AN ACT CONCERNING ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND TRANSMISSION PLANNING.

House of Representatives
sHB5248 / File No. 378 1

General Assembly File No. 378
February Session, 2026 Substitute House Bill No. 5248

House of Representatives, April 2, 2026

The Committee on Energy and Technology reported through
REP. STEINBERG of the 136th Dist., Chairperson of the
Committee on the part of the House, that the substitute bill
ought to pass.

AN ACT CONCERNING ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND TRANSMISSION
PLANNING.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:

Section 1. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2026) If the federal Energy Star 1
program is eliminated, the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental 2
Protection, in consultation with the Commissioner of Consumer 3
Protection, may endorse an equivalent voluntary energy efficiency 4
certification program established by a third -party entity. The 5
Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection may coordinate 6
with any other state that endorses such a program to create 7
standardized labels for consumers pursuant to such program. 8
Sec. 2. Subdivisions (2) and (3) of subsection (d) of section 16a -48 of 9
the general statutes are repealed and the following is substituted in lieu 10
thereof (Effective October 1, 2026): 11
(2) (A) Such efficiency standards, where in conflict with the State 12
sHB5248 File No. 378

sHB5248 / File No. 378 2

Building Code, shall take precedence over the standards contained in 13
the Building Code. [Not later than July 1, 2007, and biennially thereafter, 14
the] The Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection shall 15
periodically review and increase the level of such efficiency standards 16
by adopting regulations , in accordance with the provisions of chapter 17
54, upon [a] the commissioner's determination that increased efficiency 18
standards would [serve to ] promote energy conservation in the state 19
and would be cost-effective for consumers who purchase and use such 20
new products . [, provided no ] In determining cost -effectiveness for 21
consumers pursuant to this subparagraph, the commissioner may rely 22
on a determination by a multistate appliance standards organization 23
that such new product will have a payback period for the consumer of 24
not greater than five years. No such increased efficiency standards shall 25
become effective within one year following the adoption of any 26
amended regulations providing for such increased efficiency standards. 27
(B) Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, when adopting 28
regulations pursuant to this subdivision, the commissioner may 29
incorporate by reference the relevant efficiency standard, including, but 30
not limited to, any definition within said standard that differs from any 31
definition provided in this section, and any associated test standard for 32
the relevant efficiency standard. Such standards may include, but need 33
not be limited to, requirements concerning the ability of a product to 34
interface with any demand response program of a municipal electric 35
utility or an electric distribution company. 36
(3) (A) The Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection , 37
in consultation with the Commissioner of Consumer Protection, shall, 38
from time to time, adopt and amend regulations, in accordance with the 39
provisions of chapter 54, to designate additional products , including, 40
but not limited to, plumbing fixtures, to be subject to the provisions of 41
this section and to establish efficiency standards for such products (i) 42
upon a determination that such efficiency standards [(i)] (I) would serve 43
to promote energy or water conservation in the state, [(ii)] (II) would be 44
cost-effective for consumers who purchase and use such new products, 45
and [(iii)] (III) would not impose an unreasonable burden on 46
sHB5248 File No. 378

sHB5248 / File No. 378 3

[Connecticut] businesses in the state, or (ii) if product efficiency 47
standards that were issued or approved for publication by the United 48
States Department of Energy on or before January 1, 2018, pursuant to 49
the Energy Policy and Conservation Act, 42 USC 6201 et seq., were 50
subsequently withdrawn or repealed. In determining cost-effectiveness 51
for consumers pursuant to this subparagraph, the commissioner may 52
rely on a determination by a multistate appliance standards 53
organization that such new product will have a payback period for the 54
consumer of not greater than five years. 55
(B) [The Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection , in 56
consultation with the Multi -State Appliance Standards Collaborative, 57
shall identify additional appliance and equipment efficiency standards. 58
The commissioner shall review all California standards and may review 59
standards from other states in such collaborative. The commissioner 60
shall issue notice of such review in the Connecticut Law Journal, allow 61
for public comment and may hold a public hearing within six months of 62
adoption of an efficiency standard by a cooperative member state 63
regarding a product for which no equivalent Connecticut or federal 64
standard currently exists. The commissioner shall adopt regulations in 65
accordance with the provisions of chapter 54 adopting such efficiency 66
standard unless the commissioner makes a specific finding that such 67
standard does not meet the criteria in subparagraph (A) of this 68
subdivision.] When adopting regulations pursuant to this subdivision, 69
the commissioner may incorporate by reference the relevant efficiency 70
standard, including, but not limited to, any definition within such 71
standard that differs from any definition in this section, and any 72
associated test standard for the relevant efficiency standard. Such 73
standards may include, but need not be limited to, requirements 74
concerning the ability of a product to interface with any demand 75
response program of a municipal electric utility or an electric 76
distribution company. 77
(C) Efficiency standards established pursuant to this subdivision, 78
where in conflict with the State Building Code or the efficiency 79
standards for plumbing fixtures adopted pursuant to subsection (a) of 80
sHB5248 File No. 378

sHB5248 / File No. 378 4

section 21a-86a, shall take precedence over the provisions of the State 81
Building Code or such standards adopted pursuant to subsection (a) of 82
section 21a-86a. 83
Sec. 3. Subsection (g) of section 16a -48 of the general statutes is 84
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 85
1, 2026): 86
(g) [Manufacturers of any new products set forth in subsection (b) of 87
this section for which (1) no efficiency standards exist in California, and 88
(2) the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection adopts 89
efficiency standards, shall certify to the commissioner that such 90
products are in compliance with the provisions of this section, except 91
that certification is not required for single voltage external AC to DC 92
power supplies and walk -in refrigerators and walk -in freezers. All 93
single voltage external AC to DC power supplies shall be labeled as 94
described in the January 2006 California Code of Regulations, Title 20, 95
Section 1607(9). The commissioner shall promulgate regulations 96
governing the certification of such products. ] Manufacturers of 97
products subject to any regulations adopted pursuant to this section 98
shall submit documentation, on a form prescribed by the commissioner, 99
concerning the certification of such products by the California Energy 100
Commission, the federal WaterSense program or a successor program 101
that promotes water efficiency, the federal Energy Star program or a 102
successor program that promotes energy efficiency or a third -party 103
certification body designated by the commissioner, as applicable, for 104
compliance with this section or compliance with identical standards 105
adopted by another jurisdiction. The commissioner shall publish an 106
annual list of [any products set forth in subsection (b) of this section on 107
the department's Internet web site that designates which such products 108
are certified in California and which such products not certified in 109
California have demonstrated compliance with efficiency standards 110
adopted by the commissioner pursuant to subparagraph (B) of 111
subdivision (3) of subsection (d) of this section] such products. 112
Sec. 4. Subsection (h) of section 16a -48 of the general statutes is 113
sHB5248 File No. 378

sHB5248 / File No. 378 5

repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 114
1, 2026): 115
(h) The commissioner may periodically inspect or cause inspections 116
to be made of, either in person or online, distributors and retailers of 117
products subject to the provisions of this section. The commissioner may 118
establish a process to anonymously report potential violations of this 119
section through the department's Internet web site. The Attorney 120
General may institute proceedings to enforce the provisions of this 121
section. Any person who violates any provision of this section shall be 122
subject to a civil penalty of not more than two hundred fifty dollars. 123
Each violation of this section shall constitute a separate offense, and each 124
day that such violation continues shall constitute a separate offense. 125
Sec. 5. Subdivision (3) of subsection (c) of section 16-50p of the general 126
statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof 127
(Effective October 1, 2026): 128
(3) For purposes of this section, a public benefit exists when a facility 129
is necessary for the reliability of the electric power supply of the state or 130
for the development of a competitive market for electricity and a public 131
need exists when a facility is necessary for the reliability of the electric 132
power supply of the state. In determining that a public need exists 133
pursuant to this subdivision, the council shall consider whether a facility 134
described in subdivision (1) or (4) of subsection (a) of section 16 -50i 135
addresses anticipated future electric grid reliability needs by creating an 136
interconnection point for a future electric generation source or by 137
relieving any transmission system constraint to allow for the 138
unconstrained delivery of electricity from a future generation source. 139
Any future reliability needs identified in the council's determination of 140
public need, and any potential solutions to address such reliability 141
needs, shall be supported by (A) any study or finding of the regional 142
independent system operator, as defined in section 16 -1, or (B) the 143
Integrated Resources Plan approved pursuant to section 16a-3a. 144
sHB5248 File No. 378

sHB5248 / File No. 378 6

This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:

Section 1 October 1, 2026 New section
Sec. 2 October 1, 2026 16a-48(d)(2) and (3)
Sec. 3 October 1, 2026 16a-48(g)
Sec. 4 October 1, 2026 16a-48(h)
Sec. 5 October 1, 2026 16-50p(c)(3)

Statement of Legislative Commissioners:
In Section 2(d)(3)(B), "said" was changed to "such" for accuracy.

ET Joint Favorable Subst. -LCO

sHB5248 File No. 378

sHB5248 / File No. 378 7

The following Fiscal Impact Statement and Bill Analysis are prepared for the benefit of the members of
the General Assembly, solely for purposes of information, summarization and explanation and do not
represent the intent of the General Assembly or either chamber thereof for any purpose. In general,
fiscal impacts are based upon a variety of informational sources, including the analyst’s professional
knowledge. Whenever applicable, agency data is consulted as part of the analysis, however final
products do not necessarily reflect an assessment from any specific department.

OFA Fiscal Note

State Impact: None
Municipal Impact: None
Explanation
This bill expands the Department of Energy and Environmental
Protection’s (DEEP) authority to establish energy efficiency standards ,
which does not result in a cost to the state as DEEP has the staff and
expertise necessary to meet the requirements of the bill.
Additionally, the bill requires the Siting Council, when determining
whether a public need exists for transmission lines, substations, and
switchyards, to consider if the project addresses anticipated future
electric grid reliability needs. This does not result in a cost to the state as
the Siting Council has the staff and expertise necessary to make these
determinations.
Rate Payer Impact
Appliance regulations under consideration in Sections 2-5 would be
expected to save Connecticut residents over 6.6 million 1 megawatt-
hours of electricity through 2050, resulting in significant savings to rate
payers who take advantage of the efficiency standards.
Planned transmission projects can lower the cost s to rate payers by
reducing the risk of unknown or unexpectedly high upgrade costs by
eliminating transmission congestion and eliminating barriers to various

1 Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
sHB5248 File No. 378

sHB5248 / File No. 378 8

new projects.
It is anticipate d that requiring the Siting Council to determine
whether a public need exists for transmission lines and to consider if the
project addresses anticipated future electric grid reliability needs, could
yield savings to rate payers. The extent of the savings will be dependent
upon the specific project and various electric distribution company
decisions, that are outside the immediate scope of the bill.
The Out Years
State Impact: None
Municipal Impact: None

sHB5248 File No. 378

sHB5248 / File No. 378 9

OLR Bill Analysis
sHB 5248

AN ACT CONCERNING ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND
TRANSMISSION PLANNING.

SUMMARY
This bill expands the Department of Energy and Environmental
Protection’s (DEEP) authority to establish energy efficiency standards
for new products and makes related changes to the process for setting
these standards. The bill also allows the department to endorse a third-
party voluntary energy efficiency certification program if the federal
Energy Star program is eliminated.
Separately, the bill adds to the factors the Siting Council must
consider when determining whether a public need exists for certain
transmission facilities subject the council’s jurisdiction ( electric
transmission lines, electric substations, or switchyards). Specifically, the
bill requires the council to consider whether the project addresses
anticipated future electric grid reliability needs.
EFFECTIVE DATE: October 1, 2026
§ 1 — ENERGY STAR REPLACEMENT
If the federal Energy Star program is eliminated, t he bill authorizes
the DEEP commissioner, in consultation with the Department of
Consumer Protection (DCP) commissioner , to endorse an equivalent
voluntary energy efficiency certification program established by a third
party. The bill allows the DEEP commissioner to coordinate with any
other state that endorses a program to create standardized labels for
consumers.
The federal Energy Star program is a voluntary labeling program for
energy-efficient products, homes, buildings, and manufacturing plants
sHB5248 File No. 378

sHB5248 / File No. 378 10

that is managed jointly by the federal Environmental Protection Agency
and the federal Department of Energy (DOE) (42 U.S.C. § 6294a).
§§ 2-4 — NEW PRODUCT ENERGY EFFICIENCY STANDARDS
Statutory Products and Standards
Existing law requires DEEP to adopt regulations to establish
minimum energy efficiency standards for various products (for
example, commercial refrigerators and freezers, boilers, and residential
pool pumps). The law, which applies to new products sold, offered for
sale, or installed i n the state, defines the products and specifies their
standards.
Current law requires the DEEP commissioner to review these
standards biennially and increase them through regulations if she
determines that it would promote energy conservation and be cost -
effective for consumers. The bill allows the DEEP commissioner, when
determining a standard’s cost -effectiveness, to rely on a multi -state
appliance standard organization’s determination that the new product
will have a payback period of no more than five years. It also requires
her to do this review periodically, rather than biennially.
Designating Standards for Additional Products
Current law requires the DEEP commissioner to adopt regulations
designating efficiency standards for additional products , if she
determines the standards would (1) promote energy conservation in the
state, (2) be cost effective for consumers, and (3) not impose an
unreasonable burden on businesses in the state.
The bill allows her to approve standards that promote water
conservation in the state, in addition to being cost effective and not
imposing an unreasonable burden on businesses. It allows her to
determine consumer cost effectiveness by using a multi-state appliance
standards organization’s determination that the new product will have
a payback period of no more than five years.
The bill also requires her to consult with the DCP commissioner when
designating additional products through regulations. It specifies that
sHB5248 File No. 378

sHB5248 / File No. 378 11

the requirement to designate additional products is ongoing, requiring
DEEP to adopt and amend regulations from time to time , and that
additional products may include plumbing fixtures.
The bill additionally requires the DEEP commissioner , in
consultation with the DCP commissioner, to adopt and amend
regulations to establish efficiency standards for additional products if
product efficiency standards issued or approved for publication by DOE
by January 1, 2018, under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act were
subsequently withdrawn or repealed.
The bill eliminates a separate process for DEEP to identify additional
appliance and equipment efficiency standards. Under current law, this
process requires the DEEP commissioner to adopt standards under
certain circumstances if a state belonging to the M ulti-State Appliance
Standards Collaborative adopts an efficiency standard for a product that
does not have a federal standard or a state standard in Connecticut.
Definitions, Test Standards, and Demand Response Programs
The bill allows the DEEP commissioner, when adopting regulations
for products listed in statute or additional products, to incorporate by
reference relevant efficiency standards, including standards with
definitions that differ from those set in statute an d any associated test
standard for the relevant efficiency standard. These standards may
require a product to interface with an electric utility’s demand response
program.
Conflicts With Other Standards
By law, standards established for products listed in statute, when in
conflict with the State Building Code, take precedence. The bill similarly
requires standards the DEEP commissioner sets for additional products
to take precedence when in conflict with the State Building Code. It also
requires additional product standards to take precedence over DCP
regulations establishing mi nimum efficiency standards for plumbing
fixtures and other water-using devices.
Compliance Documentation
sHB5248 File No. 378

sHB5248 / File No. 378 12

With certain exceptions, current law requires new product
manufacturers to certify to DEEP that their products are compliant if (1)
the product is listed in statute, (2) no efficiency standards exist for the
product in California, and (3) the DEEP commissioner adopts standards
for the product. It also requires the DEEP commissioner to adopt
regulations governing the products’ certification.
The bill eliminates these requirements , instead requiring
manufacturers of products subject to any DEEP regulations on
efficiency standards to submit documentation on a product’s
certification by:
1. the California Energy Commission,
2. the federal WaterSense program or a successor program that
promotes water efficiency,
3. the federal Energy Star program or a successor program that
promotes energy efficiency, or
4. a third -party certification body designated by the DEEP
commissioner.
Alternatively, manufacturers may submit documentation on
compliance with identical standards adopted by another jurisdiction.
The bill requires the DEEP commissioner to annually publish a list of
the products that must have this certification.
Investigation and Enforcement
Existing law, unchanged by the bill, allows the attorney general to
enforce laws about energy efficiency product standards and subjects
violators to a civil penalty of up to $2 50. The bill allows the DEEP
commissioner to (1) periodically inspect or have inspections done of
product distributors and retailers in person or online and (2) establish a
process to anonymously report violations through DEEP’s website.
§ 5 — TRANSMISSION PROJECT DECISIONS
sHB5248 File No. 378

sHB5248 / File No. 378 13

By law, developers must get a certificate of environmental
compatibility and public need (“a certificate”) before starting projects to
build or modify certain facilities that are subject to the Siting Council’s
jurisdiction, including transmission lines, e lectric substations , and
switchyards. Existing law prohibits the council from granting a
certificate unless it makes certain findings about the project, including
that there is a public need for the facility and the basis of that need. A
public need exists when a facility is necessary for the reliability of the
state’s electric power supply.
The bill requires the council, when determining whether a public
need exists for transmission lines, substations, and switchyards, to
consider whether the project addresses anticipated future electric grid
reliability needs by (1) creating an interconnection point for a future
electric generation source or (2) relieving a transmission system
constraint to allow for the unconstrained delivery of electricity from a
future generation source. Any future reliability needs identified in the
council’s determinatio n and any potential solutions to address them
must be supported by (1) a n ISO-New England study or finding or (1)
the state’s Integrated Resources Plan.
COMMITTEE ACTION
Energy and Technology Committee
Joint Favorable
Yea 18 Nay 8 (03/17/2026)