Energy

The Green Infrastructure Funding Opportunities page provide information on federal funding opportunities and funding tools for green infrastructure projects.

The Green Power Partnership (GPP) is a voluntary EPA program that encourages the voluntary use of green power as a means of accelerating the growth of the U.S. renewable energy market.

The Home Energy Score helps homeowners to understand their home's energy performance and how to improve it cost-effectively.

The International Sustainable Campus Network (ISCN) brings together colleges and universities from around the world to collaborate on integrating sustainability into all aspects of academic operations.

LEED certifies that any type of building (residential, commercial, industrial) is considered resource-efficient.

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 the Texas State Energy Conservation Office (SECO) regarding the entity's progress and efforts to meet the five percent annual reduction goal. Reports should be submitted online to SECO by February 1 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.

The National Solar Schools Census highlights schools that have already adopted solar technology in an effort to promote the sharing of ideas and best practices with those schools currently seeking to adopt solar energy.

The North Central Texas Council of Governments Environment and Development Department's YouTube channel. Educational explainer videos, webinar presentations, and other video resources are posted here.

The NCTCOG whitepaper Integration of Energy Resilience into Hazard Mitigation Planning is intended to provide local governments and hazard mitigation planners with an assortment of energy resilience options to consider for incorporation into their Hard Mitigation Plans. The whitepaper is accompanied by the complementing Best Management Practices for Incorporating Energy Resilience into Hazard Mitigation Planning.

Texas is accustomed to extreme swings in weather and natural disasters which can impact the reliability and availability of energy services. These disasters are expected to increase as we deal with the impacts of a changing climate, leaving local governments in a position where more than ever they may need to consider incorporating energy resilience plans into their Hazard Mitigation Plans. 

Some of the options outlined in the whitepaper are faster to implement with quick wins while others take a longer-range planning approach with significant investment to ensure the greatest measure of energy resilience. Communities are encouraged to consider which measures best suit their needs, capabilities, budget, scale, and desired level of energy resilience.