The Recovery Act invested millions in new projects that are improving our infrastructue, repairing homes, and much more. But it also provided millions in direct benefits for families, students, businesses, investors, and more including more than $288 million in various forms of tax relief. Guidance on how to access each of those benefits is below.
Recovery Act Provisions:
- $3.4 billion for smart grid projects nationwide
- Multiple projects around Texas
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The Recovery Act provides investment funds for a number of innovative energy projects, including smart grid implementation. Smart grid initiatives are about helping our electricity delivery system evolve as new technologies become available, making it more reliable and more efficient. One component of this strategy is the deployment of “smart meters†for residential customers. These meters allow customers to see their usage in real-time, allowing them to adjust their usage as they wish, and the meters also allow utility companies better control over the efficiency and resiliency of their delivery systems.
There are five entities in Texas that will be implementing smart meters with matching grants from the Recovery Act. Projects will be implemented according to the plans of each provider, so ustomers will not need to apply or take any action. In some cases, customers will have a surcharge added to their utility bill to offset the cost of the installation. For example, CenterPoint customers are charged a 
fee of about $3, which started in February 2009 and will continue until 2012.
CenterPoint Energy will combine $200 million in Recovery Act funds with its own $439 million investment to install 2.2 million smart meters in Houston and make other upgrades. A map of the CenterPoint deployment plan is at right.
Companies receiving Recovery Act funds are:
CenterPoint Energy (Houston)
Reliant Energy (Houston)
Denton Country Electric Cooperative (Denton)
El Paso Electric (El Paso)
Golden Spread Electric Coopertive
[Golden Spread serves the Panhandle, South Plains and Edwards Plateau regions.]
Each company name listed above is linked to a description of their project. For more information, contact your provider.
