Environmental Standards For Appliances

Current law establishes water and energy efficiency standards (standards) for certain appliances and fixtures sold in Colorado. Sections 1 through 7 of the bill expand the appliances and fixtures that are subject to the standards and update the standards.

Specifically, section 4 updates standards for certain appliances and fixtures that are sold in Colorado on and after certain dates, including:

• Showerheads, urinals, water closets, and certain faucets and urinals ;
• Certain lamps;
• Commercial hot food holding cabinets;
• Portable electric spas;
• Residential ventilating fans; and
• Spray sprinkler bodies.

Section 4 also creates new standards for certain appliances and other fixtures that are sold in Colorado on and after January 1, 2024, 2026, including:

• Air purifiers;
• Commercial ovens;
• Electric storage water heaters;
• Electric vehicle supply equipment;
• Gas fireplaces;
• Irrigation controllers;
• Tub spout diverters and showerhead tub spout diverter combinations; and
• Certain residential windows, residential doors, and residential skylights; and
• Thermostats.

Section 4 also removes standards for air compressors, general service lamps, and uninterruptible power supplies.Section 5 requires the executive director (executive director) of the department of public health and environment (executive director) (department) to promulgate rules on or before January 1, 2026, and every 5 years thereafter:

• Adopting a more recent version of any standard; and
• Establishing standards for appliances and other devices that are not subject to the standards if certain conditions are met.

Section 6 exempts manufacturers of products subject to the standards from having to demonstrate that a product complies with the law if the product appears in the state appliance standards database maintained by the Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships, or a successor organization. Section 6 also requires the executive director to conduct periodic, unannounced inspections of major distributors or retailers, including online retailers, of new products in order to determine verify major retailers' and distributors' compliance with the standards through online spot-checks, coordination with other states that have similar standards, or both. The executive director must deliver a report to the legislative committees of reference concerning the method and findings of the verifications, post the report on the department's website, and report any findings of violations to the attorney general.

Under current law, any person who sells or offers to sell in the state any new consumer product that is required to meet an efficiency standard but that the person knows does not meet that standard is subject to a civil penalty of not more than $2,000 for each violation, which amount is credited to the general fund. Section 7 credits any penalties imposed to the energy fund created in the Colorado energy office rather than to the general fund and specifies that each transaction or online for-sale product listing constitutes a separate violation.Section 8 establishes the "Clean Lighting Act" to phase out the sale of general-purpose fluorescent light bulbs that contain mercury. With certain exceptions:

• On and after January 1, 2024, 2025, a person shall not manufacture, distribute, sell, or offer for sale in Colorado any new linear florescent lamp or compact fluorescent lamp. with a screw- or bayonet-type base; and
• On and after January 1, 2025, a person shall not manufacture, distribute, sell, or offer for sale in Colorado any linear fluorescent lamp or any compact fluorescent lamp with a pin-type base.

Section 9 establishes standards for heating and water heating appliances. With certain exceptions, on and after January 1, 2025, 2026, a person shall not manufacture, distribute, sell, offer for sale, lease, or offer for lease in Colorado any new water heater boiler, or fan-type central furnace unless the emissions of the product do not exceed certain limits on emissions. On or before January 1, 2029, the air quality control commission in the department of public health and environment must promulgate rules lowering the emission limits. Section 9 also requires manufacturers to use certain testing protocols, display certain information on each product, and demonstrate compliance through one of various 2 described means.Section 9 also allows the executive director to promulgate rules updating any emission standard, definition, or test method for new water heaters or fan-type central furnaces in order to maintain or improve consistency with other comparable standards in other states so long as the updated version results in air quality that is equal to or better than air quality achieved using the prior standard. On or before January 1, 2030, the executive director must conduct an analysis to determine whether statewide greenhouse gas emissions from water heaters and fan-type central furnaces are declining in comparison to emission levels in 2023 in a manner that comports with the statewide greenhouse gas reduction goals. Unless the analysis determines that the emissions trajectory is consistent with achieving the statewide greenhouse gas reduction goals, the executive director shall propose to the commission rules to bring the emission levels in line with the reduction goals.Sections 8 and 9 both require the executive director to conduct periodic, unannounced inspections of major distributors or retailers, including online retailers, of new products to determine compliance and to report violations to the attorney general. verify major retailers' and distributors' compliance with the prohibitions through online spot-checks, coordination with other states that have similar standards, or both. The executive director must deliver a report to the legislative committees of reference concerning the method and findings of the verifications, post the report on the department's website, and report any findings of violations to the attorney general. If the attorney general has probable cause to believe that a violation occurred, the attorney general may bring a civil action on behalf of the state to seek the imposition of civil penalties, and any civil penalties are to be deposited in the energy fund.

For the 2023-24 state fiscal year, the bill appropriates $49,730 to the department from the general fund to be used by the department as follows:

• $5,848 for use by the division of environmental health and sustainability for administration and support; and
• $43,882 for the purchase of legal services, which amount is reappropriated to the department of law to provide legal services for the department.

(Note: Italicized words indicate new material added to the original summary; dashes through words indicate deletions from the original summary.)

(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)