AB 1088: Multifamily residential housing: energy programs.

The Warren-Alquist State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Act establishes the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission (Energy Commission) and requires the Energy Commission to carry out studies, technical assessments, research projects, and data collection directed to reducing wasteful, inefficient, unnecessary, or uneconomic uses of energy. The Energy Conservation Act of 2001 states the intent of the Legislature to establish incentives in the form of grants and loans to low-income residents, small businesses, and residential property owners for constructing and retrofitting buildings to be more energy efficient. The act requires the Energy Commission, in consultation with the Public Utilities Commission (PUC), to undertake certain actions for the purpose of full or partial funding of an eligible construction or retrofit project. The Clean Energy and Pollution Reduction Act of 2015 requires the Energy Commission to establish annual targets for statewide energy efficiency savings and demand reduction that will achieve a cumulative doubling of statewide energy efficiency savings in electricity and natural gas final end uses of retail customers by January 1, 2030, including measures specific to disadvantaged communities, as specified. Existing law requires the Energy Commission, by March 1, 2010, to establish a regulatory proceeding to develop and implement a comprehensive program to achieve greater energy savings in Californias existing residential and nonresidential building stock.

The California Renewables Portfolio Standard Program requires the PUC to establish a renewables portfolio standard requiring all retail sellers, as defined, to procure a minimum quantity of electricity products from eligible renewable energy resources, as defined, so that the total kilowatthours of those products sold to their retail end-use customers achieves 25% of retail sales by December 31, 2016, 33% by December 31, 2020, 40% by December 31, 2024, 45% by December 31, 2027, and 50% by December 31, 2030, with the 2024 to 2030 requirements imposed by the Clean Energy and Pollution Reduction Act of 2015.

This bill would require the Energy Commission, by January 1, 2020, and in consultation with relevant state agencies and the public, to establish nonbinding statewide targets that are cost effective and feasible for reducing energy consumption and emissions of greenhouse gases from multifamily residential properties by January 1, 2030, taking into consideration the states requirements for reducing emissions of greenhouse gases and the climate equity, doubling of energy efficiency, and increased use of renewable energy resources requirements set forth in the Clean Energy and Pollution Reduction Act of 2015. The bill would require the Energy Commission, as part of its ongoing comprehensive program to achieve greater energy savings in Californias existing residential and nonresidential building stock, to consult with relevant entities, including, among others, an expert advisory committee established by the Energy Commission pursuant to the bill. The bill would, pursuant to that consultation, require the Energy Commission to do all of the following: (1) by May 1, 2019, January 1, 2020, develop statewide strategies and recommendations to better leverage existing and new programs and funding resources to accelerate integrated distributed energy resource, water, and health and safety improvement programs available to multifamily residential properties and low-income multifamily properties to achieve the states requirements for reducing emissions of greenhouse gases and the climate equity, doubling of energy efficiency, and increased use of renewable energy resources requirements of the Clean Energy and Pollution Reduction Act of 2015, (2) by May 1, 2019, January 1, 2020, identify best practices from model programs, funding mechanisms, and workforce development strategies, and a recommended action plan, and (3) by January 1, 2020, identify and implement ways to enhance the Energy Upgrade California Web site, or other appropriate statewide Web sites, to create a statewide Web site subcomponent for owners of multifamily residential properties and for residents of multifamily residential properties that identifies applicable distributed energy resource and water programs and points of contact. The bill would require the Energy Commission, in consultation with the expert advisory committee, to report to the Legislature, by January 1, 2019, on the strategies developed pursuant to this requirement along with any recommendations for legislative action that may need to be taken to implement those strategies. The bill would require the Energy Commission, the Department of Housing and Community Development, the PUC, the State Water Resources Control Board, the Department of Community Services and Development, and other relevant entities, to develop strategies by January 1, 2019, for standardized income eligibility verification processes for distributed energy resources and water programs and would require the Energy Commission to include the strategies and progress made in implementing them in its report to the Legislature. The bill would enact other related provisions.