How Much Are Texans' Power Bills Going Up? with TEPRI's Margo Weisz скачать в хорошем качестве

How Much Are Texans' Power Bills Going Up? with TEPRI's Margo Weisz

Everyone’s talking about the cost of power lately. But the Texas Energy Poverty Research Institute has been studying, talking, writing, and working to do something about it, for over a decade. In recent research, TEPRI found that 65 percent of low and moderate income Texans are cutting back on essential energy use, often turning off AC in extreme heat. But their demand reductions aren’t necessarily saving them much money or supporting the grid. Affordability is now a very high salience issue and there’s no one better to help us understand than TEPRI Executive Director, Margo Weisz. She talked about energy burden and affordability in Texas and the clearest paths to ratepayer relief. TEPRI’s latest research shows bills increasing sharply over the last five years and again in the next five years: TEPRI Releases ERCOT Electricity Affordability Outlook: Forecasting Residential Electricity Prices and Burdens (2025-2030) (https://tepri.org/2025/12/affordabili...) Energy burden is rising sharply Energy burden is the share of income spent on electricity. In Texas: ~4.5 million households are low or moderate income. Their average electricity burden for a low income Texan is nearing 7% — that is, they pay 7% of their income for their power costs alone — and expected to be 9% by 2030. TEPRI’s modeling shows about a 29 percent increase in the cost of power over the last five years, with another 29 percent projected for the next 5 years. The biggest increases are coming from transmission and distribution utilities. Wages are not keeping pace, leaving an average affordability gap of roughly $850 per year. Because of this, households are taking risky steps — or getting shut off As TEPRI’s survey shows, they are turning off or limiting AC in dangerous heat, skipping essentials to pay the bill, and accumulating arrears until shutoff notices arrive. And 12% were actually shut off. But Texas does not track disconnects so we don’t know if this survey matches actual shut-offs. These actions point to system-level strain. They increase health risks and make reconnection more expensive for everyone. Efficiency and distributed energy are long term solutions Efficiency is the fastest, cheapest way to cut bills and peak demand. Weatherization and efficient HVAC could reduce load and permanently lower costs for the households who feel the most pain. Distributed energy goes one step further. Community solar, batteries, and virtual power plants at homes and apartments can lower bills, reduce peak load and improve resilience. Final Thoughts Energy burden is the lived reality of the Texas grid. Millions of Texans are paying nearly 9 percent of their income for electricity, and many are already taking unsafe steps to stay connected. But we have real options. Smarter enrollment for bill help. Scalable efficiency. Community solar and virtual power plants that lower costs and support ERCOT. If this work matters to you, share it with someone who cares about Texas energy, and consider subscribing so we can keep tracking what works and where Texas can lead. Timestamps 00:00 – Intro and why energy burden matters 02:00 – Margo’s background and TEPRI’s mission 04:00 – “energy limiting behaviors” often aren’t saving much money 05:00 – Community Voices Energy Survey (https://tepri.org/cves2025/) and behaviors 06:30 – How Bandera Electric Co-op is helping their customers 08:30 – Texas does not track disconnect data 10:00 – “Sexy energy efficiency” and heat pumps; the split incentive problem 12:00 – TEPRI’s approach to applied research 13:30 – Defining and measuring energy burden 17:00 – the potential for energy abundance and what that means for low-income Texans 19:00 – Texas rates are lower but rising faster than the national average. Why? 22:00 – How do we allocate costs for socialized grid upgrades and storm recovery? (SB 6 implementation) 27:00 – What’s going to happen to bills in the next 5 years? 30:00 – Where some downward pressure for prices could come from 32:00 – What do we do about all this? 35:00 – Bill assistance and the future of LIHEAP 36:00 – Scaling efficiency and demand response in Texas 39:00 – Virtual power plants in low-income communities 41:00 – Enlightened self interest: helping those in need helps everyone 43:00 – Margo’s closing thoughts Resources Guest & Company Margo Weisz – LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/margo-wei...) Texas Energy Poverty Research Institute (TEPRI) (https://tepri.org/?utm_source=chatgpt...) - LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/texa...) Company & Industry News TEPRI New Report: “ERCOT Electricity Forecast Outlook” (https://tepri.org/2025/12/affordabili...) TEPRI Receives Outstanding Non-Profit Award at Texas Energy Summit (https://w...