Public Utilities Commission: large electrical corporations: Flexible Demand Appliance Rebate Program.

Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has regulatory jurisdiction over public utilities, including electrical corporations. Existing law requires certain levels of funding for programs to provide targeted energy-efficiency services to low-income electricity customers. Existing law requires the PUC to ensure that all eligible low-income electricity customers are given the opportunity to participate in low-income energy efficiency programs, including customers occupying apartments or similar multiunit residential structures. Existing law requires electrical corporations to perform home weatherization services for low-income customers, as specified. These programs are collectively known as the Energy Savings Assistance Program and are administered by each electrical corporation. This bill would require the PUC to establish the Flexible Demand Appliance Rebate Program as a part of the Energy Savings Assistance Program to incentivize the deployment of certain flexible demand appliances, as defined. The bill would require each electrical corporation with more than 100,000 service connections in California to administer the Flexible Demand Appliance Rebate Program in its service territory. The bill would authorize ratepayers who are served by those electrical corporations and eligible to participate in the Energy Savings Assistance Program to participate in the Flexible Demand Appliance Rebate Program. The bill would fund the Flexible Demand Appliance Rebate Program through unspent and uncommitted moneys from the Energy Savings Assistance Program, as specified, and would prohibit the PUC from increasing rates or imposing or increasing a charge for purposes of the Flexible Demand Appliance Rebate Program. The bill would require the PUC, on or before July 30, 2023, and biennially thereafter, to submit to the Legislature an assessment of the Flexible Demand Appliance Rebate Program. Existing law requires the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission (Energy Commission) to adopt, by regulation, and periodically update, standards for appliances to facilitate the deployment of flexible demand technologies. Existing law requires the Energy Commission to consult with the PUC and load-serving entities, as defined, to better align the flexible demand appliance standards with demand response programs administered by the state and load-serving entities and to incentivize the deployment of flexible demand appliances. This bill would require the Energy Commission, in consultation with the PUC, to publish public lists of flexible demand appliances that meet or exceed the flexible demand appliance standards and load-management programs that are compatible with flexible demand appliances for purposes of the Flexible Demand Appliance Rebate Program. Under existing law, a violation of any order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the PUC is a crime. Because a violation of a PUC action implementing the requirements of this bill would be a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.