACTOR, THEY WILL, YOU KNOW, TELL THEM ABOUT OUR REBATES AND, YOU KNOW, TALK ABOUT THE BENEFITS OF GOING THROUGH, UH, WHAT WE'RE FORMALLY, FORMALLY CALLED HOME PERFORMANCE WITH ENERGY STAR NOW GOING TO BE CALLED HOME ENERGY SAVINGS.

UM, AND BASICALLY THAT IS THEIR KIND OF ENTRY POINT INTO THE PROGRAM IS THROUGH THE CONTRACTOR.

AND WE WANNA CREATE ANOTHER ENTRY ROUTE, UH, WHICH BASICALLY GIVES THE CUSTOMER MORE TO DO ON OUR WEBSITE.

SO RIGHT NOW, THEY GO TO OUR WEBSITE, THEY CAN READ ABOUT, YOU KNOW, OUR PROGRAM, BUT THEY'RE STILL GOING HAVE TO JUST CALL A CONTRACTOR.

AND THAT'S HOW THEY GET INTO THE PROGRAM.

THE WEBSITE, THE, THE ONLINE ENERGY QUIZ KIND OF HELPS THEM DECIDE THEIR, UM, THE BEST, UH, PROGRAM FOR THEM.

AGAIN, MAYBE IT'S A STANDALONE REBATE, MAYBE IT'S NOT HOME ENERGY SAVINGS, MAYBE IT'S THE WEATHERIZATION PROGRAM, BUT KIND OF ASK A FEW QUESTIONS AND THEN DIRECT THEM TO AN INTEREST FORM SPECIFICALLY FOR HOME ENERGY SAVINGS, THAT ONCE THEY COMPLETE, WE WOULD THEN SEND OUT AN INSPECTOR TO COMPLETE A SCOPE FOR THEM.

UH, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT'S A GREAT IDEA TO HAVE THEM FILL OUT A SURVEY OR A QUIZ.

UM, I GUESS WHEN YOU PUT THAT OTHER ENTRY IN THERE, IT KIND OF TOOK ME BACK FOR A SECOND, BUT I GUESS DO THE CONTRACTOR, THEY CAN ALSO REACH, UM, THE SERVICES.

I GUESS ALSO, UM, I'M GETTING TO A POINT THAT I REALLY DON'T WANNA TALK ABOUT YET.

UM, ULTIMATELY I'D LIKE TO SEE ALL REBATES ON ONE PAGE SO THAT CUSTOMERS ARE NOT CONFUSED ABOUT ALL THE REBATES THAT THE CITY HAS TO OFFER.

SO I THINK SO TOO.

THAT'D BE A GREAT IDEA.

UM, UM, YEAH.

UM, WE HAVE A QUORUM NOW AND, UM, I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE GET TO OUR, UM, REQUEST FOR COUNSEL, UM, OR THE ITEMS TO COUNSEL BEFORE, UM, ONE OF OUR MEMBERS LEAVES.

UM, CAN I PREVAIL ON YOU TO HOLD YOUR SURE.

QUESTION? ABSOLUTELY.

UM, AND I WILL INVITE YOU BACK SHORTLY.

RECOMMEND APPROVING THE ISSUANCE OF A CAPACITY BASED INCENTIVE TO PUBLIC STORAGE ORCO, I HOPE I HAVE THAT RIGHT.

UM, I'D LIKE TO TAKE UP, UH, FOUR, UH, ITEMS THAT, UM, ARE RECOMMENDED FOR COUNCIL ACTION.

THE FIRST, UH, ARE ITEM FOUR

[4. Recommend approving the issuance of a capacity-based incentive to Public Storage Orangeco Inc., in an amount not to exceed $388,776 and approve issuance of a 5-year performance-based incentive to Public Storage Orangeco Inc., an in amount not to exceed $1,024,185.28, for the installation of solar electric systems on 20 of its facilities in the Austin Energy service territory.]

INCORPORATED IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $388,776 AND PROVE ISSUANCE OF A FIVE YEAR PERFORMANCE BASED INCENTIVE TO PUBLIC STORAGE ORCO INC.

UH, AN AMOUNT IN, IN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $1,024,185 28 CENTS FOR THE INSTALLATION

[00:20:01]

OF SOLAR ELECTRIC SYSTEMS ON 20 OF ITS FACILITIES IN THE AUSTIN ENERGY SERVICE TERRITORY.

UH, COMMISSIONERS HAVE HAD A CHANCE TO REVIEW THIS IN ADVANCE.

UH, YOU ALL MAY HAVE QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ABOUT THIS DIRECTED TO STAFF.

UH, ARE THERE ANY COMMISSIONERS THAT HAVE QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? OKAY.

UH, I WOULD LIKE TO MOVE APPROVAL.

IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND.

UM, UH, DO WE NEED TO CALL THE ROLL ON THIS, UH, MS. GOODWIN? UH, OKAY.

UM, THE COMMISSIONERS WHO ARE IN ATTENDANCE REMOTELY, WOULD YOU PLEASE SHOW YOURSELF ON CAMERA SO THAT YOU CAN VOTE? UH, COMMISSIONERS FARMER AND SILVERS DEAN APPROVED, UH, IS ON, THEY'RE ON.

I'M SORRY.

THEY'RE ON.

COMMISSIONER ROBBINS? YES.

UH, PLEASE CALL THE ROLL.

COMMISSIONER SCAFF AND COMMISSIONER SILVERSTEIN APPROVE.

OUR ITEM NUMBER FIVE, RECOMMEND APPROVING THE ISSUANCE OF A FIVE-YEAR PERFORMANCE BASED INCENTIVE TO STARWOOD CAPITAL LLC FOR INSTALLATION OF SOLAR ELECTRIC SYSTEMS ON THEIR FACILITIES.

UH, MOVING ON.

UH,

[5. Recommend approving the issuance of a 5-year performance-based incentive to Starwood Capital Group LLC, for the installation of solar electric systems on their facilities located at 8310 N Capital of Texas Hwy SB 2, Austin, TX 78759 and 5707 Southwest Pkwy 1, Austin, TX 78735, in an amount not to exceed $770,089.]

LOCATED AT 83 10 NORTH CAPITAL OF TEXAS HIGHWAY, UH, SSB TWO, AUSTIN, TEXAS 7 8 7 5 9, AND 57 0 5 SOUTHWEST PARKWAY, ONE AUSTIN, TEXAS 7 8 7 3 5 IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $770,089.

COMMISSIONERS.

ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS TO STAFF ON THIS ITEM? QUESTION, WHAT ARE THE AGES OF THESE FACILITIES PLEASE, UH, STAFF.

AND WHAT IS THE RELEVANT SIZE OF THE PV RELATIVE TO SYSTEM LOAD RE I'M SORRY, RELATIVE TO FACILITY LOAD? UH, GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS.

RICHARD GENESEE, VICE PRESIDENT OF CUSTOMER ENERGY SOLUTIONS.

AND, UM, I DON'T KNOW THAT I HAVE THE AGES OF THE FACILITIES.

I WILL SAY THAT, UH, THE SYSTEMS ARE DESIGNED TO BE PRODUCING ENERGY FOR 20 YEARS.

AND SO, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT, THAT'S WHAT I KNOW ABOUT THE SYSTEMS, BUT THE FACILITIES THEMSELVES, I DO NOT HAVE THE INFORMATION, UH, CURRENT.

WE COULD GET THAT BACK TO YOU IN TERMS OF WHAT IS THE AGE OF EACH OF THESE FACILITIES THAT THE SOLAR INSTALLATIONS ARE GOING ON TOP OF.

THANK YOU, MR. GENESEE.

AS A HEADS UP TO MY FELLOW COMMISSIONERS AND TO, UM, UTILITY STAFF, I AM GOING TO BE ASKING YOU ALL TO DIG INTO THE QUESTION OF WHAT IS THE RELATIVE ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND, AND OF THE FACILITIES THAT WE ARE PAYING A BUNCH OF MONEY TO PUT SOLAR ONTO.

AND SHOULD WE BE CHANGING THE LEVEL OF SOLAR SUBSIDIES IN ORDER TO INCREASE, TO GET ENERGY EFFICIENCY PACKAGED INTO PRIOR TO SOLAR SIZING SO THAT THEY'RE DOING A COMPLETE FACILITY UPGRADE, NOT JUST A SOLAR ADD-ON TO POTENTIALLY INEFFICIENT FACILITY.

WITH THAT SAID, I'M NOT GOING TO HOLD UP APPROVAL OF THIS OR THE OTHER IMMEDIATE PV SUBSIDIES BEFORE US NOW, BUT IT'S SOMETHING THAT I'M GOING TO ASK US ALL TO WORK ON IN THE FUTURE.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

ARE THERE ANY OTHER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS FROM COMMISSIONERS? OKAY.

I WOULD LIKE TO MOVE APPROVAL OF ITEM FIVE.

IS THERE A SECOND? A SECOND, PLEASE CALL THE ROLL.

UH,

[00:25:01]

MS. GOODWIN.

COMMISSIONER ROBBINS? YES.

COMMISSIONER SILVERSTEIN? YES.

COMMISSIONER SCAFF? YES.

MOVING ON.

[6. Recommend approving the issuance of a capacity-based incentive to Westminster Presbyterian for the installation of solar electric systems on their facility located at 3208 Exposition Blvd., Austin, TX 78703, in an amount not to exceed $82,215.]

ITEM SIX, RECOMMEND APPROVING THE ISSUANCE OF A CAPACITY BASED INCENTIVE TO WESTMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN FOR THE INSTALLATION OF SOLAR ELECTRIC SYSTEMS ON THEIR FACILITY LOCATED AT 32 0 8 EXPOSITION BOULEVARD, AUSTIN, TEXAS 7 8 7 0 3 IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $82,215.

COMMISSIONERS.

ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS, UH, ON THIS ITEM? I CAN HEAR A PIN DROP.

HEARING NONE.

UH, I'D LIKE TO MOVE APPROVAL.

UM, IS THERE A SECOND END AND SECOND.

WE HAVE, UM, I THINK, UH, TWO PEOPLE THAT HAVE SECONDED THIS.

COULD YOU PLEASE CALL THE ROLE COMMISSIONER ROBBINS? YES.

COMMISSIONER FARMER ? YES.

COMMISSIONER SILVERSTEIN.

COMMISSIONER S SCAFF? YES.

YES.

FINALLY,

[7. Recommend approving the issuance of a capacity-based incentive to Westminster Manor for the installation of solar electric systems on their facility located at 4300 Bull Creek Rd. Austin, TX 78731, in an amount not to exceed $144,936.]

RECOMMEND APPROVING THE ISSUANCE OF A CAPACITY BASED INCENTIVE ON WESTMINSTER MANOR.

UH, IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN, THAT'S, UH, UH, HOME FOR SENIOR CITIZENS.

UM, RECOMMEND APPROVING THE ISSUANCE OF THE CAPACITY BASED INCENTIVE TO WESTMINSTER MANOR FOR THE INSTALLATION OF SOLAR ELECTRIC SYSTEMS ON THEIR FACILITY AT 4,300 BULL CREEK ROAD, AUSTIN, TEXAS 7 8 7 3 1 IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $144,936.

UH, COMMISSIONERS, ARE THERE ANY COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS ON THIS ITEM? HEARING NONE, I WOULD LIKE TO MOVE APPROVAL.

UH, IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND.

PLEASE, UH, CALL, UH, BEFORE, SO I'M, I'M FOLLOWING PROCEDURE CORRECTLY.

UH, THERE, THERE IS ONE COMMENT THAT I WOULD BRIEFLY LIKE TO MAKE, WHEREAS, UH, UH, COMMISSIONER SILVERSTEIN, UH, TALKED ABOUT SOMETHING THAT SHE WAS INTERESTED IN.

UM, SOMETHING THAT I WOULD LIKE STAFF TO LOOK AT IN THE FUTURE, AND THAT I THINK STAFF IS KIND OF ALREADY LOOKING AT IS, UH, GIVING, UH, REBATES FOR, UH, DISPATCHABILITY.

IT'S NOT GOING TO HELP AUSTIN ENERGY, UH, NEARLY AS MUCH IF A SOLAR ARRAY IS GENERATING AT HIGH NOON, UH, AS IF IT'S GOING TO BE GENERATING AT FIVE IN THE AFTERNOON ON A HOT SUMMER DAY.

AND IT'S EVEN GOING TO BE BETTER IF THIS WERE MORE FLEXIBLE AND GOING FROM FIVE TO EIGHT IN THE EVENING.

SO I AM HOPING THAT SOME POINT SOMETIME IN THE FUTURE, UH, STAFF WILL COME UP WITH A PROPOSAL THAT WILL, UH, MODIFY THE, UH, PERFORMANCE BASED INCENTIVE SO THAT IT DEALS WITH, UH, PEAK AND EXTENDED PEAK DEMAND.

UM, THAT SAID, UH, COULD YOU PLEASE CALL THE ROLE MS. GOODWIN? COMMISSIONER ROBBINS? YES.

COMMISSIONER SILVERSTEIN? YES.

COMMISSIONER SCAFF? YES.

AND MS. GOODWIN, DO WE NEED TO ALSO VOTE ON THE MINUTES APPROVAL? THANK YOU

THESE ARE OUR MUST DO ITEMS FOR TONIGHT.

UH, MR. VICE CHAIR, EXCUSE ME.

[1. Approve the minutes of the Resource Management Commission Regular Meeting on October 17, 2023. (Part 2 of 2)]

[00:30:01]

FOR YOUR KEEN ATTENTION TO DETAIL.

YES, WE DO.

HERE TO HELP.

UM, DO WE HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE, UH, MINUTES? SO MOVED.

COULD YOU PLEASE CALL THE WRONG I SECOND.

COMMISSIONER ROBBINS? YES.

COMMISSIONER KARA GOTTI.

APPROVE.

COMMISSIONER SILVERSTEIN.

COMMISSIONER SINI? YEP.

YES.

APPROVED.

I WISH I HAD MY HEAD ON SOMETIMES.

COMMISSIONER SILVERSTEIN.

UH, UH, COMMISSIONER

[2. Staff briefing regarding the Home Performance with Energy Star Program by Holly Prosser, Energy Efficiency Services Manager of Austin Energy. (Part 2 of 2)]

CAROTTI, I AM, UM, UM, INSPIRED BY YOUR, UH, WILLINGNESS TO DIG INTO THESE MATTERS.

AND I THINK YOU WOULD PROBABLY LIKE TO, UH, RESUME, UH, YOUR QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS ON, UH, OUR STAFF BRIEFING ON, UH, THE PROGRAM TO SUCCEED, HOME PERFORMANCE AND ENERGY STAR.

SO PLEASE PROCEED.

UM, SO NOW I FORGOT MY QUESTION.

UM, I THINK YOU WERE ASKING ABOUT REBATES ON THE WEBSITE.

YEAH, SO, SO I GUESS THE CUSTOMER COMING IN AND UNDERSTANDING WHERE THE REBATES ARE AND HOW TO GET TO THEM, I GUESS THAT'S KIND OF MY MAIN CONCERN RIGHT NOW.

AND HOW YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT HOW CUSTOMERS AREN'T REALLY SURE AND HOW TO GET THERE AND HOW THEY'RE CONFUSED AND WHEN THEY ACTUALLY ARE THERE.

SO I THINK A CLEANUP OF WEBSITE IS ONE.

I DON'T KNOW IF Y'ALL ARE DOING THAT OR NOT.

UM, WE ARE, YES.

THAT, THAT WILL BE PART OF THE LAUNCH OF OUR HOME ENERGY SAVINGS PROGRAM.

ALRIGHT.

WELL, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.

ABSOLUTELY.

ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? THIS IS ALLISON SILVERSTEIN.

I, I HAVE A QUESTION WITH RESPECT TO THE, UM, WEBSITE AND THE NEW PATH WITH THE QUIZ.

MM-HMM.

, I WANT OBSERVE THAT AUSTIN HAS A LOT OF OLD PEOPLE AND OLD PEOPLE AREN'T ALL UNIFORMLY GOOD AT DOING ONLINE STUFF.

IT'S NOT A CONSISTENTLY EFFECTIVE PATH TO GET PEOPLE THROUGH A PROCESS AND MIGHT BE.

AND, AND, AND I'M JUST WONDERING IF YOU HAVE THOUGHT OF WAYS TO, THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE FOR WHOM THIS PATH WILL WORK, BUT THERE'S ALSO A LOT OF PEOPLE FOR WHOM IT WILL NOT.

AND PARTICULARLY AS AN EQUITY ISSUE, I WANT TO ENCOURAGE US TO THINK ABOUT HOW TO INCREASE ACCESSIBILITY IN RECRUITING FOR FOLKS WHO ARE NOT FOR WHOM ONLINE QUIZZES ARE NOT THEIR, THEIR LOVE LANGUAGE.

AND IF THINK I JUST ADD TO THAT, UH, CUSTOMERS WHO ARE ON A FIXED INCOME, UM, THAT IS, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING OF HIGH CONCERN FOR OUR WEATHERIZATION PROGRAM.

UH, WE'VE MADE SURE TO OFFER APPLICATIONS FOR OUR WEATHERIZATION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM AT OUR BILLING CENTERS.

SO IT'S FOR OUR LESS TECH SAVVY, UM, CUSTOMERS OUT THERE IF THEY ARE IN A BILLING CENTER.

UH, WE'VE TALKED TO THE, OUR BILLING CENTER REPS AND THEY WILL DIRECT A CUSTOMER TO THAT.

AND I THINK PERHAPS, YOU KNOW, KIND OF ONCE WE GET THROUGH THIS FIRST ITERATION, WE MIGHT FIND A WAY TO, UM, BRING SOMETHING LIKE AN ONLINE QUIZ OR, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING WE HAVEN'T THOUGHT OF YET TO A BILLING CENTER THAT WOULD PROVIDE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR, UH, YOU KNOW, OUR, AGAIN, LESS TECH SAVVY CUSTOMERS TO ACCESS, UH, HOME ENERGY SAVINGS.

SO, EXCELLENT POINT.

SORRY, I HAVE ONE MORE QUESTION.

DO YOU, IS THERE ANYONE ONLINE? YES.

GO AHEAD.

HEY, UH, TREY FARMER, UM, YOU MENTIONED THE INFLATION REDUCTION ACT AND I WAS WONDERING IF, UM, YOU KNOW, AS YOU'RE COLLECTING INFORMATION THROUGH A QUIZ, IF THERE'S ANY THOUGHT ABOUT, UH, THE OUTCOME OF THE QUIZ ALSO POINTING TOWARDS REBATES THAT WOULD BE AVAILABLE THROUGH FEDERAL, UH, MONEY.

EDUCATION TO CUSTOMERS AND ASSISTANCE.

UM, SHOULD THE STATE OF TEXAS, UH, DECIDE TO ACCESS THOSE REBATES? I THINK WE'RE KIND OF SETTING US OURSELVES UP FOR A SUCCESS WHERE WE COULD EASILY ADD SOMETHING LIKE THAT FEATURE INTO AN ONLINE QUIZ AND PROVIDE THAT EXTRA

[00:35:01]

IT'S A GREAT IDEA.

SO, UM, AS FAR AS THE TRIGGERS THAT HOW YOU CAN GET A REBATE FOR THIS, ARE THOSE LISTED CLEARLY OR WILL THEY BE LISTED CLEARLY? 'CAUSE I KNOW THAT SOMETIMES WHENEVER YOU GO TO THE WEBSITE, I WAS JUST LOOKING AT IT, UM, IT'S LIKE, SO HOW CAN YOU GET A REBATE FOR THIS? IS IT JUST WEATHERIZATION? LIKE YEAH, AND I TOTALLY SEE AND HEAR YOU ON THE WEBSITE.

IT HAS ALSO BEEN SOMETHING WE HAVE SPENT MANY HOURS OUR STAFF TALKING ABOUT HOW TO, HOW TO, UH, HAVE A BETTER, MORE ACCESSIBLE WEBSITE BECAUSE I A HUNDRED PERCENT AGREE.

UH, RIGHT NOW WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF OVERHAULING IT.

SO I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT IT'S GOING TO LOOK LIKE.

UH, WE'RE, UH, USING, UM, OUR COMPANY CALLED ESOURCE TO KIND OF HELP US UNDERSTAND THE BEST WAY TO, UM, DRAW ATTENTION AND INTEREST AND CLEARLY PRESENT THAT INFORMATION.

UM, I DON'T, WE DON'T HAVE THAT IN A FINAL FORMAT YET, AND WE'RE STILL KIND OF IDEATING RIGHT NOW.

UM, BUT I 100% AGREE THAT, UH, IT'S TIME TO KIND OF CLEAN THINGS UP AND, AND MAKE IT CLEANER AND EASIER FOR OUR CUSTOMER TO UNDERSTAND.

AND THE ADD-ON WITH, UH, WHAT COMMISSIONER SILVERSTEIN SAID, YOU KNOW, ALSO ANNOUNCING THIS, YOU KNOW, I KNOW YOU, WHEN YOU DO THE BILLS PAPER BILLING, YOU KNOW, IT CAN SEND OUT TO THE FOLKS WHO AREN'T AS COMPUTER SAVVY AS WELL, JUST TO INFORM THEM.

THERE'S A, THERE'S ONE OF THE WEBSITES, AUSTIN ENERGY.COM/GO/TIPS, KIND OF THE BEST WEBSITE THAT HAS LIKE ALL OF THE REBATES LISTED IN ONE PLACE.

THAT'S FREQUENTLY WHERE I DIRECT CUSTOMERS.

AND I THINK THAT CAN BE A FORMAT THAT WE USE TO KIND OF, UM, PROVIDE ADDITIONAL RESOURCES.

YOU'RE SAYINGS, THERE IS A WEBSITE THAT HAS THE CITY OF AUSTIN REBATES IN ONE PLACE? JUST THE AUSTIN ENERGY, NOT, OH, JUST AUSTIN.

IF I MAY, ANOTHER QUESTION PLEASE, HOLLY? SURE.

I PO THIS IS ALLISON SILVERSTEIN.

I APOLOGIZE FOR NOT KNOWING THE ANSWER TO THIS ALREADY.

TWO, TWO RELATED QUESTIONS.

ONE OF THEM IS, WAS AUSTIN ENERGY ONE OF THE UTILITIES THAT MOVED TO VIRTUAL AUDITS DURING COVID? AND DO YOU OFFER THOSE TODAY? WE LOOKED INTO VIRTUAL PRODUCTS, UM, NO AUDITS, HOME ENERGY AUDITS, VIRTUAL AUDITS.

UH, WE NEVER MOVED FULLY INTO A VIRTUAL HOME AUDIT.

I THINK FOR THE LEVEL OF SERVICE AUSTIN ENERGY WANTS TO PROVIDE OUR CUSTOMERS, IT'S HARD TO, UM, REPLACE KIND OF THAT FACE-TO-FACE ENGAGEMENT OF HAVING SOMEONE PHYSICALLY IN YOUR HOUSE, UM, TAKING A LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, UH, ALL THE, THE POSSIBILITIES FOR A HOME.

BUT I, I THINK IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE DON'T WANNA EVER, UM, NOT CONSIDER.

AND IF WE KIND OF GET HOME ENERGY SAVINGS LAUNCHED, I THINK IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN CONSIDER IF THERE'S AN ADDITIONAL WAY TO OFFER A VIRTUAL PRODUCT SERVICE.

UM, SO IT'S WORTH THINKING ABOUT AND ENGAGING WITH THAT IDEA.

THERE WERE A BUNCH OF ANALYSES AND EXPERIENCES REPORTED ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF VIRTUAL HOME ENERGY AUDITS AT LAST YEAR'S AC EEE SUMMER STUDY PROGRAM.

SO YOU MIGHT WANNA LOOK AT SOME OF THOSE.

THINK THAT'S A GREAT IDEA.

BECAUSE IT MIGHT BE A NICE COMPLIMENT TO WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO DO HERE WITH HOME ENERGY SAVINGS.

THE OTHER THING THAT I'M WONDERING ABOUT IS, GIVEN THE COMPLEXITY OF HOME ENERGY USES AND DECISIONS AND THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT'S RIDING ON THEM AND THE LACK OF OTHER, OF MOST CITIZENS' FAMILIARITY, I'M THINKING BACK TO WHAT FOUNDATION COMMUNITIES AND THE HEALTH ALLIANCE AUSTIN MUSICIANS DOES EVERY YEAR DURING, UM, HEALTH INSURANCE ENROLLMENT, WHICH IS WE USE TRAIN NAVIGATORS TO WORK TO INTERVIEW CUSTOMERS AND LIKE HAND MEMBERS OR OTHER LOW INCOME FOLKS AND, AND WORK WITH THEM SPECIFICALLY ABOUT WHAT ARE YOUR CONDITIONS, WHAT ARE YOUR CONCERNS, WHAT IS YOUR INCOME? LET'S HELP YOU FIND THE PROGRAM THAT WORKS FOR YOU.

AND TRAINED NAVIGATORS ARE NOT LOW COST, BUT THEY ARE EXTRAORDINARILY EFFECTIVE AT SAVING TIME AND HELPING THE CUSTOMER FIND A SOLUTION THAT WORKS.

AND SO I'M WONDERING TO WHAT DEGREE WE COULD MOVE TOWARD THAT KIND OF OFFERING, PARTICULARLY FOR, UM, CUSTOMERS WITH LESS ENERGY LITERACY AND LIMITED CASH.

YEAH, I

[00:40:01]

WE HAVE, I HAVE PRESENTED TO, UM, I THINK IT'S THE OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY'S, UH, CLIMATE NAVIGATORS, UM, WHO ARE THERE TO HELP EXACTLY AS YOU SAID, GUIDE LOW INCOME AND VULNERABLE POPULATIONS TO RESOURCES, UM, AS THEY KIND OF FACE THESE TUMULTUOUS, UH, TIMES.

UM, AND SO WE'VE, WE'VE ALREADY KIND OF STEPPED OUR TOE A LITTLE BIT INTO THAT SPACE, BUT I KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF INTEREST HERE AT THAT, HERE AT AUSTIN ENERGY AND, UH, WHAT WE CAN DO FURTHER.

SO YES, I WOULD AGREE.

COMMISSIONERS.

ARE THERE ANY OTHER, THERE, THERE MUST BE OTHER QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS.

I I HAVE ANOTHER ONE.

SORRY.

GO FOR IT.

UM, FOR THE PEOPLE WHO ARE RENTING THEIR HOMES THAT PROBABLY NEED MORE WEATHERIZATION AND EFFICIENCY THAN ANY OTHER HOME, HOW ARE YOU DEALING WITH THAT? SO RENTERS ARE ELIGIBLE FOR BOTH PROGRAMS. IT'S A LITTLE DIFFERENT IN HOW THEY WOULD ACCESS, UH, A RENTER, UH, CAN APPLY DIRECTLY FOR THE WEATHERIZATION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM AND PARTICIPATE AT NO COST TO THEM SO LONG AS THEY GET, UH, PERMISSION FROM THE LANDLORD AND, UH, FOR HOME ENERGY SAVINGS, THE OWNER OF THE PROPERTY CAN GO THROUGH HOME ENERGY SAVINGS, UM, AND, AND RETROFIT AND RENOVATE, UH, OR RETROFIT THE, THE HOME.

UM, SO THERE, THERE ARE AVENUES FOR RENTERS BOTH THROUGH OUR, UH, LOW INCOME OFFERINGS AND OUR, UH, MARKET BASED SOLUTION.

OH, CAN I DO ONE MORE? SURE.

TWO ARE, ARE, ARE YOU ALL USING PROGRAMS LIKE WHAT OPOWER, I DON'T KNOW WHO THEY ARE TODAY, BUT OPOWER USED TO DO, UM, AI ANALYSES OF CUSTOMERS ENERGY USAGE PATTERNS, AND THEN SEND THEM, UM, STATISTICALLY BASED RECOMMENDATIONS ON HERE'S HOW YOU CAN SAVE ENERGY AND IF YOU WANNA SPEND CASH HERE ARE BEHI BEYOND BEHAVIORAL MEASURES.

THAT BY LOOKING AT YOUR ENERGY USE, WE SHOULD SAY THIS IN A NON-CREEPY WAY.

UM, WE COULD RECOMMEND ADDITIONAL THINGS THAT WOULD MAKE YOUR HOME MORE ENERGY EFFICIENT AND YOUR BILLS LOWER.

ARE Y'ALL DOING THAT KIND OF THING OR CONSIDERING IT? I CAN'T REALLY SPEAK TO THE O POWER TOOLS.

UH, IT'S OUTSIDE OF MY, UH, EXPERTISE.

I DO UNDERSTAND THAT WE DO HAVE SOME O POWER TOOLS, BUT I'M, I CAN'T SPEAK TO THOSE.

I'M SORRY.

WELL, THERE ARE CURRENT VERSIONS OF THE IDEA THAT WE USE STATISTICAL ANALYSIS TO DO PROSPECTING AND GO OUT TO CUSTOMERS FOR WHOM THE STATISTICAL ANALYSIS REVEALS OPPORTUNITY AND NEED.

YEAH, I THINK THAT WOULD BE GREAT.

I MEAN, I THINK THAT THAT CAN BE PART OF OUR DATA DRIVEN SOLUTION, YOU KNOW, FOR LOOKING AT ADDITIONAL HOMES THAT MAY BE ELIGIBLE OR, UM, YOU KNOW, APPLY AN EQUITY LENS TO SEE WHAT POPULATIONS WE MIGHT BE MISSING SUCH AS, YOU KNOW, UM, NON-ENGLISH SPEAKING OR CUSTOMERS ON A FIXED INCOME.

UM, I, I JUST CAN'T SPEAK TO WHAT O POWER CURRENTLY OFFERS HERE, BUT DEFINITELY SOMETHING TO INVESTIGATE.

OH YEAH, OAK POWER ISN'T THE ISSUE.

IT'S THE HIGHER LEVEL IDEA ABOUT STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF USE FOR OUTGOING PROSPECTING AND RECOMMENDATIONS RATHER THAN JUST WAITING FOR THE CUSTOMER TO FIND YOU.

WAITING ON KIND OF THE FINAL RESULTS OF THE SEASON TO COME THROUGH AND WE'LL MAKE AN ASSESSMENT LIKELY SOMETIME IN JANUARY OR FEBRUARY AS TO WHETHER WE ARE GOING TO, UH, RE-UP OR SCALE THE PILOT FOR NEXT YEAR.

UM, GOOD EVENING, COMMISSIONER SARAH NORRIS, A DIRECTOR OF ENERGY EFFICIENCY SERVICES.

AND I JUST WANTED REALLY QUICKLY, UM, COMMISSIONER SILVERSTEIN TO COMMENT ON, WE DID USE OPOWER.

WE DID A BEHAVIORAL DEMAND RESPONSE PILOT THIS SUMMER, UM, THAT DID EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE REFERRING TO.

AND WE USED THEIR TOOLS TO, UM, TO MEASURE, YOU KNOW, THE SORT OF BEHAVIORAL IMPACTS DURING A DEMAND RESPONSE EVENT AND ALSO MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS TOWARDS OUR PROGRAMS FOR WAYS THAT CUSTOMERS COULD BOTH THROUGH BEHAVIOR AND THROUGH INVESTMENT, UH, REDUCE THEIR ENERGY USAGE.

SO I WANTED TO SHARE WITH YOU THAT THAT IS, UH, PILOT THAT WE UNDERTOOK THIS SUMMER.

AND, UH, WE DO USE OPOWER IN A VARIETY OF WAYS FOR OUR CUSTOMERS AND OUR DIGITAL SELF-SERVICE TOOLS.

SO, THANK YOU SARAH.

SO WHAT WAS YOUR CONCLUSION ABOUT THE EXPERIMENT? WAS IT A GOOD IDEA OR SOMETHING THAT, EH, UM, WE ARE STILL ANALYZING THE DATA.

WE ACTUALLY JUST GOT, I THINK THE FINAL, THERE'S, THERE'S KIND OF A DELAY IN THE DATA.

'CAUSE AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, IT'S A FAIRLY, UM, DEEP ANALYTICAL EFFORT TO YEAH.

AND SUMMER NEVER ENDED .

IT'S TRUE.

WE ARE, IT'S, IT WAS STILL QUITE WARM TODAY, SO YOU NEVER KNOW.

UM, BUT YEAH, SO WE, YOU KNOW, WE ACTUALLY RAN THE PILOT THROUGH THE END OF OCTOBER, SO WE'RE STILL

[00:45:01]

UM, BUT I WILL SHARE WITH YOU THAT WE DO ALSO USE OO POWER FOR COMMUNICATIONS WITH OUR CUSTOMERS THROUGH OUR BILLING SYSTEM.

AND WE DO, CUSTOMERS CAN OPT IN TO COMMUNICATIONS ABOUT WHERE THEIR ENERGY USAGE HAS FALLEN, UM, COMPARED TO PREVIOUS WEEKS OR FUTURE WEEKS.

I MYSELF RECEIVE THAT.

AND, UH, I ENCOURAGE YOU ALSO, UH, IT'S AN OPTION THAT YOU CAN OPT INTO ON THE, UM, AUSTIN ENERGY, UH, DIGITAL SELF-SERVICE WEBSITE.

SO WE DO USE THAT AS A UTILITY MORE BROADLY.

UM, AND WE USE THAT AS A MEANS OF FUNNELING FOLKS INTO OUR PROGRAMS. BUT I CERTAINLY THINK THAT THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES TO, UM, PUT OUR THUMB ON THE SCALE MORE AS NEEDED.

SORRY.

UM, UM, ARE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FROM COMMISSIONERS? UM, COMMISSIONER SILVERSTEIN? NO, SIR.

I GUESS I HAVE A COUPLE AND I WILL TRY TO KEEP THEM BRIEF 'CAUSE WE HAVE ONE MORE BRIEFING.

UH, ONE, IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING, AND YOU'VE KIND OF CONFIRMED IT, THAT THE STATE IS GOING TO BE MANAGING THE RULES FOR THE IRA FUNDS AND HAVE YOU HEARD ANYTHING I CALLED ABOUT A WEEK AGO AND NEVER GOT A CALL BACK.

I THOUGHT, WELL, YOU KNOW, I'M JUST A HUMBLE VICE CHAIR OF THE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT COMMISSION, BUT YOU ACTUALLY WORK FOR THE UTILITY.

MAYBE THEY RETURN YOUR CALL.

I MEAN, I THINK THEY'RE KEEPING THEIR CARDS PRETTY CLOSE TO THEIR CHEST.

UH, THE STATE OF TEXAS HAS UNTIL AUGUST TO DECIDE WHETHER THEY WILL ACCEPT THE FUNDS OR NOT.

SO THERE'S NOT A WHOLE LOT OF ACTIONABLE INFORMATION FOR US TO, TO MOVE FORWARD ON, UNFORTUNATELY.

SO, SO IT COULD BE MORE THAN HALF A YEAR BEFORE, YOU KNOW, COULD BE AUGUST, CORRECT? YEAH.

UH, IT'S THE STATE ENERGY CONSERVATION OFFICE THAT IS WORKING ON IT.

SO, WELL, I'VE NEVER THOUGHT THAT THEY WERE INCOMPETENT.

I THINK THAT I, I THINK IT'S A FEDERAL, UM, BUT DO THEY HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL AUGUST? I, I, I DON'T, I'M NOT SURE.

I'M SORRY.

I DON'T HAVE THAT INFORMATION.

I, MY UNDERSTANDING IS I THINK THERE'S A FEDERAL DEADLINE THAT'S IN AUGUST, BUT I, I DON'T KNOW IF THEY CAN ACCEPT THAT SOONER.

I THINK THEY'RE STILL GETTING INFORMATION FROM THE DOE, BUT I, I REALLY AM NOT, UM, YET AN EXPERT ON, UH, WHERE THAT IS CURRENTLY.

WELL, I'VE ALWAYS CONSIDERED THAT OFFICE COMPETENT AND IT DOESN'T SEEM LIKE A GOOD IDEA SPEAKING OFFHAND TO WAIT TILL THE LAST MINUTE.

YEAH, I CAN'T, I CAN'T SPEAK TO IT.

I DON'T WANNA START ANY RUMORS EITHER.

LIKE I, I THINK THEY'RE PROBABLY JUST FOLLOWING THE RULES THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY HAS PUT OUT.

SO I DON'T THINK IT'S ANYTHING TO DO WITH COMPETENCE.

BUT THE OTHER, UH, THING THAT I'M GOING TO MR. VICE CHAIR, MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THIS IS THE, THE TEXAS DECISION TO APPLY THE STATE ENERGY CONSERVATION OFFICE LEADERSHIP IS MORE THAN WILLING TO APPLY FOR THE IRA AND IIJA CASH FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY.

HOWEVER, IT IS NOT THEIR ULTIMATE DECISION.

THIS IS GONNA BE A DECISION THAT'S UP TO THE STATE COMPTROLLER.

AND SO THERE WILL BE REGRETTABLY, TOTAL POLITICS INVOLVED IN THAT DECISION RATHER THAN MERELY COMMON SENSE.

SO STAY TUNED.

THANK YOU FOR THE, UM, INFORMATION, UH, ON A, I HAVE ONE OTHER THING I'D LIKE TO, UH, BRING UP VERY BRIEFLY, AND I'M SAYING THIS IN, THIS IS GOING TO COME OUT HYPERCRITICAL, BUT IT'S NOT NECESSARILY MEANT TO BE.

BUT, UH, THE, UH, HOME PERFORMANCE PROGRAM USED TO BE THE FLAGSHIP PROGRAM FOR, UH, RESIDENTIAL EFFORTS.

AND IT GOT CHANGED, UH, I GUESS ABOUT SEVEN OR EIGHT,

[00:50:02]

SIX TO EIGHT YEARS AGO.

I CANNOT GIVE YOU THE EXACT DATE, BUT WHEN IT CHANGED, PARTICIPATION WENT DOWN ABOUT 70%.

AND IN, UH, DISCUSSIONS WITH CONTRACTORS, UH, WHO WORKED ON THE PROGRAM, UH, THE BIGGEST CRITICISM THEY GAVE WAS BUREAUCRACY, UH, THAT THERE WERE CONFLICTING RULES THAT, UH, THE PROGRAMS WERE TOO HARD TO MANAGE.

I KNOW THAT YOU HAVE TRIED TO WORK THROUGH ALL THESE, UH, I KNOW THAT YOU ARE OPTIMISTIC ABOUT, UM, ABOUT THESE NEW CHANGES.

UH, I WISH YOU THE BEST ON THEM.

UH, THANK YOU.

I JUST, UM, I'M JUST SAYING THAT, UM, UM, THIS HAS BEEN MIRED, THIS HAS BEEN STUCK FOR A LONG TIME.

UM, I, UH, I HOPE, UH, IN SEVERAL MONTHS YOU CAN COME BACK TO US WITH SOME, UH, STATISTICALLY GOOD NEWS.

AND IF I COULD JUST ADD, YOU KNOW, SEVEN YEARS AGO, THE WEATHERIZATION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM, YOU WOULD'VE SAID WAS MIRED IN BUREAUCRACY.

AND WE'VE MANAGED TO TURN IT AROUND.

AND SO WE WANNA TAKE THE LESSONS WE'VE LEARNED FROM THE WEATHERIZATION PROGRAM AND APPLY IT TO HOME ENERGY SAVINGS.

AND WE'RE REALLY HOPING TO SEE KIND OF, UH, UH, A RETURN OF, UM, HAVE TWO FLAGSHIP PROGRAMS, BASICALLY IS MY GOAL.

SO GOOD.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

UH, AND HEY, UM, I, CAN I JUMP IN ONE SEC REAL QUICK? PLEASE, PLEASE.

UM, OOPS, SORRY.

OFF VIDEO.

UM, I JUST, ONE ON THE, MY EARLIER QUESTION ABOUT THE IRA FUNDING, I KNOW THERE'S THIS STUFF HAPPENING IN THE STATE, BUT THERE ARE, YOU KNOW, THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN TAX CREDITS, WHICH ADMITTEDLY ARE FOR, YOU KNOW, LIKE MIDDLE AND HIGHER INCOME INDIVIDUALS.

BUT, YOU KNOW, IF YOU'RE DOING A QUESTIONNAIRE ASKING ABOUT PEOPLE'S INCOME AND THEIR HOMES AND EVERYTHING, LIKE LETTING 'EM KNOW THAT THERE'S ALSO A $2,000 TAX CREDIT FOR DOING HEAT PUMP, HOT WATER HEATER, OR GOING TO HEAT PUMP, AC, ET CETERA, UM, SEEMS LIKE, YOU KNOW, AN EASY, EASY LIFT TO LIKE ADD MORE CASH TO THE, UH, EQUATION FOR HOMEOWNERS.

YES, THAT'S A GREAT IDEA.

I BELIEVE THE OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY IS WORKING ON A WEBSITE TO KIND OF PROVIDE MORE INFORMATION.

AND SO MAYBE IT'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO DIRECT PEOPLE TO, TO THAT WEBSITE OR INCORPORATE THAT INFORMATION INTO OUR QUIZ.

BUT EXCELLENT IDEA.

ARE THERE ANY OTHER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS? UM, I MISPRONOUNCED YOUR NAME THE FIRST TIME.

UH, IT IS HOLLY PROSSER.

THAT'S RIGHT.

PROSSER.

VERY GOOD.

UH, WE, UH, I LOOK FORWARD TO WELCOMING WELCOMING YOU BACK.

IT'S BEEN A, A DELIGHT.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

WE HAVE

[3. Staff briefing regarding a quarterly update of the Water Conservation Program by Kevin Kluge, Environmental Conservation Division Manager of Austin Water.]

ONE OTHER BRIEFING.

UH, KEVIN KLUGE WITH THE ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION DIVISION.

HE IS THE MAN, UH, THE MANAGER.

UH, AND THIS IS FROM AUSTIN WATER.

UM, AND THIS IS A QUARTERLY UPDATE.

TAKE IT AWAY.