The Growing Importance of Energy Efficiency, Reading and Podcast Picks, January 6th, 2026
New report shows the power of efficiency upgrades; why expiring tax credits make efficiency more expensive for consumers; what a new ERCOT rule means for batteries; and a Texas Energy Year-in-Review.
Reading and Podcast Picks is a collection of what we’ve been reading and listening to over the last week or so about energy topics.
In addition to these R&P Picks, paid subscribers receive access to the full archives, Grid Roundups, and select episodes of the Energy Capital Podcast, like this one with former PUC Commissioner Jimmy Glotfelty on the future of Texas energy. Please become a subscriber today.
Home efficiency upgrades could offset data center loads while creating jobs: report | Utility Dive
Let’s start 2026 with some good news: it’s increasingly clear that reducing energy waste is an essential strategy for meeting the nation’s energy and economic needs. This report from the energy policy group AnnDyl zeroed in on insulation, air ducts, and smart thermostats — all great.
Policymakers — especially in Texas — also need to focus on reducing reliance on old-school resistance heat, which uses electrical coils to generate heat in one of the least efficient ways possible. These systems, which are installed in more than 3 million Texas homes, kick on when temperatures are at their coldest, driving up energy demand on winter mornings when electricity is most critical and precious. Read more about resistance heat here:
The most important thing the PUC can do in 2024 to prevent winter outages
Resistance is Still Futile: Exploring Heat Pumps with Eric Wilson
AnnDyl’s report modeled the grid impacts of a hypothetical 200-MW data center and the benefits of partially offsetting its load through residential efficiency investments that reduce load elsewhere on the system.
[They] found the most cost-effective set of upgrades to be a package of insulation, air and duct sealing, and smart thermostat upgrades to homes near the data center. In addition to offsetting 10% of the data center’s peak load, that package would produce about $3 million in annual customer savings and create more than 200 jobs….
AnnDyl’s analysis builds on a Rewiring America report [R&P on the report] released in September that found hyperscalers could substantially offset their expected load through a broader set of residential electrification investments.
