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Live from the SPEER Newsroom:
- We Need Your Input: SPEER HVAC Survey
- Upcoming Events & Webinars
- Noteworthy
- What We're Reading
| | We Need Your Input: SPEER HVAC Survey | | |
Attention contractors and other HVAC professionals! We need YOUR expertise for a quick survey requiring less than 10 minutes of your time.
SPEER is collecting information re: evaluating, repairing, and replacing ductwork in existing single-family homes over the past two years. Ductwork refers to any type of product or assembly that transports conditioned air to or from an air handler or furnace.
This survey is for research purposes only and not connected in any way to commercial enterprises. The results from your input will assist educators and energy efficiency incentive programs in identifying the practical skills, tools, and equipment needed to effectively evaluate, repair, and replace ductwork in existing homes.
We appreciate your feedback, and for squeezing us into your busy schedule! Follow the link here for the survey.
| | Upcoming Events & Webinars | |
Energy Codes Webinar - Beyond the Data Center: Building the Community Around Data Centers | |
September 22 @ 10:30 am
Data centers are among the most efficient buildings ever constructed, yet they are frequently located in rural communities with limited resources for energy code enforcement, plan review, inspections, and workforce development. As these facilities attract rapid residential and commercial growth, hundreds of surrounding buildings, including homes, apartments, schools, hotels, restaurants, warehouses, and public facilities, may be constructed without the same focus on energy performance.
This session explores how expanding the sustainability conversation beyond the data center creates lasting environmental, economic, and community benefits. Participants will examine why investments in energy code implementation, commissioning, third-party verification, inspector training, and regional technical capacity can produce decades of reduced energy consumption, improved grid resilience, and lower infrastructure costs. The presentation also compares the marginal efficiency gains achieved inside highly optimized data centers with the much larger cumulative opportunity represented by surrounding community development.
Register here.
| | Powering the Transition: Building Texas' Clean Energy Workforce | |
September 30 @ 11:30 am - 1:30 pm
CleanTX and SPEER are convening a joint luncheon and workshop in Dallas on the workforce behind the energy transition. As electrification, demand response, renewable energy development, and data center growth accelerate across Texas, the constraint increasingly isn’t technology or capital, it’s people.
This session brings together educators, contractors, and industry to talk candidly about how we’re building the talent pipeline: the training and credentialing programs preparing workers today, the apprenticeship and labor standards attached to federally supported projects, and the gaps that still need closing. We’re keeping the format conversational and the panel practical, with plenty of room for audience discussion.
Speakers:
Sponsored by: Bradley
Register here.
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October 5 @ 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Calling all energy nerds, policy wonks, grid geeks & friends! SPEER is hosting a "HappEE Hour" at Scholz Garten in Austin on October 5th from 4-6 PM to celebrate energy awareness month and Energy Efficiency Day.
No PowerPoints, no panels, just drinks, snacks, good people, and conversations about the energy stuff we all somehow manage to talk about (even when we’re supposed to be off the clock). We hope you’ll come for "one" drink but stay because you’re having too much fun!
Registration is only $15 for SPEER members, $25 for non-members, and if you’re feeling generous there is an option for a joule-tonic sponsorship. Hope to see you there!
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ENERGY STAR Transitions to U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) | |
On August 28, 2026, in accordance with the March 3, 2026, Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) finalized the 2026 ENERGY STAR Program Transition Plan. The transition plan describes the steps for DOE to assume ownership of the trademark, leadership of the program, and oversight of core operations. EPA will transition to a support role for ENERGY STAR. A complete transition of the ENERGY STAR program, including the IT Portfolio and associated databases, will occur by July 2027. The agencies are committed to a smooth transition for all consumers, partners, and organizations that rely on the program.
The full transition plan can be found here. The Memorandum of Agreement can be found here.
Throughout the transition, you will continue to be able to access ENERGY STAR resources here and submit questions to the ENERGY STAR Help Desk and Portfolio Manager Help Desk, as applicable. EPA and DOE will coordinate to respond to questions promptly and provide updates throughout the process.
| This Month: Upcoming HOMES/HEAR Program Virtual Meetings | |
The State Energy Conservation Office (SECO) and program implementer, APTIM Federal Services LLC, invite Texans to provide input on the design of the Home Efficiency Rebates (HOMES) and the Home Electrification and Appliances Rebate (HEAR) programs.
There are three virtual opportunities for involvement in September:
(Spanish) Virtual Community Event
Date: Tuesday, September 15, at 6:30 p.m. CT
Register here.
Objective: For SECO and APTIM to share information about the HOMES and HEAR programs, provide an opportunity to ask questions and provide input on how to ensure the programs are beneficial to communities throughout Texas.
Target Audience: This webinar will be exclusively in Spanish. We are targeting homeowners, contractors, community-based organizations - anyone who may primarily speak Spanish who can benefit from, or encourage participation in, the HOMES and HEAR programs.
Contractor and Workforce Development Topic Meeting
Date: Tuesday, September 22, from noon to 1:30 p.m. CT
Register here.
Objective: Assess and scope regional capacity, readiness and support needs and resources for contractors and assessors to effectively serve the HOMES and HEAR programs.
Target Audience: Contractors, trade organizations, and other allies, with a particular focus on those serving the McAllen, Brownsville, Laredo, and Corpus Christi areas, as well as the greater San Antonio and Austin areas. However, all are welcome to attend. Note that programs are still in the design phase and we are not actively recruiting contractors.
Multifamily Topic Meeting
Date: Wednesday, September 30, from noon to 1:30 p.m. CT
Register here.
Objective: Gather market input on multi-family program services, eligibility criteria and participation pathways to inform HOMES and HEAR program design.
Target Audience: We are looking to engage multi-family development stakeholders across Texas to provide input and collaborate on the design and delivery of these programs.
| SPEER Team on "Learning Edge Live" Podcast | |
SPEER's Senior Manager of Building Performance, Randy Plumlee, will appear on the Learning Edge Live podcast on September 9 @ 11:00 AM.
Learning Edge Live provides a monthly opportunity to get answers to your most burning questions about building science, energy efficiency codes and programs, as well as energy efficient products and homes.
Register here.
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SPEER's Senior Manager of Government & Community Engagement, Shaun Auckland, is On the Move this month!
Catch her at the Texas Association of Regional Councils (TARC) Bi-Annual Meeting, September 16-18 in Austin.
Head here for more info.
| Save the Date: Texas Energy Summit 2026 | |
October 26-28
SPEER is proud to be a promotional partner of the 23rd Annual Texas Energy Summit, taking place from October 26 - 28, 2026, at the Texas Capitol in Austin!
This dynamic event spotlights the intersection of air quality and energy systems, uniting individuals and groups from government, industry, academia, and non-profit organizations to explore and address pressing energy and air quality issues. Sessions include discussions of energy policies & the future, air quality, Texas energy leadership, and more.
You can learn more about the Summit, explore the agenda, and secure your spot here.
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Mark Your Calendar: Energy Efficiency Day 2026
Add it to your calendar! Energy Efficiency Day 2026 is on October 7th this year.
Energy efficiency helps us save money, cut pollution, and create jobs.
It's a win-win-win. How will you celebrate Energy Efficiency Day this year?
Learn more!
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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.
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