An Act Regarding Energy Efficiency Standards for Residential Rental Properties
Sec. 1. 14 MRSA §6030-C is enacted to read:
§ 6030-C. Residential energy efficiency disclosure statement
Sec. 2. 35-A MRSA §10006 is enacted to read:
§ 10006. Energy efficiency of rental properties
Sec. 3. Report. The Public Utilities Commission shall prepare and submit a report to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over utilities and energy matters before January 1, 2008 that provides the commission’s assessment of whether the requirements of the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 14, section 6030-C are achieving the purposes of informing prospective tenants of the energy efficiency characteristics of residential properties used as primary residences. The commission also shall include in its report an assessment of whether the form that the commission and the Maine State Housing Authority submitted on January 31, 2006 to the Joint Standing Committee on Utilities and Energy as part of its report pursuant to Resolve 2005, chapter 109 and that, with changes suggested by the committee, will be used as the disclosure statement under Title 35-A, section 10006, subsection 1, requires adjustments to achieve the purposes of Title 14, section 6030-C.
SUMMARY
This bill, reported by the Joint Standing Committee on Utilities and Energy pursuant to Resolve 2005, chapter 109, section 4, does the following:
1. It requires landlords of residential property that will be used by tenants as a primary residence to provide to the tenants an energy efficiency disclosure statement for the property and directs the Public Utilities Commission and the Maine State Housing Authority to prepare and distribute an energy efficiency disclosure statement form for landlords to use;
2. It directs the Public Utilities Commission and the Maine State Housing Authority to develop suggested energy efficiency standards for residential property used by tenants as their primary residence; and
3. It requires the Public Utilities Commission to submit to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over utilities and energy matters before January 1, 2008 the commission's assessment of the effectiveness of the energy disclosure statement in meeting the purposes of the law.