Texas Is Booming But Is Your Facility Ready for What's Coming?

If you've been paying attention to what's happening in Central Texas, you know things are moving fast. Samsung's massive semiconductor campus in Taylor, just 30 minutes northeast of Austin, is gearing up for operations, and it's bringing an entire ecosystem along with it. Key Samsung suppliers, including Dongjin Semichem, Soulbrain, and Hanyang ENG, are already setting up production facilities in the area. A new 212-acre Gradiant Technology Park is breaking ground in Taylor specifically to house semiconductor-related manufacturers and suppliers. Williamson County officials estimate around 145 Korean firms tied to Samsung's supply chain are eyeing Central Texas locations.

That's a lot of industrial square footage. And a lot of HVAC systems.

Texas Growth Is Exciting, Until the Lights Flicker

This wave of manufacturing is genuinely great news for Texas. Samsung alone has pumped $19.8 billion into the Central Texas economy in 2024, supporting over 38,000 jobs. With more than $37 billion in planned regional investment on the horizon, the momentum isn't slowing down anytime soon.

But here's the reality every facility manager needs to keep in mind: all of this growth puts serious pressure on the Texas power grid. ERCOT is already projecting a potential 8% energy shortfall as early as 2027, with that deficit possibly reaching 32% by 2029 if new generation capacity doesn't keep pace. Large-load industrial facilities are a significant part of that equation.

As a facility manager, you can't control what happens at the grid level. But you can control how efficiently your building uses the power it draws.

Smart Coatings = Real Savings

That's where Energy Performance Solutions comes in. EPS offers two coatings that directly address the energy challenges facing facilities in hot, industrial environments like Central Texas.

CoilSafe is applied to your HVAC coils and protects them from corrosion, including in demanding environments with chemicals, humidity, and industrial exposure. It forms a thin, glass-like covalent bond that won't reduce heat transfer, meaning your equipment keeps running at its factory efficiency rating for longer. No energy loss from coil degradation. No premature replacements. It's backed by over 6,000 hours of salt fog testing and has been proven in marine and industrial environments alike.

ThermalBlock tackles the problem from the outside in. Applied to HVAC cabinets, ductwork, and rooftops, this ceramic-technology coating reflects 89% of visible light and rejects 87% of external heat gain. In Texas summers, especially on a sprawling industrial rooftop, that's not a minor improvement. That's real relief on your cooling load, and real dollars back in your operating budget.

Together, these two coatings reduce solar heat gain, cut energy consumption, and extend the life of your HVAC equipment. For manufacturing facilities running continuous operations, that combination matters.

The Time to Act Is Now

The manufacturers moving into Central Texas aren't waiting around, and neither should you. As the region grows, energy costs will likely rise alongside demand. Getting ahead of that curve with smarter, more efficient facilities is one of the best moves you can make right now.

Want to find out what CoilSafe and ThermalBlock could do for your facility? Get in touch with Energy Performance Solutions for a personalized consultation.

Sources: Samsung Austin Semiconductor 2024 Economic Impact Report; Samsung Semiconductor Global (Taylor Fab page); NIST CHIPS Program; Fox 7 Austin / ERCOT Capacity, Demand & Reserves Report; University of Houston Energy White Paper; The Tribune / Pulse (Samsung supplier expansion); Taylor Press (Gradiant Technology Park)