Energy: building energy efficiency: heating, ventilation, and air conditioning equipment: sale registry and compliance tracking system: compliance document data registry.

Existing law requires the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission to prescribe, by regulation, building design and construction standards and energy and water conservation design standards for new residential and nonresidential buildings. Existing law requires the commission to prescribe, by regulation, standards for minimum levels of operating efficiency to promote the use of energy-efficient and water-efficient appliances whose use requires a significant amount of energy or water on a statewide basis. Existing law requires the commission to approve a plan that will promote compliance with specified regulations in the installation of central air conditioning and heat pumps and authorizes the commission to adopt regulations to increase compliance with permitting and inspection requirements for central air conditioning and heat pumps, and associated sales and installations, consistent with that plan. This bill would require the commission, on or before January 1, 2026, to develop and implement an electronic statewide heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment sales registry and compliance tracking system that is designed to identify HVAC equipment that is installed in California without permits and without completion of the required documentation, as provided. The bill would require the commission, on or before January 1, 2025, to develop and implement an electronic statewide compliance document data registry to register and store compliance, installation, and acceptance test documentation data required by the regulations specified above, as provided. The bill would specify that the HVAC equipment sales registry and compliance tracking system and the electronic statewide compliance document data registry are not to be directly accessible to the general public. The bill would require the commission to identify and designate certain information as presumptively confidential. The bill would require the commission, by March 1, 2024, and by every March 1 thereafter until March 1, 2028, to submit a report to certain committees of the Legislature on the implementation status of the HVAC equipment sales registry and compliance tracking system and a report to those committees of the Legislature on the implementation status of the electronic statewide compliance document data registry. Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest. This bill would make legislative findings to that effect.