BILL NUMBER: AB 1073	AMENDED
	BILL TEXT

	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  MARCH 31, 2011

INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Fuentes

                        FEBRUARY 18, 2011

   An act to  amend Section 2864 of   add
Section 717 to  the Public Utilities Code, relating to 
solar energy   energy efficiency  .



	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AB 1073, as amended, Fuentes.  Solar Water Heating and
Efficiency Act of 2007.   Electrical  
corporation energy efficiency programs: application requirements.

   Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission  (PUC)
 has regulatory authority over public utilities, including
 gas corporations. Existing law establishes the Solar Water
Heating and Efficiency Act of 2007 (the act), which requires the
commission to evaluate the data available from a specified pilot
project, and, if, after a public hearing, the commission determines
that a solar water heating program is cost effective for ratepayers
and in the public interest, requires the commission to design and
implement a program applicable to the service territories of a gas
corporation, to achieve the goal of installing 200,000 solar water
heating systems in homes and businesses throughout the state by 2017.
Existing law requires the commission, in consultation with the
Energy Commission and interested members of the public, to establish
eligibility criteria for solar water heating systems receiving gas
customer funded incentives pursuant to the act.  
electrical corporations. The Public Utilities Act requires the PUC to
review and adopt a procurement plan for each electrical corporation
in accordance with   specified elements, incentive
mechanisms, and objectives. The act requires that an electrical
corporation's proposed procurement plan include certain elements,
including a showing that the electrical corporation will first meet
its unmet needs through all available energy efficiency and demand
reduction resources that are cost effective, reliable, and feasible.
The act requires the PUC, in consultation with the State Energy
Resources Conservation and Development Commission, to identify all
potentially achievable cost-effective electricity efficiency savings
and to establish efficiency targets for electrical corporations to
achieve pursuant to their procurement plan.   The PUC has
approved various energy efficiency programs by electrical  
corporations. 
   This bill would  make technical, nonsubstantive changes to
those eligibility criteria provisions   require that a
written building or construction permit be submitted to the
electrical corporation at the time of application for any ratepayer-
  funded energy efficiency incentive for a project that
involves a physical alteration or addition to a residential,
commercial, or industrial structure  .
   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no.
State-mandated local program: no.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

   SECTION 1.    Section 717 is added to the  
Public Utilities Code  , to read:  
   717.  A written building or construction permit shall be submitted
to the electrical corporation at the time of application for any
ratepayer-funded energy efficiency incentive for a project that
involves a physical alteration or addition to a residential,
commercial, or industrial structure. This requirement does not apply
to an application for ratepayer-funded energy efficiency incentives
for appliances or changes, alterations, or repairs to structures that
are of a minor nature not affecting structural features, egress,
sanitation, safety, or accessibility, as determined by the entity of
local government responsible for the issuance of building or
construction permits.  
  SECTION 1.    Section 2864 of the Public Utilities
Code is amended to read:
   2864.  (a) In consultation with the Energy Commission and
interested members of the public, the commission shall establish
eligibility criteria for solar water heating systems receiving gas
customer funded incentives pursuant to this article. The criteria
should specify and include all of the following:
   (1) Design, installation, and energy output or displacement
standards. To be eligible for rebate funding, a residential solar
water heating system shall, at a minimum, have a SRCC OG-300 Solar
Water Heating System Certification. Solar collectors used in systems
for multifamily residential, commercial, or industrial water heating
shall, at a minimum, have a SRCC OG-100 Solar Water Heating System
Certification.
   (2) Require that solar water heating system components are new and
unused, and have not previously been placed in service in any other
location or for any other application.
   (3) Require that solar water heating collectors have a warranty of
not less than 10 years to protect against defects and undue
degradation.
   (4) Require that solar water heating systems are in buildings
connected to a natural gas utility's distribution system within the
state.
   (5) Require that solar water heating systems have meters or other
kWhth measuring devices in place to monitor and measure the system's
performance and the quantity of energy generated or displaced by the
system. The criteria shall require meters for systems with a capacity
for displacing over 30 kWth. The criteria may require meters for
systems with a capacity of 30 kWth or smaller.
   (6) Require that solar water heating systems are installed in
conformity with the manufacturer's specifications and all applicable
codes and standards.
   (b) Gas customer funded incentives shall not be made for a solar
water heating system that does not meet the eligibility criteria.