BILL ANALYSIS
SB 1891
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Date of Hearing: June 14, 2004
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON UTILITIES AND COMMERCE
Sarah Reyes, Chair
SB 1891 (Committee on Energy, Utilities and Communications) -
As Amended: June 10, 2004
SENATE VOTE : 37-0
SUBJECT : Public Utilities: metering of multiunit residences:
electrical transmission facilities.
SUMMARY : Makes technical, non-controversial changes to existing
law. Specifically, this bill :
1)Renumbers a provision of the Public Utilities Code to
eliminate duplicative statutory numbering.
2)Creates an exemption from a requirement that multi-unit
residential complexes must be individualy metered for
electrical and gas service to allow multi-unit complexes to
not have gas meters if they are only equipped with vented
decorative appliances (gas fireplaces).
3)Deletes two sections in the Public Utilities Code that are
duplicative of similar sections in the Public Resources Code.
EXISTING LAW requires all residential units in an apartment or
similar multi-unit residential structure, condominium, or mobile
home park built after July 1, 1982, to be individually metered
for electric and gas service. A dormitory or other housing
accommodation provided by any postsecondary educational
institution for students or employees and farmworker housing are
exempt from the requirement. Separate metering for gas service
is not required for residential units which are not equipped
with gas appliances requiring venting or that receive most of
the energy used for water or space heating from a solar energy
system or through cogeneration technology.
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown.
COMMENTS : This bill is an annual omnibus code clean up bill
which will only make non-controversial changes.
This bill renumbers a provision of the Public Utilities Code to
SB 1891
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eliminate duplicative statutory numbering. Additionally, this
bill deletes two code sections in the Public Utilities Code that
were repealed and recast in the Public Resources Code by SB 183
(Sher), Chapter 666, Statutes of 2003; however, because SB 168
(Committee on Energy, Utilities and Communications) Chapter 733,
Statutes of 2003, also amended these code sections, the sections
were never deleted from the Public Utilities Code. This bill
incorporates the changes made by SB 168 into the code sections
the Public Resources Code to make the Public Resources Code
identical to the sections repealed in the Public Utilities Code.
This bill also addresses an issue that has been raised by SDG&E
concerning gas meters on multi-unit residential complexes to
specifically allow new apartment complexes to install gas
fireplaces without installing individual gas meters on each
unit.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
None on file.
Opposition
None on file.
Analysis Prepared by : Edward Randolph / U. & C. / (916)
319-2083