Recommendation 20250310-014: FY 25-26 Austin Energy Budget Recommendations — original pdf

Recommendation

Electric Utility Commission RECOMMENDATION 20250310-14 Date: March 10, 2025 Subject: Austin Energy Budget Recommendations Recommendations on the FY 25-26 Budget Description of Recommendation to Council Motioned By: Kaiba White Seconded By: Cyrus Reed 1. The Customer Energy Solutions department is responsible for Austin Energy’s demand- side programs, which include customer-sited solar energy, community solar, energy efficiency, demand response and transportation electrification. The success of these programs is essential for meeting the goals of the Austin Energy Resource, Generation and Climate Protection Plan and the Austin Climate Equity Plan, and for maintaining affordability and customer satisfaction. The roles that the teams within Customer Energy Solutions have been expanding and will continue to expand as these Council-adopted plans are implemented. It is essential that staffing keep pace with the need and demand for this important work. For example, the Solar Standard Offer program for commercial customers has launched and an expansion is being discussed and is envisioned in the Austin Energy Resource, Generation and Climate Protection Plan. While the private sector will do most of the work to deliver energy through that program, Austin Energy staff play important roles in making it and other solar programs a success. They respond to questions from the public, review applications, conduct inspections and run payments. Staff are also working to implement a distributed energy management system that will allow the utility to utilize customer-sited batteries and are going to implement a Passive House pilot program to incentivize energy efficient building techniques. The teams within Customer Energy Solutions that are working to implement these new programs, as well as the many existing programs, must grow to effectively and efficiently do this important work. The Electric Utility Commission recommends that FTEs be added to implement the customer energy solutions goals in the Austin Energy Resource, Generation and Climate Protection Plan. 2. Austin Energy is charged with developing and implementing, with the Developmental Services Department and City Council, the adoption, implementation and enforcement of energy codes. It is expected in 2025, the City Council will adopt new energy codes. The EUC recommends additional funding for FTEs for outreach, implementation and enforcement of the new energy codes. Vote: 9-0 For: Chair Dave Tuttle; Vice Chair Kaiba White; Commissioner Raul Alvarez; Commissioner Lauren Bellomy; Commissioner Jonathon Blackburn; Commissioner Al Braden; Commissioner Chris Kirksey; Commissioner Cyrus Reed; Commissioner Joshua Rhodes Absences: Commissioners Akande and Benavides Against: None Abstentions: None Off Dais: None Attest: Nici Huff Nici Huff, Staff Liaison