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Live from the SPEER Newsroom:

• SPEER Wins Nonprofit of the Year at the 2026 Texas Energy Summit!
• SPEER Team on the Move
• Upcoming Events & Webinars
• Noteworthy
• What We're Reading

SPEER Wins Nonprofit of the Year at the 2026 Texas Energy Summit!

SPEER was honored and humbled to receive the award for Nonprofit of the Year on the final day of Texas Energy Summit 2026!

With so many fantastic organizations doing incredibly important work in our space, this recognition means the world to us in our efforts to advance energy efficiency, sustainability, and resiliency in our territory.

Huge gratitude to the TES team for this honor, as well as our more than 75 members, all of the stakeholders who support our programs, our incredible Board of Directors, and our "small but mighty" SPEER Team.

Here's to continued progress as we pursue our mission and vision every day for the fine folks of Texas and Oklahoma. Let's get to work!

SPEER Team on the Move

Last week was a busy one for the SPEER team, with plenty of presentations, conference appearances, and meetings to keep us moving! Here are a few highlights:

SPEER CEO Todd McAlister had the honor of meeting with the Danish Energy Agency to discuss how they utilize energy efficiency resources at home in their fantastic country. Many thanks to Conservative Texans for Energy Innovation and Texas PACE Authority for including us in this important conversation.

Our Senior Manager of Building Performance Randy Plumlee gave a presentation in Austin at the recent Texas Energy Code Stakeholder Meeting regarding proposed statewide energy code changes in Texas, hosted by the State Energy Conservation Office (SECO).

And lastly, our Senior Manager of Government and Community Engagement Shaun Auckland presented as part of the panel "Advancing Air Quality for Cleaner Air & Healthier Communities" at the 2026 Texas Energy Summit at the Texas State Capitol.

Great job team!

Upcoming Events & Webinars

Save the Date: TRACS Summit 2027

February 28 - March 2, 2027

The Texas Regional Alliance for Campus Sustainability (TRACS) fosters a statewide network that embodies inter-campus collaboration and aspires to lead the world into a sustainable future committed to environmental stewardship, economic development, opportunity, and accessibility.

Hosted by the University of Texas at Dallas, SPEER is partnering with TRACS to facilitate this interactive summit. We’ll learn the latest trends in innovation, water conservation, energy efficiency, and how to develop resilient systems through research, practice, and partnership. Drive meaningful change in your academic communities.

• Sponsorships: partner with us to advance sustainability in Texas higher education.
• Call for proposals deadline: November 23rd
• Agenda & hotel block info coming soon.

Learn more and register today!

Noteworthy

SPEER Team on Zpryme Podcast On the Grid: Humanizing Affordability

SPEER CEO Todd McAlister and COO Liz John recently sat down with Jason Rodriguez of Zpryme for Episode 7 of their podcast, On the Grid: Humanizing Affordability.

They discussed the role energy efficiency can play in easing pressure on customers and the grid.

In addition, they explore weatherization, heat pumps, stronger building codes, workforce challenges and what rising data center demand means for communities across Texas and Oklahoma. The conversation comes back to a simple idea: some of the most effective affordability solutions are the ones that reduce the amount of energy we need in the first place.

Give it a listen here!

Upcoming Texas Energy Code Stakeholder Meetings

You are invited to participate in the Texas Energy Code Stakeholder Meetings to share your perspective on the proposed 2024 Texas Energy Code and the potential impacts of energy code changes on housing attainability.

The State Energy Conservation Office (SECO), in partnership with the Texas Builders Foundation and the Energy Systems Laboratory (ESL) at the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES), is conducting this statewide stakeholder engagement process. Homeowners, builders, contractors, architects, realtors, mortgage lenders, local governments, environmental groups, and members of the public are encouraged to attend and provide comments.

Upcoming meetings:

Amarillo — December 1, 2026 | 1:30–3 p.m.

Amarillo National Bank, Training Room

8602 Pineridge Drive, Amarillo, TX 79119

Arlington — December 3, 2026 | 1:30–3 p.m.

North Central Texas Council of Governments, William Pitstick Conf. Room

616 Six Flags Drive, Arlington, TX 76011

Houston — Meeting details coming soon

All times are local. No RSVP required to attend.

Your experience and input will help inform the review and provide a clearer understanding of how proposed changes could affect residential construction and housing attainability across Texas.

Upcoming Events via the City of Austin

Registration is now open for two exciting events from the City of Austin in November: a free public event on Friday, Nov. 13, and a hands-on deconstruction workshop for contractors Nov. 16-20.

Sustainable Building Materials Forum: Design, (De)Construction, and the Circular Economy

What does it mean to build better? Join the City of Austin for a free full-day forum on Friday, November 13, exploring practical ways architects, designers, contractors, and other building professionals can reduce waste, make better use of materials, and rethink how we design, renovate, and take apart buildings. The forum will feature real-world examples of building reuse, upgrades, deconstruction, and reclaimed materials. Register for the Forum now!

Deconstruction Workshop

Are you a contractor interested in expanding your toolkit? The City is pleased to offer a week-long, hands-on deconstruction workshop November 16-20. Workshop participants will learn how to safely take apart a single-family home while salvaging materials for reuse. A $250 fee will help cover training costs. Apply for the workshop!

Note: This professional, hands-on training is intended for individuals or companies planning to offer deconstruction and salvage services in the Austin area. It is not an introductory-level or community course.

TEPRI Launches Interactive Map Showcasing 2026 Community Voices in Energy Survey Data

The Texas Energy Poverty Research Institute (TEPRI) has launched a set of interactive maps to illustrate data from their 2026 Community Voices in Energy Survey. New energy efficiency questions in this survey largely focused on comfort issues, home age, and awareness of energy efficiency programs.

Learn more about the study and dive in here.

Need to Catch Up?

Missed our latest Policy newsletter or recent CELC, Oklahoma: Powering Forward, or Energy Code newsletters? Browse past issues of our newsletters and subscribe to other distribution lists here. 

What We're Reading

This hidden device could free up gigawatts of power for the US grid - Canary Media

Texas shattered energy demand records this summer. Here's why the grid barely broke a sweat. - Houston Chronicle

Scaling residential VPPs could cut electric bill increases by half: Brattle - Utility Dive

Heat pumps, electric water heaters continue to gain ground: reports - Utility Dive

Texas seniors ration AC overnight as heat, power bills put Rio Grande Valley lives at risk - The Cool Down

Electricity bills force 1 in 5 Americans to cut back on food, Consumer Reports finds - CBS News