Amended in Assembly May 12, 2015

Amended in Assembly April 29, 2015

Amended in Assembly April 6, 2015

California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly Bill No. 1094

Introduced by Assembly Member Williams

(Coauthors: Senators Pavley and Wolk)

February 27, 2015

An act to add Section 25327 to the Public Resources Code, relating to energy.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 1094, 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, in collaboration with the Public Utilities Commission, to conduct an analysis of plug-in equipment electricity consumption, as specified, and set statewide, long-term energy efficiency targets begin delete for end delete begin insert to reduce end insert the begin insert amount of end insert electricity consumed by plug-in equipment. The bill would require the Energy Commission, in collaboration with the Public Utilities Commission, to develop, track the progress of, revise, and update an implementation plan to achieve those targets, as specified. The bill would require the Public Utilities Commission, in collaboration with the Energy Commission, to work with stakeholders to address challenges to the achievement of those targets.

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) Residential and commercial buildings and the systems and
equipment within them were responsible for 69 percent of all
electricity consumption in California in 2013, the equivalent output
of 70 500-megawatt powerplants. Under the 2000-13 historical
growth trends, this is projected to increase to the equivalent of 79
powerplants by 2030. The electric power sector is the second
largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in California after
transportation, comprising 21 percent of the state’s total emissions.

(2) Plug-in equipment is responsible for two-thirds of electricity
consumption in residential buildings and a significant share of
electricity consumption in office buildings. This electricity
consumption is increasing rapidly, indicating that current plug-in
equipment efficiency policy efforts are outpaced by the growth in
the number of electronic devices and their electricity consumption,
jeopardizing California’s ability to meet its energy and climate
goals.

(3) Cost-effective technologies such as those used in mobile
electronic devices already exist to significantly reduce the
electricity consumption of plug-in equipment, but are not used in
the majority of plug-in electronic devices.

(4) California has set ambitious goals for renewable energy and
energy efficiency in the envelope, major systems, and lighting of
buildings, but does not have quantified goals for a category that
now represents two-thirds of the electricity consumption in the
state’s residential buildings and a significant share of the electricity
consumption in commercial buildings.

(5) Market barriers, such as a lack of consumer awareness and
information on product lifetime energy costs, and split incentives
between manufacturers who make product design decisions and
consumers who pay the electricity bill, give efficiency programs
and standards 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 program implementers, as well as the focus
on short-term savings, are limiting the effective use of these
programs to capture energy-saving opportunities that require
upfront investment to yield large future savings through market
transformation.

(7) The State Energy Resources Conservation and Development
Commission and the Public Utilities Commission have set a goal
to achieve zero net energy for all new residential buildings by 2020
and for all new, and a substantial proportion of existing,
commercial buildings by 2030.

(8) The Legislature supports the zero net energy goals of the
State Energy Resources Conservation and Development
Commission and the Public Utilities Commission as a key strategy
to decarbonize the California economy.

(9) Plug-in equipment electricity consumption may not be fully
accounted for in zero net energy models, leading to buildings
designed and certified as zero net energy not necessarily achieving
zero net energy in real-world operation when occupants bring in
typical plug-in equipment.

(b) It is the intent of the Legislature to ensure that, in support
of the state’s climate and energy goals, plug-in equipment energy
consumption is reduced where technologically feasible and cost
effective.

SEC. 2.  

Section 25327 is added to the Public Resources Code,
to read:

25327.  

(a) (1) For purposes of this subdivision “HVAC”
means heating, ventilation, and air conditioning.

(2) For the purposes of this section, except as provided in
paragraph (3), “plug-in equipment” means an electrical device that
plugs into a power outlet, including, but not limited to, household
appliances, electronic products, miscellaneous electrical loads,
portable and other plug-in HVAC equipment, and commercial
plug-in appliances.

(3) “Plug-in equipment” does not include the following:

(A) Non-plug-in HVAC, including split, packaged, or built-up
HVAC equipment that is typically installed by an HVAC
contractor.

(B) Lighting, whether built in or portable.

(C) Infrastructure loads wired directly to the building electrical
system, such as ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) breakers
and outlets, wired smoke or carbon monoxide detectors, and
lighting switches.

(D) Electric vehicles.

(4) For purposes of this subdivision, power outlets include line
outlets, such as 110-volt alternating current (AC) and other
emerging power delivery mechanisms, including Universal Serial
Bus (USB), Power over Ethernet (PoE), and 24-volt direct current
(VDC).

(b) The commission shall, in collaboration with the Public
Utilities Commission, do all of the following:

(1) Conduct an analysis of plug-in equipment electricity
consumption, including appliances, electronics, and miscellaneous
electric loads, to assess current use and trends. The commission
shall draw on existing data and already-funded studies where
appropriate to limit costs and reduce the time required to complete
the analysis. The analysis shall focus on the top 80 percent of
plug-in equipment average annual electricity consumption.

(2) Before January 1, 2018, set statewide, long-term energy
efficiency targets begin delete for end delete begin insert to reduce end insert the begin insert amount of end insert electricity consumed
by plug-in equipment.

(3) Develop an implementation plan, in consultation with
stakeholders, including equipment manufacturers and retailers, to
achieve the targets begin delete set forth in end delete begin insert established under end insert paragraph (2).
The 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: revising existing, and setting new, appliance efficiency
standards; working with federal government agencies to revise
existing, and implement new, federal standards; implementing
incentive programs, appliance early replacement rebate programs
that link purchase and disposal rebates, and upstream market
transformation programs; expanding research and development;
and public outreach and education efforts.

(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.

(4) Track the progress of the implementation plan in meeting
the 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.

(6) Update the implementation plan, as a part of the integrated
energy policy report required pursuant to Section 25302, with a
report on the progress toward meeting the targets through the
tracking required pursuant to paragraph (4).

(c) The Public Utilities Commission shall, in collaboration with
the commission, work with stakeholders, including equipment
manufacturers, equipment retailers, and electric utilities, to address
challenges that may limit or inhibit the achievement of the targets
set forth in paragraph (2) of subdivision (b), including, but not
limited to, the evaluation and attribution of energy savings and the
enabling of market transformation programs.