A very Happy New Year to you, our friends, and our partners! 2025 promises to be eventful; our plate is brimming with an array of projects aimed at solving some of the most pressing energy needs of our neighbors. We are enthusiastic, curious, and engaged!
In this spirit, we present our 2025 Outlook. Our robust portfolio of 2025 projects represents promising pathways to advance affordable, reliable, and clean energy for households contending with lower incomes.
Over the next decade, we are working to create an energy landscape that includes better access to energy efficiency programs, affordable solar, and energy innovations for all. The energy future is dynamic, and we are excited to be developing solutions that will prepare Texas for an inclusive and sustainable energy future!
RESEARCH AND PUBLICATIONS
LISTENING TO OUR COMMUNITIES
Our work is grounded by the priorities of the people we serve. TEPRI’s research agenda focuses on better understanding the concerns and priorities of people whose incomes put them at risk of not meeting their basic energy needs. The data we have collected, through comprehensive surveying of households, expand our collective understanding of low-income communities and their relationships with energy.
- Community Voices in Energy Survey 2.0: Through our statewide survey, we aim to understand the experiences and priorities of people with lower incomes. Using our comprehensive survey responses, data on demographics, and heat maps to identify areas with high energy burdens, we are updating our 13 regional reports and statewide summary report in a more visual format. Additionally, we are releasing new insights in topical reports that highlight the priorities and unique challenges around affordable and reliable energy for lower-income households.
- Resilience Hubs with Distributed Power Plants Report: TEPRI will be releasing a 3-phased report that provides a roadmap and shares our process for equipping multi-family housing and community centers with solar and storage systems, creating vital lifelines during grid-wide outages. The reports will detail the considerations and process for enrolling in virtual power plant programs that aim to maximize financial benefits and could help pay for the assets over time.
NEW MODELS
PILOTING MODELS FOR EQUITABLE ENERGY SERVICES
TEPRI’s research informs our development of innovative models that test scalable solutions for providing affordable, reliable, and clean energy for households with lower incomes.
- Affordable Solar Models
- TEPRI supports the delivery of solar programs for low-income households through Solar for All projects in Brownsville, Laredo, El Paso, and San Antonio. We are working with partner jurisdictions to design and deliver residential rooftop and community solar programs including robust community engagement and workforce development–and a bill savings goal of at least 20% per household. The programs will leverage incentives and efficiency programs to maximize impact.
- TEPRI is helping address solar cost and financing barriers by developing a standard solar “option” on efficient manufactured modular homes designed for low-income families in the Brownsville area. Working with affordable home developer, come dream. come build, and bcWorkshop, we are evaluating the most cost-effective and customer-preferred package for the solar options- including education, financing, and solar-ready design alternatives- with a plan to scale to additional low-income areas.
- TEPRI is working in partnership with the Texas Solar Energy Society and Frontier Energy to expand the uses of federal Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) and Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) dollars for residential solar. Some homes are good candidates for solar to reduce energy bills and access renewable energy. The team aims to unlock solar as a competitive option within government programs to advance more equitable distribution of rooftop solar.
- TEPRI supports the delivery of solar programs for low-income households through Solar for All projects in Brownsville, Laredo, El Paso, and San Antonio. We are working with partner jurisdictions to design and deliver residential rooftop and community solar programs including robust community engagement and workforce development–and a bill savings goal of at least 20% per household. The programs will leverage incentives and efficiency programs to maximize impact.
- A Network of State-of-the-Art Resilience Hubs with Distributed Power Plants (DPPs)
- Develop State-of-the-Art Resilience Hubs at multi-family developments and community centers across the state. TEPRI is partnering with housing organizations and community centers to install solar, storage, and virtual powerplant technology on-site. The sites will be equipped with a range of services to ensure that residents have a safe place to shelter during an outage. Some of our notable projects include working with Foundation Communities to develop model Resilience Hubs at properties that house over 500 families in Arlington. We are also working with the Galveston Housing Authority, as well as neighborhood sites in Houston. Our goal is to explore the use of virtual power plant technology to maximize financial benefits while providing clean and reliable energy in the case of a future outage.
- TEPRI is participating in the Texas Public Utility Commission’s Aggregated Distributed Generation Resources (ADER) Taskforce. This task force, which includes major energy stakeholders and companies from across the state, is developing and evaluating a 3-year pilot on aggregating distributed energy resources through VPP technology to participate in the wholesale energy market. The result could be a more supported grid that utilizes clean, reliable, and affordable energy.
- Develop State-of-the-Art Resilience Hubs at multi-family developments and community centers across the state. TEPRI is partnering with housing organizations and community centers to install solar, storage, and virtual powerplant technology on-site. The sites will be equipped with a range of services to ensure that residents have a safe place to shelter during an outage. Some of our notable projects include working with Foundation Communities to develop model Resilience Hubs at properties that house over 500 families in Arlington. We are also working with the Galveston Housing Authority, as well as neighborhood sites in Houston. Our goal is to explore the use of virtual power plant technology to maximize financial benefits while providing clean and reliable energy in the case of a future outage.
- Energy Efficiency
- Connecting rural households to energy efficiency resources, TEPRI is providing energy efficiency education and resources to hard-to-reach areas of South Texas through the purchase of social media ad space that directs people to tailored resources. Our goal is to inform residents about the value of energy efficiency and to connect them to federal, state, and utility assistance programs that they can utilize to improve their homes.
TOOLS
BUILDING TOOLS FOR IMPROVED AND ACCELERATED ACCESS
TEPRI is improving and accelerating access to energy solutions by developing an array of tools that will make it easier for households with low incomes to access the resources they need.
- E4-TX, a Geo-Eligibility Tool. With initial funding from Oncor, TEPRI developed and hosts a geospatial tool to simplify eligibility of potential low-income program participants. Utility program contractors will utilize the tool to help verify participant addresses against two qualifying HUD data sets. The tool aims to reduce the barriers to enrolling low-income households in energy efficiency programs and increase their access and participation in programs, reducing their energy cost burdens. This year, we are expanding the tool to other utilities. Along with Oncor, TNMP, CenterPoint, and AEP Texas will be rolling out the tool.
- Energy Equity Inspector Tool. This tool is being upgraded with the newest data and better functionality to help identify energy burdens and pollution hot spots around the state. This year, we will release the tool publicly in an easy-to-use format to assist our nonprofit partners, such as Community Action Agencies and EE program administrators.
CONSULTING AND OTHER PARTNERSHIPS
SHARING OUR KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERTISE
We are also working with our partners at New Buildings and SPEER to ensure the perspectives of low-income households are front and center in the development of local resiliency planning. Additionally, we have worked with the Distributed Wind Energy Association to expand distributed wind in the agricultural industry.
TEPRI provides tailored consulting services to stakeholders interested in strategies to better meet the energy needs of households with high energy burdens and lower incomes. Our clients have included solar companies, utilities, and public entities interested in creating plans, products, or services that advance affordable, reliable, and clean energy solutions. Contact me at margo@tepri.org if you have a project that you would like to discuss!
TEPRI MEMBERSHIP
JOIN US
Our members provide us with the support, expertise, and partnership we need to thrive. Texas is home to 3.8 million low and moderate-income (LMI) energy customers. LMI households are particularly vulnerable to high energy burdens, especially with unstable energy prices and rising inflation. Our research identifies that LMI households make significant trade-offs of household needs, including medicine, clothing, and food, to afford energy.
Over the next decade, Texas will need to make strategic energy changes to improve grid stability and incorporate new technologies and diversified sources of energy into our market. Identifying the needs of the over 40% of LMI households in Texas will be the lynchpin to successfully developing and deploying an equitable energy transition. Please join us!
