BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



                                                                      



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          |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE            |                  SB 1130|
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                                 THIRD READING


          Bill No:  SB 1130
          Author:   De León (D), et al.
          Amended:  4/19/12
          Vote:     21

           
           SENATE ENERGY, UTIL. & COMMUNIC. COMMITTEE  :  13-0, 4/24/12
          AYES:  Padilla, Fuller, Berryhill, Corbett, De León, 
            DeSaulnier, Emmerson, Kehoe, Pavley, Rubio, Simitian, 
            Strickland, Wright

           SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE  :  Senate Rule 28.8


           SUBJECT  :    Energy:  energy assessment:  commercial 
          buildings:                                             
          retrofitting

           SOURCE  :     Author


           DIGEST  :    This bill requires the California Energy 
          Commission (CEC), on or before January 1, 2016, to analyze 
          and evaluate standards for commercial energy building 
          retrofits previously developed by various national and 
          international organizations to provide uniformity and 
          transparency for financial institutions evaluating loan 
          proposals for energy improvements to commercial properties.

           ANALYSIS  :    Existing law requires the CEC to adopt and 
          update every three years energy efficiency building 
          regulations that specify requirements relating to lighting, 
          insulation, windows, heating, ventilation and air 
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          conditioning (HVAC) systems, and other construction details 
          designed to reduce energy consumption and lower energy 
          bills for consumers.

          Existing law requires the CEC to develop a comprehensive 
          energy efficiency strategy for residential and commercial 
          buildings constructed prior to adoption of state building 
          standards.  

          Existing law requires the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) 
          to investigate the ability of electric utilities to provide 
          energy efficiency financing options to customers to 
          implement the CEC's strategy for building retrofits.

          Existing law authorizes local governments to implement a 
          Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program and 
          authorizes them to issue bonds secured by voluntary 
          contractual assessments on property to finance the 
          installation of distributed generation renewable energy 
          sources, electric vehicle charging infrastructure, or 
          energy or water efficiency improvements.

          This bill provides that the evaluation required by this 
          bill shall evaluate existing protocols or combination of 
          elements of existing measurement protocols and shall be 
          made available in an electronic format to financial 
          institutions and local governments initiating PACE bonds.

           Background
           
          Energy efficiency is California's top strategy for reducing 
          energy use and meeting the state's energy needs.  Energy 
          efficiency is at the top of the "loading order," and 
          California's utilities are required to first meet their 
          energy needs through cost-effective energy efficiency 
          measures before renewable and conventional generation.  The 
          state's investor owned utilities (IOUs) and, to a lesser 
          extent, the publicly owned utilities (POUs), administer 
          hundreds of energy efficiency programs that provide 
          financial incentives and rebates for installing energy 
          efficient appliances, lighting, windows, HVAC systems and 
          other technologies or measures.

          As reviewed in an informational hearing of the Senate 







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          Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee on May 17, 
          2011, California has made substantial investment in a 
          multitude of energy efficiency programs financed with 
          ratepayer and taxpayer dollars, including:

           $1 billion per year from IOU ratepayers for programs 
            approved by the PUC, with about 29 percent for commercial 
            buildings.

           $300 million per year from IOU ratepayers for free 
            weatherization services for IOU low-income customers 
            approved by the PUC.

           $30 million per year in federal funding for free 
            weatherization services for low-income residents 
            administered by the Department of Community Services and 
            Development (CSD).

           $185 million in one-time funding for free weatherization 
            services for low-income residents from the American 
            Recovery and Reinvestment and Act of 2009 (ARRA) 
            administered by CSD.

           $280 million in one-time ARRA funds for energy efficiency 
            programs administered or coordinated by the CEC.

          In addition, the California Alternative Energy and Advanced 
          Transportation Financing Authority within the State 
          Treasurer's Office is implementing a loan program for 
          financing energy efficiency upgrades and other clean energy 
          investments with $25 million in ratepayer funds.

           Focus on Buildings  .  California's Title 24 energy 
          efficiency building regulations, first adopted by the CEC 
          in 1978 and updated every three years, specify requirements 
          relating to lighting, insulation, windows, HVAC systems, 
          and other construction details designed to reduce energy 
          consumption and lower energy bills for consumers.  The 
          state's Title 20 energy efficiency appliance regulations 
          specify energy use standards for most major household and 
          commercial appliances that must be met in order to be sold 
          in California.  There is general agreement that these 
          building and appliance standards have been a major 
          contributor to the state making progress toward achieving 







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          energy efficiency goals.  An update of the standards is in 
          progress.

          AB 758 (Skinner), Chapter 470, Statutes of 2009, responded 
          to the fact that about 60 percent of California's 
          residential and nonresidential buildings were built prior 
          to adoption of the building standards.  AB 758 requires the 
          CEC to develop a comprehensive energy efficiency strategy 
          for this old building stock, both residential and 
          nonresidential.  To date, the CEC has used ARRA funds for 
          some pilot programs to develop and advance the tools, 
          protocols and workforce to conduct best practice building 
          energy assessments and retrofits, which the CEC says will 
          generate information for developing the long-term strategy. 
           As required by AB 758, the PUC has opened a rulemaking to 
          investigate the ability of IOUs to provide energy 
          efficiency financing options to customers to implement the 
          CEC's strategy for building retrofits and is considering 
          financing as part of its proceedings governing the IOU 
          energy efficiency portfolios.

           FISCAL EFFECT  :    Appropriation:  No   Fiscal Com.:  Yes   
          Local:  No

           SUPPORT  :   (Verified  5/15/12)

          State Controller John Chiang
          Building Owners and Managers Association
          California Business Properties Association
          California Energy Efficiency Council
          California Pipe Trades Council
          California State Association of Electrical Workers
          Commercial Real Estate Development Association
          Flex Energy (if amended)
          International Council of Shopping Centers
          PG&E (if amended)
          Sempra (if amended)
          SoCal Edison
          Western State Council of Sheet Metal Workers

           OPPOSITION  :    (Verified  5/12/12)

          California Association of County Treasurers and Tax 
              Collectors (unless amended)







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          RM:do  5/16/12   Senate Floor Analyses 

                         SUPPORT/OPPOSITION:  SEE ABOVE

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