AN ACT CONCERNING CONSUMER PROTECTIONS REGARDING RESIDENTIAL SOLAR AND ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEMS.

Substitute Senate Bill No. 233

Public Act No. 26-16

AN ACT CONCERNING CONSUMER PROTECTIONS REGARDING
RESIDENTIAL SOLAR AND ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEMS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:

Section 1. Section 42 -134a of the 2026 supplement to the general
statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof
(Effective October 1, 2026):
As used in this chapter and section 2 of this act:
(1) "Business day" means any calendar day except Saturday, Sunday
or any legal holiday designated, appointed or recommended under
section 1-4;
(2) "Commissioner" means the Commissioner of Consumer
Protection;
(3) "Consumer" means any individual who is physically present in
this state and a prospective recipient of consumer goods or consumer
services;
(4) "Consumer good" (A) means any article purchased, leased or
rented primarily for personal, family or household purposes, and (B)
includes, but is not limited to, any residential solar photovoltaic system
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or residential energy storage system;
(5) "Consumer service" (A) means any service purchased, leased or
rented primarily for personal, family or household purposes, and (B)
includes, but is not limited to, any course of instruction or training,
regardless of the purpose for which such course is taken;
(6) "Department" means the Department of Consumer Protection;
[(1)] (7) "Home solicitation sale" (A) means a sale, lease [,] or rental of
any consumer [goods] good or [services] consumer service , whether
under single or multiple contracts, in which the seller or [his] the seller's
authorized sales representative personally solicits the sale, lease or
rental, including, [those] but not limited to, any sale, lease or rental in
response to or following an invitation by the [buyer] consumer, and the
[buyer's] consumer's agreement or offer to purchase , lease or rent is
made at a place other than the seller's place of business ; [of the seller.
The term "home solicitation sale" ] and (B) does not include [a] any
transaction: [(A)] (i) Made pursuant to prior negotiations in the course
of a visit by the [buyer] consumer to a retail business establishment
having a fixed, permanent location where consumer goods are exhibited
or [the] consumer services are offered for sale , lease or rental on a
continuing basis; [(B)] (ii) in which the [buyer] consumer has initiated
the contact and the consumer goods or consumer services are needed to
meet a bona fide immediate personal emergency of the [buyer]
consumer, and the [buyer] consumer furnishes the seller with a separate
dated and signed personal statement in the [buyer's] consumer's
handwriting describing the situation requiring immediate remedy and
expressly acknowledging and waiving the right to cancel the sale, lease
or rental within three business days; [(C)] (iii) conducted and
consummated entirely by mail or telephone and without any other
contact between the [buyer] consumer and the seller or [its] the seller's
authorized sales representative prior to delivery of the consumer goods
or performance of the consumer services; [(D)] (iv) in which the [buyer]
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consumer has initiated the contact and specifically requested the seller
to visit [his] the consumer's home for the purpose of repairing or
performing maintenance upon the [buyer's] consumer's personal
property. If, in the course of such a visit, the seller sells , leases or rents
to the [buyer] consumer the right to receive additional [services or
goods] consumer goods or consumer services other than replacement
parts necessarily used in performing the maintenance or in making the
repairs, the sale of those additional consumer goods or consumer
services shall not come within [this] the exclusion established in this
clause; [(E)] (v) pertaining to the sale, lease or rental of real property, to
the sale of insurance, to the sale of newspapers or to the sale of securities
or commodities by a broker -dealer registered with the [securities and
exchange commission; (F) ] Securities and Exchange Commission; (vi)
made pursuant to a home party plan sales and demonstration; or [(G)]
(vii) in the case of consumer goods, other than magazine sales or
subscriptions, where the purchase price, whether under single or
multiple contracts, does not exceed twenty-five dollars; [.]
[(2) "Consumer goods or services" means goods or services
purchased, leased, or rented primarily for personal, family, or
household purposes, including courses of instruction or training
regardless of the purpose for which they are taken.
(3) "Seller" means any person, partnership, corporation, limited
liability company or association engaged in home solicitation sales of
consumer goods or services.]
(8) "Municipality" means any town, city, borough, consolidated town
and city or consolidated town and borough;
(9) "Person" means any individual, association, corporation, limited
liability company, partnership, trust or other legal entity;
[(4)] (10) "Place of business" means the main or permanent branch
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office or local address of a seller; [.]
[(5)] (11) "Purchase price" means the total price paid or to be paid for
the consumer goods or consumer services, including all interest and
service charges; [.]
[(6) "Business day" means any calendar day except Saturday, Sunday
or any legal holiday designated, appointed or recommended under
section 1-4.]
(12) "Residential energy storage system" means any commercially
available technology that (A) is capable of absorbing energy, storing
such energy for a period of time and thereafter dispatching such energy,
(B) is installed for use at a single -family dwell ing or multifamily
dwelling consisting of two to four units, and (C) conforms to the
Connecticut State Building Code;
(13) "Residential solar or energy storage seller" means any person
engaged in home solicitation sales of residential solar photovoltaic
systems or residential energy storage systems;
(14) "Residential solar photovoltaic system" means equipment and
devices that (A) have the primary purpose of collecting solar energy and
generating electricity by photovoltaic effect, (B) have a nameplate
capacity rating of twenty -five kilowatts or less, (C) are installed on the
roof of a single -family dwelling or multifamily dwelling consisting of
two to four units, and (D) conform to the Connecticut State Building
Code; and
(15) "Seller" (A) means any person engaged in home solicitation sales
of consumer goods or consumer services, and (B) includes, but is not
limited to, any residential solar or energy storage seller.
Sec. 2. (NEW) ( Effective October 1, 2026 ) (a) Not later than December
31, 2027, the Department of Consumer Protection, in consultation with
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the Office of Consumer Counsel and the task force established pursuant
to section 7 of public act 24 -38, as amended by section 59 of public act
25-173 and this act, shall develop a handbook for the purposes of
advising consumers on matters relating to home solicitation sales of
residential solar photovoltaic systems and residential energy storage
systems, including, but not limited to, solicitations made fo r the
purposes of such sales on an in -person basis at consumers' residences.
Such handbook shall, at a minimum, include guidance (1) that enables
consumers to assess the veracity of sales and marketing assertions made
regarding residential solar photovoltaic systems or residential energy
storage systems, (2) concerning the penalties applicable to residenti al
solar or energy storage sellers and such sellers' authorized sales
representatives under section 42-141 of the general statutes, as amended
by this act, and (3) concerning any other matters the department, in the
department's discretion, deems relevant for the purposes of this
subsection.
(b) Not later than January 15, 2028, the Department of Consumer
Protection shall make the handbook developed pursuant to subsection
(a) of this section available (1) on the department's Internet web site for
distribution to consumers as part of the program s funded by the
residential financing program offered by the Energy Efficiency Fund,
the Clean Energy Fund established pursuant to section 16 -245n of the
general statutes or the renewable energy tariffs established pursuant to
section 16 -244z of the genera l statutes, or any successor to such
programs, (2) to the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority for posting on
the authority's Internet web site, and (3) to the Office of Consumer
Council for posting on the office's Internet web site.
(c) On and after February 15, 2028, each residential solar or energy
storage seller, and each authorized sales representative of a residential
solar or energy storage seller, shall:
(1) Not engage in any in-person solicitation at a consumer's residence
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for the purposes of a home solicitation sale of a residential solar
photovoltaic system or residential energy storage system outside of the
hours set forth in subsection (d) of this section or in any more restrictive
municipal ordinance described in said subsection;
(2) Carry a current and valid identification card at all times while
such residential solar or energy storage seller or authorized sales
representative is engaged in any in-person solicitation at a consumer's
residence for the purposes of a home solicitation sale of a residential
solar photovoltaic system or residential energy storage system, which
identification card shall include (A) such residential solar or energy
storage seller 's name and, in the case of an authorized sales
representative, such authorized sales representative's name, and (B) any
other information the Commissioner of Consumer Protection, in the
commissioner's discretion, deems relevant for the pur poses of this
subdivision; and
(3) Provide a copy of the handbook developed pursuant to subsection
(a) of this section to the consumer (A) at the beginning of the first in -
person solicitation at the consumer's residence for the purposes of a
home solicitation sale of a residential solar photovoltaic system or
residential energy storage system, or (B) prior to the consumer executing
an agreement in a home solicitation sale of a residential solar
photovoltaic system or residential energy storage system if no
solicitation is made in person at the consumer's residence for the
purposes of such sale.
(d) On and after February 15, 2027, no residential solar or energy
storage seller or residential solar or energy storage seller's authorized
sales representative shall engage in any in-person solicitation at a
consumer's residence for the purposes of a home solicitation sale of a
residential solar photovoltaic system or residential energy storage
system outside of the hours of nine o'clock a.m. and seven o'clock p.m.
eastern time, unless a more restrictive municipal ordinance limits such
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hours. The provisions of this subsection shall not be construed to
prohibit a consumer and a residential solar or energy storage seller from
scheduling a time to meet on an in-person basis outside of such hours.
(e) Not later than February 15, 2027, and annually thereafter, each
residential solar or energy storage seller shall submit a report to the
Department of Consumer Protection, in a form and manner prescribed
by the Commissioner of Consumer Protection, disclosing the identity of
each person with whom such residential solar or energy storage seller
maintains a business relationship and provides any financing,
installation services or any other related consumer services in
partnership with such residential sola r or energy storage seller that
involves an in-person interaction with consumers. The provisions of this
subsection shall not be construed to require any residential solar or
energy storage seller to disclose the identity of an employee of any such
person.
Sec. 3. Section 42-135a of the 2026 supplement to the general statutes
is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective
October 1, 2026):
No agreement in a home solicitation sale shall be effective against the
[buyer] consumer if the agreement is not signed and dated by the
[buyer] consumer or if the seller shall:
(1) Fail to furnish the [buyer] consumer with a fully completed receipt
or copy of all contracts and documents pertaining to such home
solicitation sale at the time [of its execution] such agreement is executed,
which contract shall be in the same language as that principally used in
the oral sales presentation and which shall show the date of the
transaction and shall contain the name and address of the seller, and in
immediate proximity to the space reserved i n the contract for the
signature of the [buyer] consumer, or on the front page of the receipt if
a contract is not used, and in boldface type of a minimum size of twelve
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points, a statement in substantially the following form:
YOU, THE [BUYER] CONSUMER, MAY CANCEL THIS
TRANSACTION AT ANY TIME PRIOR TO MIDNIGHT OF THE
THIRD BUSINESS DAY AFTER THE DATE OF THIS TRANSACTION.
SEE THE ATTACHED NOTICE OF CANCELLATION FORM FOR AN
EXPLANATION OF THIS RIGHT.
(2) Fail to furnish each [buyer] consumer, at the time such [buyer]
consumer signs the home solicitation sales contract or otherwise agrees
to buy , lease or rent consumer goods or consumer services from the
seller, a form completed by the seller in duplicate, captioned "NOTICE
OF CANCELLATION", which shall be attached to the contract or receipt
and easily detachable, and which shall contain in twelve-point boldface
type the following information and statements in the same language as
that used in the contract:
"NOTICE OF CANCELLATION
Seller: (Seller's name inserted by seller)
Date of Transaction: (Date of transaction inserted by seller)
You have the right to cancel this contract or sale by following the
instructions in this notice. Your deadline is midnight on (date of the
third business day after the date of the transaction, as inserted in
boldface type by seller) to cancel. You have unt il this deadline to sign,
date, and send this notice of cancellation to the Seller by email, fax, or
mail to the contact information listed below.
(Instructions for seller: To determine the third business day, start
counting on the day following the day when the transaction took place
and do not count Saturdays, Sundays, or days designated as legal
holidays in Connecticut.)
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There is no penalty if you cancel. You do not have any legal
obligations under the contract if you cancel. If you cancel, the seller must
return to you any payments made by you, any property you traded in,
and any negotiable instrument executed by you, suc h as a personal
check, money order or promissory note. The seller has ten days after it
receives your cancellation notice to return those items to you. Any
security interest arising out of the transaction will be cancelled, such as
a legal claim or a lien on your property.
If you cancel, you must make available to the seller any goods
delivered to you under this contract or sale. The goods must be in
substantially as good condition as when you received them. The seller
can pick them up from your residence. If you make the goods available
to the seller and the seller does not pick them up, after twenty calendar
days have passed since you sent this notice to the seller, you may keep
or dispose of the goods. If you do not make the goods available to the
seller, you will still have to fulfill your contractual obligations.
The seller may also tell you how to return the goods to the seller at
the seller's own expense and risk, such as by mailing them to the seller.
You do not have to agree to return the goods to the seller yourself, but
if you agree to do so but fail to send the goods to the seller, you will still
have to fulfill your contractual obligations.
To cancel this contract or sale, you must sign and date this notice, and
send it either by email, by fax, or by regular mail to:
(Seller's name inserted by seller)
Email: (Seller's business electronic mail address inserted by seller)
OR
Fax: (Seller's fax number inserted by seller)
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OR
Regular mail: (Address of seller's place of business inserted by seller)
I hereby cancel this transaction.
Dated:
Signed:"
(3) Fail, before furnishing copies of the "Notice of Cancellation" to the
[buyer] consumer, to complete both copies by entering the name of the
seller, the address of the seller's place of business, the date of the
transaction, the seller's business electronic mail address and the date,
not earlier than the third business day after the date of the transaction,
by which the [buyer] consumer may give notice of cancellation.
(4) Include in any home solicitation sale contract or receipt any
confession of judgment or any waiver of any of the rights to which the
[buyer] consumer is entitled under this chapter and section 2 of this act,
including specifically such [buyer's] consumer's right to cancel the sale
in accordance with the provisions of this section.
(5) Fail to inform each [buyer] consumer, orally, at the time such
[buyer] consumer signs the contract or purchases , leases or rents the
consumer goods or consumer services, of such [buyer's] consumer's
right to cancel.
(6) Misrepresent in any manner the [buyer's] consumer's right to
cancel.
(7) Fail or refuse to honor any valid notice of cancellation by a [buyer]
consumer and within ten business days after the receipt of such notice,
to (A) refund all payments made under the contract or home solicitation
sale; (B) return any consumer goods or property traded in, in
substantially as good condition as when received by the seller; (C) cancel
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and return any negotiable instrument executed by the [buyer] consumer
in connection with the contract or home solicitation sale and take any
action necessary or appropriate to terminate promptly any security
interest created in the transaction; and (D) cancel and return any
contract executed by the [buyer] consumer in connection with the
transaction.
(8) Negotiate, transfer, sell, or assign any note or other evidence of
indebtedness to a finance company or other third party prior to
midnight of the fifth business day following the date the contract was
signed or the consumer goods or consumer services were purchased,
leased or rented.
(9) Fail, within ten business days of receipt of the [buyer's]
consumer's notice of cancellation, to notify such [buyer] consumer
whether the seller intends to repossess or to abandon any shipped or
delivered consumer goods.
(10) Fail, when providing a digital copy of the agreement by
electronic mail or any other electronic delivery method, to include the
following statement, immediately adjacent to the body of the message,
in at least twelve -point type or, if the body of the messa ge is in larger
size type, the same size type as the body of the message:
PLEASE REVIEW IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR
RIGHT TO CANCEL THIS AGREEMENT IN THE "NOTICE OF
CANCELLATION" BEING PROVIDED TO YOU.
Sec. 4. Section 42 -136 of the general statutes is repealed and the
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2026):
(a) Any note or other evidence of indebtedness given by a [buyer]
consumer in respect of a home solicitation sale shall be dated not earlier
than the date of the agreement or offer to purchase , lease or rent . Any
transfer of a note or other evidence of indebtedness bearing the
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statement required by subsection (b) of this section shall be deemed an
assignment only and any right, title or interest which the transferee may
acquire thereby shall be subject to all claims and defenses of the [buyer]
consumer against the seller arising under the provisions of this chapter
and section 2 of this act.
(b) Each note or other evidence of indebtedness given by a [buyer]
consumer in respect of a home solicitation sale shall bear on its face a
conspicuous statement as follows: THIS INSTRUMENT IS BASED
UPON A HOME SOLICITATION SALE, WHICH SALE IS SUBJECT TO
THE PROVISIONS OF THE HOME SOLICITATION SALES ACT. THIS
INSTRUMENT IS NOT NEGOTIABLE.
(c) Compliance with the requirements of this section shall be a
condition precedent to any right of action by the seller or any transferee
of an instrument bearing the statement required under subsection (b) of
this section against the [buyer] consumer upon such instrument and
shall be pleaded and proved by any person who may institute action or
suit against a [buyer] consumer in respect thereof.
(d) A promissory note payable to order or bearer and otherwise
negotiable in form issued in violation of this section may be enforced as
a negotiable instrument by a holder in due course according to its terms.
Sec. 5. Section 42 -137 of the general statutes is repealed and the
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2026):
(a) In addition to any right otherwise to revoke an offer, the [buyer]
consumer may cancel a home solicitation sale until midnight of the third
business day after the day on which the [buyer] consumer signs an
agreement subject to the provisions of this chapter and section 2 of this
act.
(b) Cancellation shall occur when the [buyer] consumer gives written
notice of cancellation to the seller at the address specified for notice of
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cancellation provided by the seller or when such written notice bearing
such address is deposited in a mail box.
(c) Notice of cancellation given by the [buyer] consumer shall be
effective if [it] the notice indicates the intention on the part of the [buyer]
consumer not to be bound by the home solicitation sale.
Sec. 6. Section 42 -138 of the general statutes is repealed and the
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2026):
(a) Except as provided in this section, [within] not later than ten
business days after a home solicitation sale has been cancelled the seller
shall tender to the [buyer] consumer any payments made by the [buyer]
consumer and any note or other evidence of indebtedness.
(b) If the down payment includes consumer goods traded in, the
consumer goods shall be tendered in substantially as good condition as
such consumer goods were in when the consumer received such
consumer goods . If the seller fails to tender the consumer goods as
provided by this section, the [buyer] consumer may elect to recover an
amount equal to the trade-in allowance stated in the agreement.
(c) Until the seller has complied with the obligations imposed by this
section, the [buyer] consumer may retain possession of consumer goods
delivered to [him] the consumer by the seller and has a lien on the
consumer goods for any recovery to which [he] the consumer is entitled.
Sec. 7. Section 42 -139 of the general statutes is repealed and the
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2026):
(a) Except as provided in subsection (c) of section 42-138, as amended
by this act, [within] not later than twenty days after a home solicitation
sale has been cancelled the [buyer] consumer, upon demand, shall
tender to the seller any consumer goods delivered by the seller pursuant
to the sale, lease or rental, but [he is] the consumer shall not be obligated
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to tender to the seller such consumer goods at any place other than [his]
the consumer's own address. If the seller fails to take possession of such
consumer goods [within] not later than twenty days after cancellation ,
the consumer goods shall become the property of the [buyer] consumer
without obligation to pay for [them] such consumer goods.
(b) The [buyer] consumer shall take reasonable care of the consumer
goods in [his] the consumer's possession both prior to cancellation and
during the twenty -day period following cancellation. During the
twenty-day period [after] following cancellation, except for the [buyer's]
consumer's duty of care, the consumer goods are at the seller's risk.
(c) If the seller has performed any consumer services pursuant to a
home solicitation sale prior to its cancellation, the seller [is] shall not be
entitled to [no] compensation. If the seller's consumer services result in
the alteration of the consumer's property, [of the buyer,] the seller shall
restore the consumer's property to substantially as good condition as [it]
such property was in at the time the consumer services were rendered.
Sec. 8. Section 42 -140 of the general statutes is repealed and the
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2026):
No seller or seller's authorized sales representative in a home
solicitation sale shall offer to pay a commission or give a rebate or
discount to the [buyer] consumer in consideration of the [buyer's]
consumer giving to the seller or the seller's authorized sales
representative the names of prospective purchasers, lessees or renters or
otherwise aiding the seller or the seller's authorized sales representative
in making a sale, lease or rental to another person, if the earning of the
commission, rebate or discount is contingent upon an event subsequent
to the time the [buyer] consumer agrees to [buy] purchase, lease or rent.
Sec. 9. Section 42 -141 of the general statutes is repealed and the
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2026):
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(a) Any person who violates any provision of this chapter or section
2 of this act shall be [guilty of a class C misdemeanor ] liable for a civil
penalty of not more than five hundred dollars per violation . Any sale,
lease or rental made in respect to which a commission, rebate or
discount is offered in violation of the provisions of this chapter or
section 2 of this act shall be voidable at the option of the [buyer]
consumer.
(b) Violation of any of the provisions of [sections] section 42-135a, as
amended by this act , [or] sections 42-137 to 42 -139, inclusive, as
amended by this act, or section 2 of this act, or failure to honor any
provisions of the notice of cancellation required by this chapter , shall
constitute an unfair or deceptive act or practice as defined by section 42-
110b.
Sec. 10. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2026) (a) As used in this section:
(1) "Consumer" means an individual seeking credit for personal,
family or household purposes;
(2) "Payoff statement" means a statement of the amount of the unpaid
balance on a residential solar or energy storage loan, including
principal, interest and other charges properly assessed pursuant to the
residential solar or energy storage loan documentation and a statement
of the interest, on a per diem basis, with respect to the unpaid principal
balance of the residential solar or energy storage loan;
(3) "Person" means any individual, association, corporation, limited
liability company, partnership, trust or other legal entity;
(4) "Residential energy storage system" has the same meaning as
provided in section 42-134a of the general statutes, as amended by this
act;
(5) "Residential power purchase agreement" means any agreement
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embodying the terms and conditions concerning the sale to a consumer
of electricity from a residential solar photovoltaic system or residential
energy storage system;
(6) "Residential solar or energy storage lease agreement" means any
agreement embodying the terms and conditions concerning the use of a
residential solar photovoltaic system or residential energy storage
system;
(7) "Residential solar or energy storage lender" means any person
who, in the ordinary course of such person's business, extends a
residential solar or energy storage loan;
(8) "Residential solar or energy storage loan" includes any line of
credit or other extension of credit extended to a consumer for the
purpose of providing financing to the consumer to purchase a
residential solar photovoltaic system or residential energy storage
system;
(9) "Residential solar or energy storage loan agreement" means a
written contract between a residential solar or energy storage lender and
a consumer that sets forth the terms and conditions applicable to the
awarding of a residential solar or energy storage loan;
(10) "Residential solar or energy storage provider" means any person
who, in the ordinary course of such person's business, (A) leases a
residential solar photovoltaic system or residential energy storage
system to a consumer, or (B) enters into a resident ial power purchase
agreement with a consumer;
(11) "Residential solar photovoltaic system" has the same meaning as
provided in section 16-245nn of the general statutes; and
(12) "Transfer documentation" means any documentation necessary
for a consumer to transfer the consumer's rights and obligations under
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a residential solar or energy storage lease agreement, a residential solar
or energy storage loan agreement or residential power purchase
agreement to another person in accordance with the terms of the
residential solar or energy storage lease agreement, r esidential solar or
energy storage loan agreement or residential power purchase
agreement.
(b) A residential solar or energy storage lender or residential solar or
energy storage provider shall provide to a consumer any payoff
statement or transfer documentation requested by the consumer not
later than seven days after the consumer submits a wri tten request to
the residential solar or energy storage lender or residential solar or
energy storage provider for such payoff statement or transfer
documentation.
(c) Any residential solar or energy storage lender or residential solar
or energy storage provider that fails to provide to a consumer a payoff
statement or transfer documentation within the seven -day period
established in subsection (b) of this section sh all credit the consumer's
account with such residential solar or energy storage lender or
residential solar or energy storage provider in the amount of two
hundred fifty dollars.
(d) The Commissioner of Consumer Protection may adopt
regulations, in accordance with chapter 54 of the general statutes, to
implement the provisions of this section.
Sec. 11. Section 7 of public act 24 -38, as amended by section 59 of
public act 25 -173, is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu
thereof (Effective from passage):
(a) There is established a task force to: [examine]
(1) Study and make recommendations concerning policy, regulations
and legislation to improve disclosure requirements and consumer
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protection for consumers who purchase, lease or enter into power
purchase agreements for solar photovoltaic systems , [. Such ] which
study shall include , but need not be limited to, an examination of (A)
licensing requirements for contractors who engage in solar electricity
work, as defined in section 20 -330 of the general statutes, (B) whether
special protections are necessary for consumers who are low-income or
senior citizens , and (C) requirements concerning audits or other
methods of ensuring such contractors or persons engaged in the sale or
lease of such systems comply with applicable state laws and regulations;
and
(2) Develop a handbook (A) for the purposes of advising consumers
on matters relating to home solicitation sales of residential solar
photovoltaic systems and residential energy storage systems, including,
but not limited to, solicitations made for purpose s of such sales on an
in-person basis at consumers' residences, and (B) that includes, at a
minimum, guidance (i) that enables consumers to assess the veracity of
sales and marketing assertions made regarding residential solar
photovoltaic systems and resi dential energy storage systems, (ii)
concerning the penalties applicable to residential solar or energy storage
sellers and such sellers' authorized sales representatives under section
42-141 of the general statutes, as amended by this act, and (iii)
concerning any other matters the task force deems relevant for the
purposes of this subdivision.
(b) The task force shall consist of the following members:
(1) The Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection, or
the commissioner's designee;
(2) The chairperson of the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, or
the chairperson's designee;
(3) The Consumer Counsel, or the [Consumer Counsel's ] counsel's
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designee;
(4) The Commissioner of Consumer Protection, or the commissioner's
designee;
(5) The president of the Connecticut Green Bank, or the president's
designee;
(6) Two appointed by the Governor, who shall be members of an
association that represents retailers of solar photovoltaic systems in the
state or retailers of solar photovoltaic systems in the state;
(7) Two appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives,
one of whom shall have experience representing individuals in matters
related to consumer protection;
(8) Two appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate, one of
whom shall have experience representing consumer groups, especially
in underserved communities;
(9) One appointed by the majority leader of the House of
Representatives;
(10) One appointed by the majority leader of the Senate;
(11) Two appointed by the minority leader of the House of
Representatives; [and]
(12) Two appointed by the minority leader of the Senate;
(13) The chairpersons of the joint standing committee of the General
Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to energy and
technology, or their designees;
(14) The chairpersons of the joint standing committee of the General
Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to consumer
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protection, or their designees;
(15) The ranking members of the joint standing committee of the
General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to energy and
technology, or their designees; and
(16) The ranking members of the joint standing committee of the
General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to consumer
protection, or their designees.
(c) Any member of the task force appointed under subdivision (13),
(14), (15) or (16) of subsection (b) of this section may be a member of the
General Assembly.
[(c)] (d) All initial appointments to the task force shall be made not
later than thirty days after the effective date of this section. Any vacancy
shall be filled by the appointing authority.
[(d) The speaker of the House of Representatives and the president
pro tempore of the Senate shall select the chairperson of the task force
from among the members of the task force. Such chairperson]
(e) The chairpersons of the joint standing committees of the General
Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to energy and
technology and consumer protection, or their designees, shall serve as
chairpersons of the task force. The chairpersons of the task force shall
schedule the first meeting of the task force, which shall be held not later
than sixty days after the effective date of this section.
[(e)] (f) The administrative staff of the joint standing committee of the
General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to energy and
technology shall serve as administrative staff of the task force.
[(f)] (g) Not later than [January 1, 2026 ] February 1, 2027 , the task
force shall submit a report on its findings and recommendations to the
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joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance
of matters relating to energy and technology and [general law ]
consumer protection, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a
of the general statutes. The task force shall terminate on the date that it
submits such report or [January 1, 2026] February 1, 2027, whichever is
later.