Amended in Senate July 7, 2015

Amended in Senate June 9, 2015

Amended in Assembly April 16, 2015

California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly BillNo. 793


Introduced by Assembly Member Quirk

February 25, 2015


An act to amend Section 2790 of, and to add Section 8365 to, the Public Utilities Code, relating to public utilities.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 793, as amended, Quirk. Energy efficiency.

(1) Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations and gas corporations, as defined. Existing law requires the commission to require an electrical or gas corporation to perform home weatherization services for low-income customers if the commission determines that a significant need for those services exists in the corporation’s service territory. For these purposes, existing law authorizes weatherization, where feasible, to include certain measures for a dwelling unit. Existing law also authorizes weatherization, for these purposes, to include other measures determined by the commission to be feasible, taking into consideration the cost-effectiveness of the measures as a whole and the policy of reducing energy-related hardships facing low-income households.

This bill would require weatherization, for the above-specified purposes, to include energy managementbegin delete technology, as defined,end deletebegin insert technologyend insert determined by the commission to be feasible, taking into consideration the above-described factors.

(2) Existing law requires the commission, by July 1, 2010, and in consultation with the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission, the Independent System Operator, and other key stakeholders, to determine the requirements for a smart grid deployment plan consistent with specified policies and federal law. Existing law requires each electrical corporation, by July 1, 2011, to develop and submit a smart grid deployment plan to the commission for approval.

This bill would require the commission to require an energy efficiency program administrator to develop and implement a plan to educate residential andbegin insert small and mediumend insert business customers to better understand and control their use of electricity or gas, as provided. The bill would require the commission to require an energy efficiency program administrator to develop an incentive program to provide incentives to a residential or small or medium business customer who acquires energy management technology for use in the customer’s home or place of business. The bill would require the commission to require the energy efficiency program administrator to annually report to the commission on actual customer savings resulting from the education plan and the incentive program.

The bill would require the commission tobegin delete authorize anend deletebegin insert evaluate allend insert energy efficiency program administratorbegin delete to count allend delete energy savingsbegin insert claimsend insert achieved pursuant to the education plan and incentive program described abovebegin delete toward overall energy efficiency goals or targets established by the commission. The bill would require the commission, every 3 years, to evaluate the effectiveness of the education plan and the incentive program to determine whether they should continue.end deletebegin insert in a manner consistent with commission-adopted evaluation protocols.end insert

(3) Because a violation of any part of any order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the Public Utilities Commission is a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: yes.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

P3    1

SECTION 1.  

Section 2790 of the Public Utilities Code is
2amended to read:

3

2790.  

(a) The commission shall require an electrical or gas
4corporation to perform home weatherization services for
5low-income customers, as determined by the commission under
6Section 739, if the commission determines that a significant need
7for those services exists in the corporation’s service territory, taking
8into consideration both the cost-effectiveness of the services and
9the policy of reducing the hardships facing low-income households.

10(b) (1) For purposes of this section, “weatherization” may
11include, where feasible, any of the following measures for any
12dwelling unit:

13(A) Attic insulation.

14(B) Caulking.

15(C) Weatherstripping.

16(D) Low flow showerhead.

17(E) Waterheater blanket.

18(F) Door and building envelope repairs that reduce air
19infiltration.

20(2) The commission shall direct any electrical or gas corporation
21to provide as many of these measures as are feasible for each
22eligible low-income dwelling unit.

23(c) “Weatherization” may also include other building
24conservation measures, energy management technology,
25energy-efficient appliances, and energy education programs
26determined by the commission to be feasible, taking into
27consideration for all measures both the cost-effectiveness of the
28measures as a whole and the policy of reducing energy-related
29hardships facing low-income households.

30(d) Weatherization programs shall use the needs assessment
31pursuant to Section 382.1 to maximize efficiency of delivery.

32(e) For purposes of this section, “energy management
33technology” may include a product, service, or software that allows
34a customer to better understand and manage energy use in the
35customer’s home.

36

SEC. 2.  

Section 8365 is added to the Public Utilities Code, to
37read:

P4    1

8365.  

(a) The commission shall require an energy efficiency
2programbegin delete administrator, as part of an existing statewide education
3and outreach program,end delete
begin insert administratorend insert to do the following:

4(1) Develop and implement a plan by June 30, 2016, to educate
5residential customers andbegin insert small and mediumend insert business customers
6to better understand and control their use of electricity or gas. The
7plan shall include, where applicable, notification of the incentive
8program developed pursuant to paragraph (2). The plan shall
9identify the role of energy efficiency programbegin delete administrators and
10the statewide marketing administrator,end delete
begin insert administrators,end insert demonstrate
11how efforts will be coordinated, demonstrate how duplicative costs
12and redundancies will be avoided, and consider existing educational
13and outreach efforts.begin delete The statewide marketing administrator shall
14be responsible for coordinating these efforts.end delete
begin insert The commission may
15require that the plan be integrated into any education campaign
16required by the commission.end insert

17(2) Develop a program no later than January 1, 2017, within the
18energy efficiency program administrators demand-side management
19programs authorized by the commission, to provide incentives to
20a residential or small or medium business customer who acquires
21energy management technology for use in the customer’s home
22or place of business. The energy efficiency program administrator
23begin delete shallend deletebegin insert mayend insert allow third parties or local governments to apply for
24incentives on behalf of customers. The energy efficiency program
25administrator shall work with third parties, local governments, and
26other interested parties in developing the program. The energy
27efficiency program administrator shall establish incentive amounts
28based onbegin delete all estimated or, where available, actual energy savings
29and energy usage reductions from installation or implementation
30of energy management technologies, taking into consideration the
31overall reduction in normalized metered energy consumption as a
32measure of energy savings.end delete
begin insert end insertbegin insertsavings estimation and end insertbegin insertbaseline policies
33adopted by the commission.end insert

34(3) Annually report to the commission on actual customer
35savings resulting from the education plan and the incentive program
36established pursuant to this section. The commission shallbegin delete authorize
37anend delete
begin insert evaluate allend insert energy efficiency program administratorbegin delete to count
38allend delete
energy savingsbegin insert claimsend insert achieved pursuant to the education plan
39and incentive program begin delete toward overall energy efficiency goals or
40targets established by the commission. Every three years, the
P5    1commission shall evaluate the effectiveness of the education plan
2and the incentive program to determine whether they should
3continue.end delete
begin insert in a manner consistent with end insertbegin insertcommission-adopted
4evaluation protocols.end insert

5(b) For purposes of this section, “energy management
6technology” may include a product, service, or software that allows
7a customer to better understand and manage electricity use in the
8customer’s home or place of business.

9

SEC. 3.  

No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to
10Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution because
11the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school
12district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or
13infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty
14for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of
15the Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within
16the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California
17Constitution.



O

    96