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Live from the SPEER Newsroom:

• Now Live: SPEER's 2025 Impact Report!
• "Board Buzz" ft. Kurt Heim
• Upcoming Events & Webinars
• Noteworthy
• What We're Reading

Now Live:

SPEER's 2025 Impact Report

SPEER's 2025 Impact Report: Advancing Energy Efficiency & Serving Our Communities is now live!

While 2025 certainly had its challenges, SPEER continued to lead the charge in our territory with dogged determination to pursue our mission: promoting energy efficiency and serving the great people of Texas and Oklahoma.

Take a look at some of last year's accomplishments we are most proud of, and dive in here!

SPEER "Board Buzz" ft. Kurt Heim

Upcoming Events & Webinars

Webinar: 2024 IECC Commercial – What to Enforce (Without Mechanical)

March 10 @ 10:30 am

The 2024 IECC brings meaningful changes to commercial energy code enforcement—especially for building envelope, lighting, electrical systems, and commissioning. This session cuts through the noise and focuses on what plan reviewers and inspectors in Texas are most often asked to verify in the field and at the counter.

By intentionally excluding Section C403 (Mechanical), this training zeroes in on the areas that most commonly delay approvals, trigger corrections, or result in late-stage compliance disputes. Attendees will walk away with practical enforcement guidance and clear expectations aligned with how commercial projects are actually reviewed and inspected across Texas.

Register here.

In-Person SPEER Energy Ambassador and TECCC Meeting

April 9

Hilton Garden Inn Austin - Round Rock

We’re hosting an in-person SPEER Energy Ambassador and Texas Energy Code Compliance Collaborative (TECCC) meeting this April!

This session will provide timely updates on Texas and SECO’s progress toward adopting the 2024 IECC, and we’ll discuss key energy efficiency bills that could have impact during the next legislative session. This is a valuable opportunity for stakeholders to connect, share insights, and help shape the direction of energy code implementation in Texas.

Your voice matters—come be part of the conversation and collaborate with peers and partners from across the state. Head here to register! 

Learn more about all of our Energy Code Programs here.

SPEER/CleanTX Earth Week Workshop & Happy Hour

April 21, 2-6 PM

Scholz Garten, Austin

CleanTX and SPEER are partnering for an Earth Week Workshop & Happy Hour focused on Community-First Grid Expansion. 

As data centers and hyper-scalers drive unparalleled electricity demand in Texas, utilities face mounting pressure to connect new load faster than traditional grid infrastructure can be planned and built. The need for innovative, near-term solutions is urgent. Don’t miss this opportunity to explore how Texas can meet large load demand by combining speed-to-market solutions with on-site generation as a bridge and long-term market resource. Panelists will discuss hybrid approaches that integrate natural gas, BESS, and renewables to deliver power to sites faster while shifting the paradigm from grid defection to grid services in ERCOT.

We’ll also address ways to strategically reduce residential energy use, shift load, and invest in energy efficiency, demand response, and distributed energy resources to unlock grid capacity, accelerate data center interconnections, and deliver shared benefits for utilities, communities, and consumers through collaborative, community-focused energy strategies. ICC CEU’s will be provided for the workshop session.

Registration and sponsorship options here.

Noteworthy

New SPEER Blog - 2030 Energy Code Update

SPEER’s recent blog on the 2030 energy code update examines changes to the ICC’s code adoption process that, in recent years, have shifted influence away from broad stakeholder input and data-driven decision-making toward special interests. This raises concerns about the potential weakening of long-established energy efficiency and building standards. One key issue is the proposed division between a base 2030 IECC and an expanded “IECCX.” This approach could create a weaker baseline code, generate confusion for jurisdictions, and add complexity for communities working to meet climate or energy goals.

The blog also highlights concerns about a narrowly defined cost-effectiveness test that considers energy savings only for the building’s first owner. By emphasizing a shortened simple payback period, this change could incentivize lower efficiency options and result in a 2030 code that is less efficient than recent editions, potentially driving up long-term energy costs for consumers.

Dive in here.

Need to Catch Up?

Missed our latest policy newsletter or recent Local Government, Oklahoma, or Energy Code newsletters? Browse past issues of our newsletters and subscribe to other distribution lists here. 

What We're Reading

Study: Energy Efficiency Can Address Surging Electricity Needs at Half the Cost of Gas Plants - ACEEE

How three utilities refused to ‘let disaster go to waste’ - Latitude Media

A look at Texas' energy grid 5 years after Winter Storm Uri - Marketplace

In 2026, virtual power plants must scale or risk being left behind - Utility Dive

Energy Star gets full 2026 funding from Congress - Utility Dive