General Assembly Raised Bill No. 357
February Session, 2014 LCO No. 1054
*01054_______ET_*
Referred to Committee on ENERGY AND TECHNOLOGY
Introduced by:
(ET)
General Assembly
Raised Bill No. 357
February Session, 2014
LCO No. 1054
*01054_______ET_*
Referred to Committee on ENERGY AND TECHNOLOGY
Introduced by:
(ET)
AN ACT CONCERNING ENERGY EFFICIENT BUILDING STANDARDS AND PRODUCT EFFICIENCY STANDARDS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:
Section 1. Section 29-253 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2014):
(a) The State Building Code, including any amendment to said code adopted by the State Building Inspector and Codes and Standards Committee, shall be the building code for all towns, cities and boroughs, provided any such town, city or borough may (1) adopt the state building construction standards adopted in accordance with section 16a-38k, as amended by this act, in place of the State Building Code for new commercial construction or a renovation that is projected to cost two million dollars or more, and (2) require that new residential buildings having an area of (A) three thousand square feet or more have a Home Energy Rating System score of seventy or less on the rating system established by the Residential Energy Services Network, or a similar rating system approved by the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection, and (B) less than three thousand square feet have a Home Energy Rating System score of sixty-five or less on the rating system established by the Residential Energy Services Network, or a similar rating system approved by the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection.
(b) Nothing in this section shall prevent any town, city or borough from adopting an ordinance governing the demolition of buildings deemed to be unsafe. As used in this subsection, "unsafe building" means a building that constitutes a fire hazard or is otherwise dangerous to human life or the public welfare.
Sec. 2. Section 16a-38k of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2014):
(a) Notwithstanding any provision of the general statutes, any (1) new construction of a state facility that is projected to cost five million dollars, or more, and for which all budgeted project bond funds are allocated by the State Bond Commission on or after January 1, 2008, (2) renovation of a state facility that is projected to cost two million dollars or more, of which two million dollars or more is state funding, approved and funded on or after January 1, 2008, (3) new construction of a facility that is projected to cost five million dollars, or more, of which two million dollars or more is state funding, and is authorized by the General Assembly pursuant to chapter 173 on or after January 1, 2009, and (4) renovation of a public school facility as defined in subdivision (18) of section 10-282 that is projected to cost two million dollars or more, of which two million dollars or more is state funding, and is authorized by the General Assembly pursuant to chapter 173 on or after January 1, 2009, shall comply [with or exceed compliance with the silver building rating of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design's rating system for new commercial construction and major renovation projects, as established by the United States Green Building Council, or an equivalent standard, including, but not limited to, a two-globe rating in the Green Globes USA design program] with the regulations described in subsection (b) of this section until the regulations described in subsection [(b)] (c) of this section are adopted. The Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection, in consultation with the Commissioner of Administrative Services and the Institute for Sustainable Energy, shall exempt any facility from complying with said regulations if the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection, in consultation with the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, finds, in a written analysis, that [the cost of such compliance significantly outweighs the benefits] the measures needed to comply with the building construction standards are not cost effective, as defined in subdivision (8) of subsection (a) of section 16a-38. Nothing in this section shall be construed to require the redesign of any new construction of a state facility that is designed in accordance with the silver building rating of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design's rating system for new commercial construction and major renovation projects, as established by the United States Green Building Council, or an equivalent standard, including, but not limited to, a two-globe rating in the Green Globes USA design program, provided the design for such facility was initiated or completed prior to the adoption of the regulations described in subsection (b) of this section.
(b) Not later than January 1, 2007, the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection, in consultation with the Commissioner of Administrative Services, shall adopt regulations, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54, to adopt state building construction standards that are consistent with or exceed the silver building rating of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design's rating system for new commercial construction and major renovation projects, as established by the United States Green Building Council, including energy standards that exceed those set forth in the 2004 edition of the American Society of Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Standard 90.1 by [no] not less than twenty per cent, or an equivalent standard, including, but not limited to, a two-globe rating in the Green Globes USA design program, and thereafter update such regulations as the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection deems necessary.
(c) Not later than January 1, 2015, the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection, in consultation with the Commissioner of Administrative Services, shall adopt regulations, in accordance with chapter 54, to adopt state building construction standards that achieve at least seventy-five points on the United States Environmental Protection Agency's national energy performance rating system, as determined by said agency's Energy Star Target Finder tool. Such regulations shall include a standard for inclusion of electric vehicle charging stations. The Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection may update such regulations as the commissioner deems necessary.
(d) The Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection, in consultation with the Commissioner of Administrative Services and the Institute for Sustainable Energy, shall exempt any facility from complying with the regulations adopted pursuant to subsection (c) of this section if such facility cannot be defined as an eligible building type, as determined by the Energy Star Target Finder tool. Any such exempt facility shall exceed the energy building construction standards set forth in the 2007 edition of the American Society of Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Standard 90.1 by not less than twenty per cent, or adhere to the current State Building Code, whichever is more stringent.
Sec. 3. Subsection (g) of section 16a-48 of the 2014 supplement to the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2014):
(g) Manufacturers of any new products set forth in subsection (b) of this section [or designated by the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection] for which (1) no efficiency standards exist in California, and (2) the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection adopts efficiency standards, shall certify to the commissioner that such products are in compliance with the provisions of this section, except that certification is not required for single voltage external AC to DC power supplies and walk-in refrigerators and walk-in freezers. All single voltage external AC to DC power supplies shall be labeled as described in the January 2006 California Code of Regulations, Title 20, Section 1607 (9). The commissioner shall promulgate regulations governing the certification of such products. The commissioner shall publish an annual list of such products on the department's Internet web site that designates which such products are certified in California and which such products not certified in California have demonstrated compliance with efficiency standards adopted by the commissioner pursuant to subparagraph (B) of subdivision (3) of subsection (d) of this section.
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:
Section 1 October 1, 2014 29-253
Sec. 2 October 1, 2014 16a-38k
Sec. 3 October 1, 2014 16a-48(g)
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:
Section 1
October 1, 2014
29-253
Sec. 2
October 1, 2014
16a-38k
Sec. 3
October 1, 2014
16a-48(g)
Statement of Purpose:
To (1) allow municipalities to adopt the high performance building construction standards for new commercial construction or certain renovations and certain home energy rating system scores for new residential construction, (2) adopt certain state building construction standards and to allow certain facilities to be exempt from those standards, provided such facilities adhere to certain other standards, and (3) remove the requirement that manufacturers of certain products certified to meet California standards submit documentation of such certification to the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection.
[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not underlined.]