The Pollution Mitigation Program provides technical assistance to public entities in Texas. The projects demonstrate the value of energy-related technologies, technology transfer and training, energy-efficient green building practices, and the development of long-term performance, emissions and energy data.

Texas Energy Partnership
The Texas Energy Partnership (TEP) was formed to help the counties and cities affected by Texas Health and Safety Code 388.005. The partnership led by SECO, includes the resources of the U.S. Department of Energy and ENERGY STAR®.


Local Governments Technical Assistance

Local Governments Technical Assistance provides personalized on-site technical assistance to political subdivisions, including local governments and municipalities, particularly those affected by the Texas Emissions Reduction Plan (TERP).

Technical assistance includes a free Preliminary Energy Assessment Service which identifies system and equipment replacement projects, along with installation cost estimates, estimated energy and cost savings, and payback analyses for each recommended project. Local Governments Technical Assistance also works with the local government representative on how to move forward with the implementation of the recommended projects.

Examples of Assistance to Local Political Subdivisions:

• Worked with the Environmental Protection Agency, the Texas Commission of Environment Quality and the Energy Systems Laboratory at Texas A&M University to develop a web based reporting system that will estimate emissions benefits from energy efficiency projects and the application for potential emissions reduction benefits.
• Provided specific technical guidance on building and energy management practices such as LED street lighting, utility data collection and tracking, water and wastewater systems and "cool roofs."
• Assisted Bexar County with the hiring of an energy manager and proved that the position could save the County more money than the cost of the position.
• Provided guidance on a City of San Antonio draft energy efficiency and green building resolution covering all city-owned facilities and city-funded housing.
• Provided assistance to the City of Frisco on the development of an Energy Star ® roofing specification and commercial building ordinance.
• Provided assistance to Travis County in drafting their new Conservation Development Ordinance.
• Provided guidance on energy service contracts and financing to cities.
• Worked with Cedar Valley Community College in Lancaster to develop a new "Building Technology and Performance" Degree; also working with the College and the surrounding communities to develop energy efficiency strategies.
• Currently working with the City of El Paso and US EPA on a pilot benchmarking system for all of the City of El Paso facilities.

The Senate Bill 12 Solutions Web Site provides resources and links for subjects like: creating an energy master plan; determining current energy usage; identifying energy savings opportunities; saving energy with little or no money; upgrading buildings for the long term; finding money to pay for the upgrades; and green building practices.

Final Report: October 2006
Energy Management Assistance Tool for Small Municipalities
This project is designed to develop and maintain an interactive web-based information and planning tool for energy management in small municipalities within Texas. This tool will provide very specific guidance to city staff in planning, implementing and evaluating energy conservation efforts. It will include access to documents such as spreadsheets for evaluating energy bills, documents describing financing options, guidelines for conducting audits and evaluating and prioritizing projects, a model Request for Proposals (RFP), recommended project acceptance criteria, guidelines for reviewing savings reports, recommended evaluation criteria and draft resolutions for City Council actions regarding energy projects. 

The tool will include a protocol for documenting case studies of successful projects (including processes employed and savings realized) and developing a location to post links to this documentation so that other cities can learn by example.

Final Report: November 2006
Market Transformation First Steps: A Study of Energy Efficiency in Building Types in the Hot, Humid, and Hydro-thermal Region
This research project will culminate in the transformation of the local and regional residential home market. This project is designed to monitor two distinct housing types for their abilities to maximize energy efficiency in the hot and humid climatic conditions that define the Houston-Galveston Area non-attainment zone located within the southeastern portion of Texas. The project will include the analysis of data collected from these homes and establish a platform for evaluating the success of each home relative to its energy efficiency. In addition, the homes will be evaluated in terms of their impact on health and well being of the occupants, ease of maintenance and operation, and cost-effectiveness. Specifically, the homes will be monitored and tested for mold, a major factor in the hot and humid climatic zone.

A case study detailing the information and lessons learned will be prepared.  The study will go beyond the Building America's primary function of research into deployment. The Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC) proposes to share the case study and results in public forums with the building industry and the public. This effort will be accomplished through integration into the educational components of HARC programs and those of SECO's partners. This information will also be provided through a lecture series. SECO is exploring the possibility of including our project results directly into the curricula of the University of Houston and Rice University's Architectural and Engineering colleges.

Small Scale Fuel Cell Templates Project
This project is designed to identify ten application templates for small scale fuel cells (5 kilowatt to 25 kilowatt) in public and non-profit institutions in the Houston-Galveston non-attainment area.  The project will help accelerate the implementation of low emission fuel cells in the Houston-Galveston non-attainment zone by identifying and characterizing key residential, commercial, and industrial process applications for fuel cells and related systems. Additional deployment of fuel cells of all sizes will help offset emissions of NOx from power and heat production, which is consistent with the emissions goals as detailed in the State Implementation Plan (SIP).

Final Report: July 2006
Bexar County Energy Manager Demonstration Project
In partnership with SECO and DOE, Bexar County hired an Energy Manager to create the first-ever formal Energy Management Program (EMP) at the County. During this pilot project, the Energy Management Program targeted three county facilities; the Courthouse, Justice Center, and Vista Verde Plaza. The energy efficiency projects in these facilities exceeded $300,000, thus proving the economic worth of establishing an energy manager position.

Final Report: 2005
Gulf Coast Regional Combined Heat and Power Center
Combined heat and power (CHP) refers to a set of technologies that produce both electricity and steam from a single fuel at a facility located near the consumption point. The Gulf Coast Regional Center will conduct general education and outreach activities in the states of Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana. This activity includes maintaining an educational CHP website at www.gulfcoastchp.org, providing case studies of existing CHP projects in the region, providing project- specific assistance to adopters and developers as needed, and acting as an expert resource on CHP within the region.  

HARC also proposes to hold an annual CHP Summit, which would be a regional forum where the CHP industry, potential CHP adopters, and CHP regulators can convene to continue discussion on regional issues impacting CHP. Stakeholders such as project developers, equipment suppliers, electric and gas utilities, engineering firms, architects, the green building community, environmental organizations, industrial assessment centers, state energy offices, and others will be engaged to identify a common platform of education and outreach activities across the region, emphasizing actions in key market segments as determined by the Roadmap Workshop and the resulting Regional Strategic Plan.

An important aspect of the Strategic Plan could be the identification of high impact CHP applications, especially to identify 1,500 MW of CHP sites that are well suited for rapid development.

Final Report (HARC) 2002
San Antonio Water System Diffusion Energy Conservation
This project demonstrates the advantages of diffusing water through electricity generating turbines within the wet-well to capture energy that would otherwise be wasted.  The generated electricity can be used to power equipment and/or feed power to the grid.  Results of this demonstration project will be disseminated via the SECO website and the Texas Energy Partnership Solutions web site.  There will be presentations of the results made at energy related conferences and workshops.  Any information gained from this project will be shared with DOE and other governmental and research entities.

Cedar Valley College Green Building Curriculum
This project assisted the College in developing a degree program and continuing education for the green building industry.  The College is a resource for local governments who want to create a green building policy in their city or create an ordinance.  They conduct meetings that bring the builders and city officials together to discuss the issues and come to a mutual understanding in the area of green building practices, ordinances and incentives.

ESL Energy Leadership Conference
SECO sponsored the Energy Systems Laboratory (ESL) Energy Leadership Conference in October 2006, which was hosted by ESL.  The conference focused on energy efficiency and renewable energy strategies for cleaner air. Conference sessions emphasized policy and practical perspectives on achieving air quality standards; discussed the work of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality with the Energy Systems Laboratory and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to credit energy efficiency and renewable energy strategies in the State Implementation Plan; showcased examples of various communities' successes; and highlighted new opportunities for energy efficiency and renewable energy choices from recent legislation and new and underutilized technologies in both residential and commercial buildings.

Metropolitan Partnership for Energy
In FY 2007, SECO will sponsor an education program and contest for students in grades 1-12 and university students, emphasizing energy efficiency and green building.  The 2005 contest involved poster contests for grades 1-6, and energy efficiency projects for grades 7-12 and universities.  Last year's winners included a project to certify a public building under LEED standards and the construction of a functioning wind turbine built entirely from parts found in salvage yards.

Solar San Antonio Workshop
A series of SECO-sponsored workshops to promote solar energy in San Antonio schools and local governments.

San Antonio City Public Service Water Project
This project is designed to demonstrate the feasibility of pumping existing building subsurface ground water via a pump powered by a photovoltaic.

Continuous Commissioning®
This project is designed to provide building evaluation and continuous commissioning with rebates via the grant to a State Competitive Electric Provider like TXU or Reliant Energy. 

A typical comprehensive evaluation includes the following: collect and analyze building mechanical and control design information; collect and analyze whole building electricity and gas energy consumption; interview building operators to identify the operation challenges and existing comfort problems; conduct field visit to measure major operating parameters and inspect each HVAC system component including chillers, boilers, air-handlers, terminal equipment and control systems; collect and analyze the existing control sequence and control system conditions and capabilities; conduct short term data trending using our portable loggers intending to develop solutions for the existing challenges, comfort problems; benchmark the building energy consumption base line and calibration using the field measured/collected building information, system operation information, actual motor power information, and the whole building energy consumption; develop and identify extensive energy conservation (continuous commissioning) measures; and determine the potential energy savings, peak demand reduction, improvement/impact on indoor comfort and indoor air quality (IAQ). The potential additional cost to the owner will also be quantified if there is any.

DFW Airport
In October 2005 the Alliance to Save Energy honored the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and others at "An Evening with the Stars of Energy Efficiency" sponsored in part by SECO. Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport was recognized for its commitment to energy efficiency and air quality.  The Airport's $122 million investment includes energy-efficiency upgrades and expansion of its district heating and cooling plant, installation of a thermal storage system to shift electrical load off-peak, and other measures in their new and existing passenger terminals and supporting airport facilities.  The projects are expected to cut nitrous oxide emissions by 86 percent, exceeding the EPA requirement.  The Airport's efforts have saved 25 million MMBtu since 1995.

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