| TO: | Honorable Rick Hardcastle, Chair, House Committee on Energy Resources |
| FROM: | John S. O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board |
| IN RE: | HB1122 by Anchia (Relating to efficiency standards for certain appliances; providing a civil penalty.), As Introduced |
Depending upon the amount of reduction of energy usage by state agencies following appliance efficiency standards, the state would realize and indeterminate amount of savings.
The bill would amend statute and require the Comptroller of Public Accounts (CPA) to adopt more stringent energy efficiency standards and expand the agency’s responsibility to provide assistance and information to include institutions of higher education, school districts and state agencies. In addition, the bill would identify and define electrical appliances and require the CPA to adopt minimum efficiency standards for these appliances no later than September 1, 2008, and adopt test procedures for determining a product's energy efficiency based on methods approved by the U.S. Department of Energy.
The bill would also require the CPA to adopt rules governing the certification and labeling of products, and the testing of products with authority to impose an assessment and public disclosure of those products found not to be in compliance. The CPA would be required to investigate complaints of violations and report the results to the attorney general. The Comptroller would issue warnings to persons violating standards, and subsequent violations would be subject to a civil penalty.
The Comptoller's office indicates that there would be significant administrative costs from the provisions of the bill, but the total likely costs cannot be fully estimated at this time.
The bill would take effect September 1, 2007.
Units of local government would also realize a savings from implementing provisions of the bill.
| Source Agencies: | 302 Office of the Attorney General, 304 Comptroller of Public Accounts
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| LBB Staff: | JOB, WK, SD, JM
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