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TCAAP Energy Integration Resiliency Framework <br />Policy White Paper – Energy Efficiency Strategies (Demand-Side Management) <br /> <br /> 42 <br />Providing this information would draw national attention and offer learning opportunities that could <br />be replicated in other small and medium cities across the country as this practice grows. <br />6.5.2. Community Energy Programs <br />A community energy program could help connect neighborhoods with their collective energy usage <br />and help residents and businesses engage with existing utility programs and incentives. Individual <br />residents could learn how to better maximize existing energy programs and help inspire future rebate <br />options. Neighborhood level information (e.g. energy use or solar subscriptions) and engagement <br />could also highlight cost-effective opportunities for individuals, businesses, and schools to invest in on- <br />site renewables and community solar. Such a program could be implemented across the entire city at <br />any phase in TCAAP’s development. The school district, through its STEAM curriculum, could engage <br />the program in a concentrated way as an opportunity for hands on learning and problem solving. The <br />JDA could partner with Xcel Energy to deliver such a program as it helps Xcel Energy achieve mandated <br />energy savings while growing opportunities for whole-city economic development and improvements. <br />Precedent <br />Pecan Street’s work in Austin TX: Pecan Street, Inc. is a research and development lab out of the <br />University of Texas that deploys and tests smart grid technologies. The first site for this work was <br />the Mueller neighborhood in Austin TX, a 700-acre planned redevelopment, where residents <br />voluntarily elected to join the smart grid effort. The resulting attention and participation has made <br />Mueller a community demonstration district for learning and engagement, where residents can <br />boast about their community’s extensive Solar PV and EV penetration. <br />6.5.3. Live-In Demonstration Homes <br />In current markets, developers and residents frequently pay a premium to outfit their homes with the <br />most-cutting edge technologies. Therefore, a small-scale piloting program can garner value and <br />national attention, and would fit within the approach presented by many US Department of Energy <br />programs.24 The JDA could invite partnership with technology companies, architects, developers, and <br />utilities to create near net-zero live-in demonstration homes with innovative features. For example, <br />homes might be wired so that electronics and inductive EV charger can charge directly from current <br />running from the homes solar panels. These homes could be rentable online for out-of-town guests or <br />business associates, providing a tangible “future living” experience. Project partners and the JDA could <br /> <br />24 See, for example, http://www.energy.gov/eere/better-buildings-neighborhood-program/better-buildings-neighborhood-program and <br />http://www.energy.gov/eere/buildings/zero-energy-ready-home.