Wednesday, April 30, 2025 by Jo Clifton

Austin Energy set new peak demand records for both summer and winter, according to a new report from the utility’s departing General Manager, Bob Kahn. Kahn released the utility’s FY2024 annual report last week.

In addition to setting new records, the utility finalized work on its Resource, Generation and Climate Protection Plan to 2035. As Kahn summarized, “It sets the course for a cleaner, more resilient energy future by balancing affordability, sustainability and reliability as we transition to 100% carbon-free energy.”

Austin Energy also launched full deployment of the AI Wildfire Early Detection system, which “continuously scans for smoke, triangulates the fire’s location, and delivers actionable intelligence to local authorities and fire departments.”

The utility also reported helping 70,242 customers pay their bills through the Customer Assistance Program, close to 13 percent of its reported customers in 2024. The utility said it delivered more than 14 billion kilowatt hours of electricity last year. In its 2023 report, the utility said the program “ended FY23 with 57,501 participants, a 75% increase from the beginning of the Fiscal Year.”

In addition, AE noted that it provided $2.8 million to Austin area school districts, as well as rebates worth more than $339,000 and discounts worth $3 million to state facilities and military bases.

Austin Energy also made “great strides in securing federal support for renewable energy. As part of the Texas Solar for All Coalition, Austin Energy was awarded a $31.6 million grant to expand solar access for low-income households. This investment will help thousands of residents reduce their energy costs while enhancing grid resiliency and supporting workforce development in clean energy,” the report says.

The utility originally set a savings target of 1200MW by 2030 through various programs, such as green building, Greenchoice, solar installations and incentives for electric vehicles. When the new resource, generation and climate protection plan was updated, that goal was accelerated to 2027.

The report also stressed the fact that reliability has been important for Austin Energy customers since the utility started operating in 1895. However, reliability does not come cheap. The utility reports spending $360 million in capital improvements in FY24. Those improvements include 48 corrective actions taken, 27 preventative actions and 18 improvements over the AE 437-square mile service area.

Austin Energy has contributed $115 million to the city’s General Fund each year since the contentious 2022 rate case. Whether that number will go up this year is up to Council, of course.