BILL ANALYSIS
AB 1574
Page 1
ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB 1574 (Lowenthal)
As Amended May 31, 2001
Majority vote
HOUSING 9-0 UTILITIES AND COMMERCE
13-4
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|Ayes:|Lowenthal, Mountjoy, |Ayes:|Wright, Pescetti, |
| |Cogdill, Cohn, Dutra, | |Calderon, Canciamilla, |
| |Kehoe, Runner, Salinas, | |Cardenas, Diaz, Jackson, |
| |Wayne | |Kelley, Maddox, Nation, |
| | | |Papan, Reyes, Wesson |
| | | | |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
| | |Nays:|Bill Campbell, John |
| | | |Campbell, |
| | | |La Suer, Leonard |
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APPROPRIATIONS 14-7
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|Ayes:|Migden, Alquist, Aroner, | | |
| |Cedillo, Corbett, Correa, | | |
| |Goldberg, Papan, Pavley, | | |
| |Simitian, Thomson, | | |
| |Wesson, Wiggins, Wright | | |
| | | | |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
|Nays:|Bates, Ashburn, Daucher, | | |
| |Maldonado, Robert | | |
| |Pacheco, Runner, Zettel | | |
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SUMMARY : Allows the California Energy Commission (CEC) to adopt
energy efficiency regulations and requires a home inspection
made in conjunction with the sale of a home to include an
inspection of the home's energy efficiency. Specifically, this
bill :
1)Allows the CEC to adopt regulations:
a) Requiring higher insulation and energy efficiency
AB 1574
Page 2
standards in new nonresidential buildings.
b) Prescribing minimum energy efficiency standards for
existing single family homes.
2)Exempts the above regulations from approval by the California
Building Standards Commission (BSC).
3)Requires a home inspection made in conjunction with the sale
of a single family home to include an inspection of the home's
energy efficiency.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Provides that the CEC shall prescribe by regulation measures
to reduce wasteful consumption of energy by new residential
and new nonresidential buildings.
2)Requires the CEC to establish criteria for adopting a
statewide home energy rating program for residential
dwellings.
3)Provides that no emergency regulation that is a building
standard shall be filed, nor shall the building standard be
effective, unless the building standard is submitted to BSC,
and is approved and filed.
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown
COMMENTS : CEC estimates that residential and commercial
buildings account for over 65% of all state electrical energy
use and over 52% of all natural gas use. Although there are
existing standards for new construction, which are periodically
updated, those standards were initially drafted in 1978.
According to the sponsor, approximately 5.3 million
single-family homes have little to no insulation or other
efficiency improvements.
Estimates from the Department of Finance for year 2000 show
approximately eight million existing single family homes have
been built and approximately seven million square feet of
commercial space is in the marketplace. New construction of
residential and commercial buildings only accounts for 2% of the
total building stock, leaving 98% with little or no efficiency
measures.
AB 1574
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The sponsor notes that both residential and commercial building
sectors represent enormous savings potential and should be
targeted for efficiency improvements.
Estimates of the energy savings potential for increasing
efficiency measures in existing residential and commercial
buildings are 20 times greater than comparable savings achieved
by the CEC's recently approved efficiency revisions for new
buildings.
Analysis Prepared by : Hubert Bower / H. & C.D. / (916)
319-2085
FN: 0001401