Regional Energy Management Program

Texas is the fastest growing state in the nation. San Antonians alone used 23 million megawatt hours (MWh) of electricity in a single year. As Texas continues to grow, the importance of implementing energy efficiency and providing AACOG services for 13 counties will be of the upmost importance to securing best energy practices.

The Texas Health and Safety Code §388.005(c) requires political subdivisions in 41 nonattainment or affected counties to establish a goal to reduce electricity consumption by at least five percent each state fiscal year. In 2019, the 86th Legislature passed Senate Bill 241, extending the timeline for this requirement to seven years beginning September 1, 2019. Each political subdivision must submit a report annually to the State Energy Conservation office (SECO) regarding the entity's progress toward meeting the five percent annual reduction goal. The deadline to submit the report for 2022 energy usage is March 3, 2023.

Nonattainment areas are those counties (or portions of counties) that do not meet the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) for at least one of six criteria pollutants, including ground-level ozone. "Affected counties" are those that are close to nonattainment areas, that may otherwise be at risk of being designated nonattainment in the future, or that have large or numerous sources of emissions. Of the counties in the AACOG service area, local government entities in Bexar, Comal, Guadalupe, and Wilson Counties are required to report energy usage to SECO.