Bill Text: CA SB1131 | 2017-2018 | Regular Session | Enrolled
NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Electrical and gas corporations: energy efficiency: financing options: industrial and agricultural processes: custom projects.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)
Status: (Passed) 2018-09-19 - Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 562, Statutes of 2018. [SB1131 Detail]
Download: California-2017-SB1131-Enrolled.html
Bill Title: Electrical and gas corporations: energy efficiency: financing options: industrial and agricultural processes: custom projects.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)
Status: (Passed) 2018-09-19 - Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 562, Statutes of 2018. [SB1131 Detail]
Download: California-2017-SB1131-Enrolled.html
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Enrolled
September 05, 2018 |
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Passed
IN
Senate
August 30, 2018 |
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Passed
IN
Assembly
August 29, 2018 |
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Amended
IN
Assembly
August 24, 2018 |
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Amended
IN
Assembly
August 20, 2018 |
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Amended
IN
Assembly
July 03, 2018 |
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Amended
IN
Assembly
June 13, 2018 |
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Amended
IN
Senate
May 25, 2018 |
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Amended
IN
Senate
May 01, 2018 |
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE—
2017–2018 REGULAR SESSION
| Senate Bill | No. 1131 |
| Introduced by Senator Hertzberg (Coauthors: Senators Dodd and Wiener) |
February 13, 2018 |
An act to amend Section 381.2 of the Public Utilities Code, relating to energy.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 1131, Hertzberg.
Electrical and gas corporations: energy efficiency: financing options: industrial and agricultural processes: custom projects.
Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations and gas corporations. Existing law requires the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission (Energy Commission), by March 1, 2010, to establish a regulatory proceeding to develop and implement a comprehensive program to achieve greater energy savings in California’s existing residential and nonresidential building stock. Existing law requires the PUC to investigate the ability of electrical corporations and gas corporations to provide various energy efficiency financing options to their customers for the purposes of implementing the program developed by the Energy Commission. Existing law requires the PUC, by September 1, 2016, to authorize electrical corporations and gas corporations to provide
financial incentives, rebates, technical assistance, and support to their customers to increase the energy efficiency of existing buildings, as specified, and to authorize electrical corporations and gas corporations to recover the reasonable costs of those programs in rates. Existing law requires the PUC to authorize electrical corporations and gas corporations to count all energy savings achieved through the authorized programs, unless determined otherwise, toward overall energy efficiency goals or targets established by the PUC and authorizes the PUC to adjust the energy efficiency goals or targets of electrical corporations and gas corporations to reflect the estimated change in energy savings resulting from those programs.
This bill would delete the language explicitly authorizing recovery in rates for the costs of those programs. Commencing July 1, 2019, this bill would require the PUC to authorize electrical corporations and
gas corporations to provide incentives, rebates, technical assistance, and support to their customers to increase energy efficiency, pursuant to separate procedures applicable only to custom projects and other custom programs for industrial, agricultural, commercial, residential, and public sector customers. The bill would require the PUC to develop and maintain rules for custom energy efficiency projects that include eligibility criteria and other metrics for determining whether a project is eligible for funding pursuant to the program, and sets forth procedural requirements for the adoption and revision of the criteria or metrics. The bill would require that the criteria or metrics operate prospectively and be applied uniformly and consistently by each electrical corporation and gas corporation. The bill would require each electrical corporation and gas corporation to maintain a custom measure
project archive and would require the PUC to develop and maintain requirements for what information is to be included in the archive, including information required to support the applications of customers’ custom energy efficiency projects. Upon being notified of the filing of a new application, or that a proposed project has moved from the preapplication stage to the application stage, the bill would require the PUC to make a determination of whether the application has been selected for review within 15 days and to notify the electrical corporation or gas corporation of its decision. The bill would require that the review of a proposed project be concluded within 30 business days from when the project documentation is received by the commission, unless the commission determines the supporting information is incomplete and inaccurate. If, as a result of the review, the PUC rejects the proposed project or requests modification of the project, the bill would require the PUC to notify the electrical
corporation or gas corporation of the reasons for the rejection or request for modification, including each basis as to why the project is rejected or modification is requested, and would require the PUC to make specific recommendations for the conditions under which the project would be approved. The bill would provide that for projects that were not reviewed, an electrical corporation or gas corporation may rely on its project application review process to determine the forecast energy savings values for the project based on rules adopted by the commission, and base the final customer incentive payment and contractor pay-for-performance payment on postinstallation measurement and verification results. The bill would authorize the PUC to employ postinstallation review of a project to determine if the
project was carried out consistent with the application and to obtain information pertaining to whether the eligibility criteria or metrics should be revised.
Under existing law, a violation of the Public Utilities Act or any order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the PUC is a crime.
Because the provisions of this bill are within the act and require action by the PUC to implement its requirements, a violation of these provisions would impose a state-mandated local program by creating a new crime.
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.
Digest Key
Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: YESBill Text
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Section 381.2 of the Public Utilities Code is amended to read:381.2.
(a) (1) The commission shall investigate the ability of electrical corporations and gas corporations to provide various energy efficiency financing options to their customers for the purposes of implementing the program developed pursuant to Section 25943 of the Public Resources Code.(2) It is the intent of the Legislature that the commission implement this section by establishing applicable rules, within a reasonable period of time and in an open process, that are clear and operate on a prospective basis.
(b) Recognizing the already underway 2015 commission work to adopt efficiency potential and goals, the
Energy Commission work on its 2015 energy demand forecast, and the need to determine how to incorporate meter-based performance into determinations of goals, portfolio cost-effectiveness, and authorized budgets, the commission, in a separate or existing proceeding, shall, by September 1, 2016, authorize electrical corporations or gas corporations to provide financial incentives, rebates, technical assistance, and support to their customers to increase the energy efficiency of existing buildings based on all estimated energy savings and energy usage reductions, taking into consideration the overall reduction in normalized metered energy consumption as a measure of energy savings. Those programs shall include energy usage reductions resulting from the adoption of a measure or installation of equipment required for modifications to existing buildings to bring them into conformity with, or exceed, the requirements
of Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations, as well as operational, behavioral, and retrocommissioning activities reasonably expected to produce multiyear savings. The commission shall authorize an electrical corporation and gas corporation to count all energy savings achieved through the authorized programs created by this subdivision, unless determined otherwise, toward overall energy efficiency goals or targets established by the commission. The commission may adjust the energy efficiency goals or targets of an electrical corporation and gas corporation to reflect this change in savings estimation consistent with this subdivision and subdivision (d).
(c) Effective January 1, 2016, electrical corporations and gas corporations are authorized to implement the provisions of subdivision (b) for high opportunity projects or programs.
The commission shall provide expedited authorization of high opportunity projects and programs to apply the savings baseline provisions in subdivision (b).
(d) In furtherance of subdivision (b), the commission, in consultation with the Energy Commission, shall consider all of the following:
(1) The results of any interagency baseline assessment.
(2) Any available results from electrical corporation and gas corporation baseline pilot studies ordered in commission Decision 14-10-046 (October 24, 2014), Decision Establishing Energy Efficiency Savings Goals and Approving 2015
Energy Efficiency Programs and Budgets.
(3) Information necessary to ensure consistency with the energy forecast and planning functions of the Energy Commission and the Independent System Operator.
(e) The commission may direct electrical corporations and gas corporations to make filings that are necessary to ensure coordination with the energy forecast and planning functions of the Energy Commission and the Independent System Operator.
(f) The commission shall prioritize energy efficiency activities consistent with Sections 454.55 and 454.56.
(g) (1) This subdivision shall impose the operative requirements pursuant to
this section for custom projects and other custom
programs for industrial, agricultural, commercial, residential, and public sector customers. This subdivision shall become operative on July 1, 2019, and shall apply only to those programs and projects.
(A) The commission shall authorize electrical corporations and gas corporations to provide financial incentives, rebates, technical assistance, and support to their customers to increase the energy efficiency of industrial, agricultural, commercial, residential, and public sector customers based on nationally recognized measurement and verification standards, such as the International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol.
(B) All energy savings achieved through the programs authorized pursuant to this subdivision shall count toward the overall
energy efficiency goals or targets established by the commission for an electrical corporation, gas corporation, or program administrator.
(C) The commission may adjust the energy efficiency goals or targets of an electrical corporation or gas corporation to reflect a change in the forecast energy savings consistent with this subdivision and subdivision (d).
(2) The commission shall develop and maintain rules for custom energy efficiency projects that include eligibility criteria and other metrics for determining whether a project is eligible for funding pursuant to the program.
(A) The commission shall review and circulate for public review and comment statewide eligibility criteria or metrics at
least 30 days prior to changes, including posting on the commission’s Internet Web site.
(B) After the initial 30-day period for public review and comment, any changes to the initial proposed eligibility criteria or metrics shall be circulated for public review for not less than 15 days prior to final adoption.
(C) Once eligibility criteria or metrics are adopted, any proposed revision shall be circulated for public review and comment for not less than 30 days prior to a revision. For these purposes, grammatical corrections or other nonsubstantive modifications are not a revision and may be made when the need for the correction or modification is discovered.
(D) Statewide eligibility criteria or metrics shall operate
only on a prospective basis, shall be applied uniformly and consistently by each electrical corporation and gas corporation, and shall not be applied retroactively to any pending or approved applications.
(E) Any delay in the adoption of eligibility criteria or metrics past July 1, 2019, shall not be the basis for denial of any application nor a basis to suspend the program.
(3) (A) The rules adopted by the commission for custom energy
efficiency projects shall require each electrical corporation and gas corporation to maintain a custom measure project archive. The commission shall develop and maintain requirements for what information is to be included in the custom measure project archive, including information
required to support the applications of customers’ custom energy efficiency projects.
(B) (i) Upon being notified of the filing of a new application, or that a proposed project has moved from the preapplication stage to the application stage, the commission shall make a determination of whether the application has been selected for review within 15 days and notify the electrical corporation or gas corporation of its decision to review.
(ii) The electrical corporation or gas corporation shall make the project application supporting documentation available to the commission for review within 15 business days of the commission review selection date. The commission shall develop and maintain requirements for what information is to be included in the
custom measure project archive for those customer projects selected for review.
(iii) The commission shall, within 15 days of the submission of a project to the custom measure project archive, promptly notify an electrical corporation or gas corporation of any deficiency in the information supporting an application.
(iv) The review of a proposed project shall be concluded within 30 business days from when the date a project’s documentation is received by the commission, unless the commission determines it was provided incomplete or inaccurate supporting information from the electrical corporation or gas corporation, and notifies the electrical corporation and gas corporation of the need for additional review time. The 30 business days will restart from the time
complete and accurate documentation, as noted in the notification of deficiencies, is submitted by the electrical corporation or gas corporation. The electrical corporation or gas corporation shall notify the customer applicant within 48 hours of any delays as a result of incomplete or inaccurate supporting project information, or if the commission needs additional review time.
(C) The commission shall notify the electrical corporation or gas corporation of the specific deficiencies in the information supporting an application, including each basis as to why the project is inconsistent with the eligibility criteria and metrics, which may include failure to adequately define the project, make
specific recommendations for the conditions under which the project would be approved, and, if the application fails to adequately define the project, identify aspects of the project that require further definition.
(D) If, as a result of the review, the commission rejects the proposed project or requests modification of the project, the commission shall notify the electrical corporation or gas corporation of the reasons for the rejection or request for modification, including each basis as to why the project is
rejected or modification is requested, and make specific recommendations for the conditions under which the project would be approved. The electrical corporation or gas corporation shall promptly inform the applicant as to the reasons why the project was rejected and the specific recommendations for the conditions under which the project would be approved.
(E) The commission shall not reject a proposed project or request modification of a project on the basis of inconsistency with eligibility criteria or metrics that were not in effect at the time the project application was submitted.
(F) If any party to the project is
unsatisfied with the commission’s directions for the project, a dispute resolution process may be initiated by that party. The commission shall adopt rules for the conduct of the dispute resolution process.
(G) If a project is not selected by the commission for review within the period determined pursuant to subparagraph (B), or if a project has not received written direction from the commission within the period specified in clause (iv) of subparagraph (B), the commission shall be deemed to have waived review of the project and the project may proceed as if
it had been approved by the commission, but the project shall still be subject to the review of the electrical or gas corporation.
(4) (A) For projects that were not reviewed and did not receive written documentation, as specified in subparagraph (G) of paragraph (3), an electrical corporation or gas corporation may rely on its project application review process to determine the forecast energy savings values for the project based on rules adopted by the commission, and base the final customer incentive payment and contractor
pay-for-performance payment on postinstallation measurement and verification results.
(B) The commission may employ postinstallation review of a project to determine if the project was carried out consistent with the application and to obtain information pertaining to whether the eligibility criteria or metrics should be revised.
(5) Except as described in paragraph (2), nothing in this
subdivision limits the commission’s existing authority to evaluate projects or programs for the purpose of prospectively adjusting the projects or programs for industrial and agricultural processes, facilities, systems, and equipment.
