(a) (1) The commission shall implement changes to the program as authorized pursuant to this section as it read on December 31, 2017, applicable to the service territories of a gas corporation to promote the installation of solar thermal systems in homes, businesses, and buildings or facilities of eligible customer classes receiving natural gas service throughout the state. Eligible customer classes shall include single-family and multifamily residential, commercial, industrial, agricultural, governmental, nonprofit, and primary, secondary, and postsecondary educational customers.
(A) The commission shall expand the program to homeowners that lack access to natural gas and rely on propane or wood burning to fulfill their space heating, water heating, and cooking needs who are being considered to receive natural gas and who reside in the San Joaquin Valley communities identified by the commission pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of Section 783.5.
(B) The commission may limit program eligibility based on income levels for residential applicants in order to achieve program goals.
(C) The commission shall implement program changes in phases, if necessary, to enable seamless continuation of the availability of rebates, and the administration and promotion of the program, as of January 1, 2018.
(2) The program shall be administered by gas corporations or third-party administrators, as determined by the commission, and subject to the supervision of the commission.
(3) The commission shall coordinate the program with the Energy Commission’s programs and initiatives, including, but not limited to, the New Solar Homes Partnership, to achieve the goal of building zero-energy homes.
(4) The commission shall perform an assessment of the entire program through July 31, 2019, to be completed by no later than December 31, 2019, to determine both the cost-effectiveness of the program and the program’s effectiveness in achieving program goals.
(b) (1) The commission shall fund the program through the use of a surcharge applied to gas customers based upon the amount of natural gas consumed. The surcharge shall be in addition to any other charges for natural gas sold or transported for consumption in this state.
(2) Funding for the program established by this article shall not, for the collective service territories of all gas corporations, exceed two hundred fifty million dollars ($250,000,000) over the course of the program to July 31, 2020.
(3) Fifty percent of the total program budget shall be reserved for the installation of solar thermal systems in low-income residential housing or in buildings in disadvantaged communities. The commission may revise the percentage if the budget for other types of customers becomes depleted.
(4) Ten percent of the total program budget shall be reserved for the installation of solar thermal systems for industrial applications. The commission may revise the percentage if the budget for other types of customers becomes depleted.
(5) The commission shall annually establish a surcharge rate for each class of gas customers. Any gas customer participating in the California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) or Family Electric Rate Assistance (FERA) programs shall be exempt from paying any surcharge imposed to fund the program designed and implemented pursuant to this article.
(6) Any surcharge imposed to fund the program designed and implemented pursuant to this article shall not be imposed upon the portion of any gas customer’s procurement of natural gas that is used or employed for a purpose that Section 896 excludes from being categorized as the consumption of natural gas.
(7) The gas corporation or other person or entity providing revenue cycle services, as defined in Section 328.1, shall be responsible for collecting the surcharge.
(c) Funds shall be allocated in the form of customer rebates to promote utilization of solar thermal systems.
(d) In designing and implementing the program required by this article, no moneys shall be diverted from any existing programs for low-income ratepayers or cost-effective energy efficiency programs.
(Amended by Stats. 2017, Ch. 473, Sec. 5. (AB 797) Effective January 1, 2018. Inoperative August 1, 2020. Repealed as of January 1, 2021, pursuant to Section 2867.4.)
Last modified: October 25, 2018