Dive Brief:
- Home energy efficiency programs provided through Oncor Electric Delivery in Texas have significantly lower funding levels than this year, the Star-Telegram reports.
- Solar and low-income weatherization programs have also seen their funding dropped, with the programs overall targeted for about $5 million less in resources.
- More than 700,000 customers have utilized one of Oncor's efficiency programs in recent years, the company says, and blames "unknown costs" for the cuts.
Dive Insight:
Oncor's home energy efficiency program will begin this week with $2.6 million in lower funding, the Star-Telegram reports, despite the popularity of the program.
“The overall energy-efficiency budget was reduced this year in an effort to minimize financial impacts to ratepayers,” Jamie Molina, Oncor spokesperson, told the newspaper.
The utility said it reduced budgets to compensate for "unknown costs" and to comply with cost caps, Molina said.
As part of its home energy efficiency program, Oncor provides incentives to service providers who implement energy saving projects in homes located in the utility's service area. No incentives are provided directly to the energy consumer. The program looks at duct sealing, insulation and caulking and weather stripping, among other measures taken to reduce energy loss.
Oncor also provides incentives to contractors who install solar photovoltaic systems, to help offset the initial cost of installing the system on a consumer's home. According to the program's web site, incentives for residential solar photovoltaic systems are $538.80 KW AC and $0.3462 kWh AC.
