Houston
City Scorecard Rank
34
Houston, TX
36.50Scored out of 100Updated 10/2020
Community-Wide Initiatives
Score: 5 out of 15 points
Community-Wide Climate Mitigation and Energy GoalsList All
Climate Mitigation Goal
Houston’s Mayor Parker pledged the city to an 80% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions below 2005 by 2050. The Climate Action Plan includes an interim goal of reducing community-wide emissions 40% below 2014 levels by 2030. ACEEE was unable to project if the city will achieve its near-term community-wide GHG emissions reduction goal because insufficient GHG emissions data were available for our analysis.
The city publishes community-wide greenhouse gas inventories through the Carbon Disclosure Project.
Energy Efficiency Goal
We could not find information on a community-wide energy efficiency goal.
Renewable Energy Goal
The city has a goal to generate 5 million MWh from local rooftop and community solar projects per year by 2050.
Last updated: August 2023
Equity-Driven Approaches to Clean Energy Planning, Implementation, and EvaluationList All
Equity-Driven Community Engagement
The city's Complete Communities initiative created ten unique development plans for ten historically under resourced neighborhoods. The city held several community meetings for each plan where residents could engage directly with plan developers.
Equity-Driven Decision-Making
We were unable to determine if the city has created a formal role for marginalized community residents or local organizations representing those communities to participate in decision-making that affects the creation or implementation of a local energy, sustainability, or climate action plan.
Equity Accountability Measures
We were unable to determine whether the city has adopted specific goals, metrics, or protocols to track how multiple energy, sustainability, or climate action initiatives are affecting local marginalized groups.
Last updated: August 2023
Clean Distributed Energy ResourcesList All
Houston is in the process of redeveloping a former landfill in Sunnyside, a neighborhood in the Complete Communities program. The City is working with Sunnyside Energy to convert the 240-acre Holmes Road landfill into a 70 MW solar farm.
Last updated: August 2023
Mitigation of Heat Islands List All
Urban Heat Island Mitigation Policies and Programs
The Energy Conservation Code requires cool roofs on all commercial buildings, and residential buildings with low-sloped roofs must have a minimum solar reflectance of 0.70 and a thermal emittance of 0.75.
The city provides development incentives for the preservation of open space.
The city's Incentives for Green Development plan developed recommendations for incentives to encourage greater implementation of green stormwater infrastructure in private development projects. The stated goal is to implement the plan's recommendations by 2022.
Resilience Hubs
Houston supported the creation of the Kashmere Gardens resilience hub.
Last updated: August 2023
Buildings Policies
Score: 8.5 out of 30 points
Building Energy CodesList All
Overview
The State of Texas allows its local jurisdictions to adopt and amend building energy codes that are at least as stringent as the Texas Building Energy Code. The minimum state standard for single-family residential construction must comply with the 2015 International Residential Code (IRC). All other residential and commercial building construction must comply with the 2015 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC). State-funded building construction must comply with ASHRAE 90.1-2013. To learn more about Texas’s building energy code requirements, please visit the State Policy Database.
Commercial
Houston adopted the 2015 IECC for commercial buildings with amendments, effective December 2016. The city also adopted ASHRAE 90.1-2013 with amendments, effective December 2016. The city’s zEPI score for their commercial energy code is 51.75.
Residential
Houston adopted the 2015 IECC for residential buildings with amendments, effective October 2016. The city’s zEPI score for their residential energy code is 61.66.
Solar-readiness policies
One of Houston’s amendment to the 2015 IRC includes a provision requiring new residential buildings to be solar-ready by installing a conduit. Houston does not have legislation regarding solar ready for commercial buildings. However, in 2019 Houston began requiring multi-family buildings receiving CDBG-DR funding to be solar ready.
EV-readiness policies
The City of Houston does not have legislation mandating EV-ready installation. However, in 2019 the City began requiring CDBG-DR funded multi-family projects to be EV ready.
Low-energy use requirement
Houston requires new construction of or major renovation to municipal buildings greater than 10,000 square feet to achieve LEED Silver standards.
Electrification policies
We could not find information on whether the city has adopted any electrification policies.
Last Update: September 2023
Building Energy Code Compliance and EnforcementList All
We were unable to determine the amount of staff effort dedicated to energy code enforcement. Houston requires third-party review and performance testing for building energy code compliance. The city’s Code Enforcement Department provides upfront code support for all builders and developers through the Green Building Resource Center. The program offers plan reviews, cost-effective green options, and energy efficiency classes. The City of Houston offers incentive pay to internal employees who obtain certifications in Residential, Building Code, MEP, and IECC.
Last Update: September 2023
Policies Targeting Existing BuildingsList All
Other requirements
The City adopted the Municipal Building Decarbonization and Benchmarking Policy in 2022, which sets requirements around major retrofits, energy audits, energy, water and waste benchmarking, energy performance targets, and training of building staff. The policy applies to municipal and city-operated buildings.
Incentives
Energy efficiency financing is available to commercial and multifamily building owners through PACE Houston. The City of Houston fast-tracks solar panel permits for residential properties.
The City offers a LEED incentive program, which allows buildings registered for LEED certification to take part in the Quick Start program. The Quick Start program provides a means for expediting the plan review of certain large commercial design projects.
The City also offers a tax abatement program for buildings that obtain LEED certification.
Program outcomes
We could not verify if the city collects data on incentive and financing programs to ensure equitable outcomes.
Voluntary programs
Houston started a voluntary commercial benchmarking program in partnerships with Better Buildings.
Last Update: September 2023
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Workforce DevelopmentList All
Workforce development for disadvantaged workers
We could not determine if city has partnered with a local education institution, labor union, or community-based organization to create, support, and/or incentivize the development of clean energy workforce development initiatives that target training and support services for potential or existing workers from disadvantaged communities to obtain and keep in-demand jobs.
Workforce development for the broader community
We could not determine if city has partnered with a local education institution, labor union, or community-based organization to create, support, and/or incentivize the development of clean energy workforce development initiatives that target training and support services for potential or existing workers from the broader community to obtain and keep in-demand jobs.
Outcomes tracking
We could not determine if the city has instituted a mechanism to measure the performance and/or success of equitable workforce development initiatives focused on the clean energy sector.
Last updated: August 2023
Transportation
Score: 11 out of 30 points
Sustainable Transportation Planning List All
Sustainable Transportation Plan
Houston's Climate Action Plan was released in 2020 and includes sustainable transportation strategies.
VMT/GHG Target and Stringency
According to the Houston Climate Action Plan, the city has a goal of reducing per capita VMT 2% by 2050 from 2014 levels.
The city’s target requires a 1.26% average per-capita annual decrease from its target baseline. Therefore, Houston did not earn points for the stringency of its target.
Progress Achieved Toward VMT/GHG Targets
The City of Houston did not provide VMT data collected since the adoption of its goal; therefore, we cannot assess progress toward the goal.
Last Updated: September 2023
Location Efficiency List All
Location Efficient Zoning Codes
We were unable to find information indicating that the City of Houston has made changes to its zoning code in the past 10 years to facilitate more residential density, mixed-use development, or transit-oriented development.
Parking Requirements
Houston has eliminated parking minimums in certain districts.
Location Efficiency Incentives and Disclosure
Houston offers a tax abatement program for mixed-use developments.
Affordable Housing around Transit
The City of Houston does not require, preserve, or incentivize the development of affordable housing near transit.
Last Updated: September 2023
Mode Shift List All
Mode Shift Targets
The City of Houston does not have a codified mode share target.
Progress Achieved Toward Mode Shift Targets
The City of Houston does not have a codified mode share target, and therefore cannot make progress toward the target.
Subsidized Access to Efficient Transportation Options
We were unable to find information on programs or policies subsidizing access to efficient transportation for disadvantaged groups.
Last Updated: September 2023
Public Transit List All
Transportation Funding
The transit entities that serve the City of Houston have received $519,833,553.00 on average annually between 2017 and 2021 from local sources. That equates to roughly $1 8.34per capita between 2017 and 2021 within the service area.
Access to Transit Services
The AllTransit Performance Score measures a given community's transit access and performance. The score considers connections to other routes, access to jobs, service frequency, and the percent of commuters who ride transit to work. The City of Houston’s AllTransit Performance Score is 5.9, scoring 1 points in the City Scorecard.
Last Updated: September 2023
Efficient VehiclesList All
Vehicle Purchase Incentives
Neither the City of Houston nor the local utility provide incentives for purchasing efficient vehicles.
Vehicle Infrastructure Incentives
Entergy offers a $250 rebate to customers for installing a level 2 charger in a single-family home or commercial building.
Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Requirements
The City of Houston does not require new developments to install EV charging stations.
EV Charging Locations
The City of Houston has 25.3 vehicle charging ports per 100,000 people available for public use.
Electric School Bus Goal
Neither the City of Houston nor the local school district have set an electric school bus goal.
EV Transit Bus Goal
Houston set a goal of only procuring zero-emissions buses for its fleet by 2030.
Last Updated: September 2023
Freight System EfficiencyList All
Sustainable Freight Plans
Houston does not have a sustainable freight plan or freight mobility plan. However, the city is promoting and improving freight rail transportation through the Gulf Coast Rail District.
Open Data Portals
The City of Houston does not have an open data portal with real-time freight data.
Last Updated: September 2023
Community Energy Infrastructure
Score: 10.5 out of 40 points
Community Energy Infrastructure Summary List All
CenterPoint Energy, an investor-owned utility (IOU), is the primary gas and electric utility serving the city of Houston. The City of Houston is an active promoter of CenterPoint’s energy efficiency programs. The State of Texas requires electric utilities to offset load-growth through end-use energy efficiency, mandated through an EERS. The utilities must also submit their energy savings goals to the Public Utility Commission of Texas. To learn more about the state requirements for electric and gas efficiency, please visit the Texas page of the State Database. On the state level, Houston strongly advocates for additional spending requirements for energy efficiency projects for all of its utilities.
The Houston Public Works and Engineering Department is the municipal utility that provides Houston with drinking water services, wastewater treatment, and stormwater management.
Last Updated: September 2023
Electricity and Natural Gas Efficiency SavingsList All
In 2021, CenterPoint Energy reported 234,327 MWh in net electric savings at the meter. savings
CenterPoint did not spend or did not report spending or savings on natural gas efficiency programs. These savings figures cover the entire Texas service territory, not just Houston.
CenterPoint Energy offers natural gas and electric efficiency incentives and technical assistance to residential and commercial/industrial customers.
The city is a member of Evolve Houston through which it partners with CenterPoint to promote electric vehicles in Houston. CenterPoint also is a sponsor of the Houston Climate Action Plan.
Last Updated: September 2023
Low-Income & Multifamily EE Programs List All
Low-Income Programs
CenterPoint Energy offers the Hard-to-Reach Standard Offer Program to qualified low-income residential customers. Through this program, incentives are paid to project sponsors for qualifying measures installed in retrofit applications that provide verifiable demand and energy savings to low-income customers. Qualifying measures include installation of insulation, air sealing, replacement of air conditioning duct systems, refrigerator replacement, water-saving measures, and lighting fixtures. The program does not target specific households or streamline eligibility requirements. CenterPoint markets the program through email and internet campaigns, relevant meetings and workshops, and statewide outreach opportunities.
Spending and energy saving values and number of customers served by CenterPoint Energy’s 2021 low-income programs were not available.
Multifamily Programs
CenterPoint Energy offers the Multifamily MTP program. This program encompasses three different segments: Multifamily Water and Space Heating, High Performance Multifamily, and Multifamily Direct Install. The Multifamily Water and Space Heating segment includes upgrades to boiler systems, individual gas water and space heating units, and combination gas water heating and space heating systems. The High Performance Multifamily segment targets new buildings that are built to ENERGY STAR® version 3.0 standards or above current energy code via the high-performance path with pay-for-performance based kWh incentives. The Multifamily Direct Install Program offers property owners and managers a free visual audit of existing units and provides eligible properties with no-cost direct install measures, which may include CFLs, water savings measures (faucet aerator, low-flow showerhead), water heater tank wrap, and water heater pipe insulation. In addition, a tenant education handout will be left in the unit explaining the benefits of energy efficiency and tips on how to save energy.
Spending and energy saving values and number of customers served by their 2021 multifamily programs were not available.
Last Updated: September 2023
Provision of Energy Data by UtilitiesList All
CenterPoint Energy does not provide building managers with automated benchmarking data through ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager for multitenant commercial or multifamily buildings.
The city of Houston provides community wide energy usage information for planning and evaluation purposes through their GHG emissions inventory. CenterPoint and Entergy provide community-wide energy usage information at the aggregate level to the City upon request.
The City of Houston, as part of the City Energy Project, is working to accelerate access to energy data to improve the energy efficiency of buildings.
Last Updated: September 2023
Decarbonization and Climate Change Mitigation Efforts of Cities and Energy UtilitiesList All
Utility Climate Mitigation Goal
In 2020, CenterPoint Energy announced a goal to reduce operational greenhouse gas emission by 70% by 2035, compared to 2005 baseline levels.
City-Led Efforts to Decarbonize the Electric Grid
The City, as a member of the Entergy Coalition of Cities, and is participating in a proceeding related to Entergy's request to deploy natural gas fired distributed generation.
The Houston Climate Action Plan, which is sponsored by CenterPoint, includes goals to grow Houston’s investment in renewable and resilient energy and to make Houston a leader in carbon capture technology and energy innovation. This includes supporting and promoting the use and development of renewable energy, advocating for renewable energy policies at the local, state, and federal levels. More specific targets include organizing Texas mayors and community leaders to lobby state legislature to increase the Texas renewable energy policies to achieve 80% zero carbon electricity by 2050, create policies that facilitate renewable energy for the US Power Sector, work with partners to identify available potential solar/storage rebates and incentives, and support financing mechanisms to promote investment in renewable energy.
Clean Distributed Energy Resources
Houston is in the process of redeveloping a former landfill in Sunnyside, a neighborhood in the Complete Communities program. The City is working with Sunnyside Energy to convert the 240-acre Holmes Road landfill into a 70 MW solar farm.
Municipal Renewable Energy Procurement
Houston has installed 106 kW of solar panel generation capacity on City facilities. The City has geothermal systems at two fire stations; the capacity of these systems is unknown.
City Renewable Energy Incentive and Financing Programs
Energy efficiency financing is available to commercial and multifamily building owners through PACE Houston. The City of Houston fast-tracks solar panel permits for residential properties.
The City offers a LEED incentive program, which allows buildings registered for LEED certification to take part in the Quick Start program. The Quick Start program provides a means for expediting the plan review of certain large commercial design projects.
The City also offers a tax abatement program for buildings that obtain LEED certification.
Last Updated: September 2023
Efficiency Efforts in Water ServicesList All
Citywide Water Efficiency and Goals
The City of Houston has participated in load saving programs over the years with CenterPoint energy during high demands. Certain plants and associated pieces of equipment were identified to help lower electrical demand when specified.
The City of Houston Water Conservation Plan sets water conservation goals and aims to preserve long-term and water supplies for the city and greater Houston region. The City recently established a water conservation task force to develop conservation goals and best practices.
Water Plant Efficiency and Self-Generation
The City of Houston recently released its Climate Action Plan, which includes a goal to reduce water and wastewater energy consumption by 10% through optimization of facility operations and water conservation. The City has also implemented several energy conservation upgrades and improvements for wastewater treatment plants and wastewater lift stations, as well as upgrading infrastructure with lower energy consuming lighting. The city also installed a Specific Energy Pump Optimizer system at a facility to minimize energy consumption.
The City’s water system currently does not self-generate its own energy.
Last Updated: September 2023
Local Government Score:
4.5 out of 10 points
Local Government Climate and Energy Goals List All
The City of Houston's Climate Action Plan guides energy and climate goals for the City.
Climate Mitigation Goal
The City of Houston has a goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 through its Climate Action Plan, which also applies to municipal operations. The Houston Climate Action Plan sets interim greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals for 2030 (40% reduction) and 2040 (75% reduction) from the 2014 baseline, with the final goal of a 100% reduction by 2050. ACEEE was unable to project if the city will achieve its near-term local government GHG emissions reduction goal because insufficient GHG emissions data were available for our analysis.
Energy Reduction Goal
Through the Better Buildings Challenge, the city established a goal to achieve 20% energy reduction below 2008 levels by 2021. Municipal buildings account for 7 million out of 30 million square feet of the city’s commitment. Additionally, per state law (Texas Health and Safety Code §388.005), the City of Houston is required to establish a goal to reduce electric consumption by at least five percent each state fiscal year. The City of Houston actively strives to meet this 5% target each year.
Renewable Energy Goal
The City's Climate Action Plan includes a goal to use 100% renewable energy for municipal operations by 2025. As of July 1, 2020, Houston began purchasing 100% renewable energy through a contract with the City's retail electric provider.
Last updated: June 2021
Procurement and Construction Policies List All
Fleet Policies and Composition
Houston’s fleet department requires that at least 25% of non-emergency on-road vehicles purchases after in or after 2020 are low-emission or alternative fuel vehicles. The Houston Climate Action Plan includes a target to convert non-emergency, light-duty municipal fleet to 100% EV, electric or hybrid vehicles, by 2030. Houston’s municipal fleet is currently composed of 5.8% efficient vehicles, including hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and battery electric vehicles.
Public Lighting
Houston has not adopted a policy requiring efficient outdoor lighting, such as the International Dark-Sky Association’s Model Lighting Ordinance, however the city’s streetlights have photo sensors, so they only operate when needed. Houston and CenterPoint Energy have converted 175,438 streetlights to LEDs, accounting for approximately 98% of the city’s streetlights.
Onsite and offsite renewable systems
Houston has installed over 106 kW of renewable generation capacity on City facilities.
Inclusive procurement
The City has an MWDBE (minority, women-owned and disadvantaged business enterprises) program to stimulate the growth of MWDBE by encouraging their full participation in procurement activities and by affording fair opportunity to compete in City contracts. The policy has been applied to the City's electric supply agreement, through which Houston purchases 100% renewable energy.
Last updated: June 2021
Asset Management List All
Building Benchmarking
Houston benchmarks 100% of municipal buildings. Houston committed approximately 21% (of total square feet) to the Better Buildings Challenge. Energy use is monitored annually through Energy Star Portfolio. The Houston CAP includes a target to adopt a municipal benchmarking and disclosure policy for municipal buildings by 2021.
Comprehensive Retrofit Strategy
In the City’s municipal energy efficiency program, 6 million square feet of municipal buildings are achieving guaranteed energy use reductions approaching 30% with average paybacks of less than 10 years. The City makes energy efficiency upgrades through the use of CIP projects. The City is also participating in a sub-metering program that allows key users to monitor electricity usage in real-time and more effectively respond to inefficiencies. Additional initiatives include the City of Houston General Services Department (GSD) Energy Efficiency Project. GSD applied to the State Energy Conservation Office (SECO) for energy efficiency funding under its LoanSTAR (Saving Taxes and Resources) Revolving Loan Program to fund the energy cost reduction measures identified by Texas Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) Energy Systems Laboratory. TEES conducted and developed a Preliminary Energy Assessment (PEA). The total estimated cost of the loan, including energy cost reduction measures and project management is $2,326,526 with a payback of 8.7 years. GSD will implement the energy cost reduction measures at several City facilities.
Last updated: June 2021