BILL NUMBER: AB 2529 AMENDED
BILL TEXT
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 21, 2014
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MARCH 28, 2014
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Williams
FEBRUARY 21, 2014
An act to add Section 25327 to the Public Resources Code, relating
to energy.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 2529, as amended, Williams. Energy: usage: plug-in equipment.
Existing law requires the State Energy Resources Conservation and
Development Commission (Energy Commission), on a biennial basis, to
conduct assessments and forecasts of all aspects of energy industry
supply, production, transportation, delivery, and distribution.
Existing law requires the Energy Commission, beginning November 1,
2003, and biennially thereafter, to adopt an integrated energy policy
report containing an overview of major energy trends and issues
facing the state.
Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory
jurisdiction over the public utilities, including electrical
corporations.
This bill would require the Energy Commission and the Public
Utilities Commission, working jointly, to perform a baseline
study study, by January 1, 2016, of energy
usage by plug-in equipment, as defined, in 2014
during the year 2014, and to develop a coordinated
implementation plan to achieve by 2030 specified aggregate reductions
in energy consumption by plug-in equipment from the 2014 baseline,
with biennial intermediate targets. The bill would require the Energy
Commission to report on the progress towards meeting the reduction
targets and update the implementation plan as a part of the
integrated energy policy report.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. (a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the
following:
(1) Energy efficiency programs and standards are essential tools
to help California conserve energy.
(2) Currently, the various types of plug-in equipment,
such as indoor and outdoor appliances, consumer and office
electronics, and power tools, are responsible for nearly 60
over 50 percent of residential building
electricity consumption and 16 percent of commercial
electricity consumption in California and their
this electricity consumption are
is projected to increase by 2030.
(3) California has set ambitious goals for energy efficiency in
buildings and lighting, but does not have quantified goals for a
category that represents the majority of residential
building electricity consumption.
(4) Large and cost-effective energy savings opportunities remain
available in plug-in equipment through a combination of
incentive programs, partnerships with industry, research and
development, consumer education, and efficiency standards.
equipment. There is a need to supplement appliance efficiency
standards by expanding existing incentive programs and developing
other approaches including partnerships with industry, research and
development, and consumer education.
(5) Challenges with the attribution of business and consumer
electronics program savings to utilities and implementers are
limiting the effective utilization of these programs to capture
savings opportunities in residential and commercial plug-in
electronics.
(5) Market barriers, such as a lack of consumer awareness and
information on product lifetime energy costs, and split incentives
between manufacturers who make the key design decisions and consumers
who pay the electricity bill give efficiency programs a critical
role in realizing the economic potential for energy efficiency in
plug-in equipment.
(6) Challenges with the evaluation and the attribution of program
savings to utilities and implementers, as well as the focus on
short-term savings, are limiting the utilities' ability to achieve
market transformation saving opportunities that take longer to
implement and require upfront investment to yield large future
savings.
(b) It is the intent of the Legislature to set a goal for plug-in
equipment energy consumption to ensure both of the following:
(1) Energy savings opportunities in support of the state's energy
and climate change goals are captured.
(2) The effective utilization of incentive programs, partnerships
with industry, research and development, consumer education, and
efficiency standards to meet the state's energy and climate goals.
SEC. 2. Section 25327 is added to the Public Resources Code, to
read:
25327. (a) (1) For the purposes of this section, except as
provided in paragraph (2), "plug-in equipment" means an electrical
device that plugs into a wall outlet, including, but not limited to,
indoor appliances, such as kitchen and laundry appliances, commercial
plug-in refrigeration, and security appliances; outdoor appliances,
such as hot tubs tub and pool
pumps and heaters; pumps; consumer and office
electronics; personal care products; and power tools.
(2) "Plug-in equipment" does not include the following:
(A) Servers at industrial-scale data centers located in buildings
whose primary function is to be a data center.
(B) Heating, ventilation, and cooling (HVAC) equipment.
(C) Built-in or portable lighting.
(D) Infrastructure loads connected directly to the building
wiring, such as Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) breakers and
outlets, smoke or carbon monoxide detectors, dimming switches,
doorbells, and garage openers.
(E) Electric vehicles.
(F) Medical devices , as defined in subsection (h) of
Section 321 of Title 21 of the United States Code.
(b) The commission and the Public Utilities Commission, working
jointly, shall do all of the following:
(1) Perform On or before January 1, 2016,
perform a baseline study of energy use by plug-in equipment in
both the residential and commercial sectors of the state
in during the year 2014.
(2) Develop a coordinated implementation plan
plan, in consultation with stakeholders, to achieve by
2030 at least a 30 25 -percent
aggregate reduction in energy consumption per residential household,
and 50 a 40 -percent aggregate
reduction in energy consumption per square foot of commercial space,
by plug-in equipment in the state from the 2014 baseline determined
pursuant to paragraph (1), with biennial intermediate targets between
2016 to 2030. The coordinated implementation plan shall meet
all of the following requirements:
(A) Be comprised of a complementary portfolio of techniques,
applications, and practices that may include, but need not be limited
to, incentive programs, rebate programs, partnerships with industry
to promote innovation, research and development, public outreach and
education efforts, and efficiency standards.
(B) Consider costs and ratepayer protections, consistent with
Section 25000.1.
(C) Use an accurate cost-effectiveness methodology for assessing
the long-term value of efficiency savings and ensure that benefits
outweigh costs to ratepayers.
(3) Work with stakeholders to address challenges that may
limit or inhibit the achievement of the reduction targets set
forth in paragraph (2), including, but not limited to, the
attribution of energy savings associated with business and consumer
electronics evaluation and attribution of energy
savings, and the enablement of market transformation programs.
(4) Track the implementation of the plan in meeting the reduction
targets annually through the Electricity Supply Analysis Division of
the commission and the Energy Division of the Public Utilities
Commission.
(5) Revise the implementation plan and priorities in consultation
with stakeholders.
(c) The commission shall report on the progress towards meeting
the reduction targets through the tracking pursuant to paragraph (4)
of subdivision (b) and update the implementation plan, as a part of
the integrated energy policy report required pursuant to Section
25302.