Why Save Energy?

If you oversee a local government jurisdiction, you know how important it is to keep costs down. When you cut energy costs, you save tax dollars and help the environment. Here are some examples of how local governments within Texas are succeeding in doing just that.

Every time a light, a computer, or a motor is turned on, a power plant consumes fuel to generate electricity. When fossil fuels are burned to produce electricity, pollutants are released into the atmosphere, affecting climate change and increasing smog and acid rain. If you lower your demand for energy, your local government helps reduce the amount of energy generated- and that means less pollution.

Clean Air Through Energy Efficiency

2004 Texas SB5 Report from the State Energy Conservation Office (SECO)
Senate Bill 5 (SB5), also known as the Texas Emissions Reduction Plan, was passed to amend the state Health and Safety Code. The legislation required ambitious, fundamental changes in pollution prevention and energy use as a way to help the state comply with federal Clean Air Act standards. It applied to all political subdivisions within 41 designated counties. This report details the efforts undertaken in 2003 by SECO to provide assistance and information to affected entities and the progress and efforts made by political subdivisions in meeting the energy-efficiency mandates of the bill. In the second year of work under SB5, the number of Texas jurisdictions adopting the energy efficiency goal of SB5 expanded to 219. For jurisdictions reporting their 2001 baselines and 2003 data, electricity consumption has been reduced by 5 percent, based on self-reported data. Several cities have achieved reductions of 12 to 20 percent.

Click here to view the report.

2003 Texas SB5 Report from the State Energy Conservation Office (SECO)

In 2001, the 77th Texas Legislature passed Senate Bill 5 (SB5), also known as the Texas Emissions Reduction Plan, to amend the state Health and Safety Code. The legislation required ambitious, fundamental changes in pollution prevention and energy use as a way to help the state comply with federal Clean Air Act standards. It applied to all political subdivisions within 38 designated counties. This preliminary report details the efforts being undertaken by SECO to provide assistance and information to affected entities and the progress and efforts made by political subdivisions in meeting the energy-efficiency mandates of the bill.

Click here to view the report.

Texas Energy Partnership Success Stories

The City of Temple is making great strides toward
making its buildings more energy efficient by investing
$1.6 million in capital improvements. The capital
improvements, which are being financed through the
Texas LoanSTAR Program, include retrofits at the
City Hall, Library, Airport Terminal, and several
water-pumping stations throughout the City.
The City will realize an estimated $169,817 in annual
energy savings from these improvements which include:

• upgrading and replacing lighting
• upgrading pumps and motors
• installing high efficient chillers and roof top units
• upgrading energy management controls

The Texas LoanSTAR Program

The LoanSTAR Program is designed to "Save Taxes and Resources" by financing energy efficiency loans to all public entities. The LoanSTAR Program, which was created in 1988 with funds received from the U. S. Department of Energy, was originally set up to be a demonstration program. The State Energy Conservation Office (SECO) was faced with the challenge of proving that financed energy projects would pay for themselves. To prove that estimated savings would be achieved, SECO installed meters at the retrofit site to monitor energy usage before and after the project was installed. The energy data collected from these sites proved that not only was the estimated annual savings being achieved, but in most cases, the savings were greater. To date the LoanSTAR Program has generated over $116 million in savings (as of August 2002) for Texas Taxpayers and the program is expected to continue to save taxpayers an estimated $250 million over the next 20 years. For more information about the LoanSTAR Program visit SECO website.