BILL ANALYSIS
AB 1574
Page 1
CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS
AB 1574 (Lowenthal)
As Amended September 12, 2001
Majority vote
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|ASSEMBLY: |54-21|(June 5, 2001) |SENATE: |23-9 |(September 14, |
| | | | | |2001) |
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Original Committee Reference: H. & C.D.
SUMMARY : Authorizes the California Energy Commission (CEC) to
develop measures to enhance energy efficiency for homes that
were built prior to the establishment of the current energy
efficiency standards, and makes related changes.
The Senate amendments :
1)Identify the energy efficiency items to be inspected, under
the home inspection.
2)Delete the provisions allowing CEC to adopt regulations.
3)Provide that CEC may develop and disseminate measures that
would enhance energy efficiency for single family residential
dwellings.
4)Provide that CEC may post the measures on its Web site, or by
making the measures available to the public upon request.
5)Allows a buyer or seller, at the time a home is sold, to
request a home inspection and a home inspector must provide
contact information for one or more of the following that
provide home energy information:
a) A non-profit organization;
b) An energy provider; or,
c) A government agency.
EXISTING LAW :
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1)Provides that CEC shall prescribe by regulation measures to
reduce wasteful consumption of energy by new residential and
new nonresidential buildings.
2)Requires 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 the
California Building Standards Commission (BSC), and is
approved and filed.
AS PASSED BY THE ASSEMBLY ,
1)Allows CEC to adopt regulations:
a) Requiring higher insulation and energy efficiency
standards in new nonresidential buildings; and,
b) Prescribing minimum energy efficiency standards for
existing single family homes.
2)Exempts the above regulations from approval by 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.
FISCAL EFFECT : Potential cost to CEC of $250,000 to $500,000.
COMMENTS : This bill authorizes CEC to provide energy efficient
information to homeowners. Specifically, under this bill, CEC
will be authorized to provide energy efficient measures to
residential homeowners by posting this information on its Web
site or making it available to the public upon request.
Additionally, this bill requires home inspectors to provide
homeowners with information on energy audit programs available
to them. At the time a residential home is sold, if a home
inspection is requested, the home inspector shall provide
contact information for public, private and nonprofit
organizations that provide home energy information.
According to some estimates, approximately 80% of California's
12 million existing homes and apartments were built prior to
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1983 when the first set of statewide energy efficiency standards
took effect. That means four out of five homes and apartments
in California weren't required to be in compliance with any
statewide energy efficiency standard before they were sold.
Most of the work of CEC with regard to buildings has been
focused on new construction. This bill focuses on existing
residential buildings and aims to reduce energy consumption by
authorizing CEC to adopt energy efficiency guidelines for
existing residential buildings and by encouraging people to have
their homes inspected for energy efficiency.
In 1994, the Legislature considered, but defeated, AB 2780
(O'Connell), which proposed to establish a statewide
certification program for home inspectors, including training
and education standards and a certification exam. In 1996, SB
258 (O'Connell), Chapter 338, Statutes of 1996,
was enacted to establish some consumer protections for
homebuyers purchasing home inspections and create basic
competency standards for home inspectors.
Analysis Prepared by : Hubert Bower / H. & C.D. / (916) 319-2085
FN:
0003575