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An Act to direct the Department of Housing and Community Development to establish an Income-Qualified Energy Efficiency and Weatherization Task Force; report.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1.
§ 1. The Department of Housing and Community Development (the Department) shall establish, in collaboration with the Department of Energy, and with assistance from the Department of Social Services, the Income-Qualified Energy Efficiency and Weatherization Task Force (the Task Force). The purpose of the Task Force shall be to determine barriers to access and enrollment in the current energy efficiency programs for income-qualified energy customers and to evaluate and develop a plan to address any necessary improvements regarding coordination among state and federal government agencies for utility services and resources to more effectively deliver energy-efficient housing, weatherization resources, and energy efficiency upgrades for income-qualified individuals and households in the Commonwealth, including small and large multifamily buildings, single-family dwellings, and manufactured homes. The Task Force shall provide a report of its recommendations to remedy current issues identified by the Task Force by September 30, 2027.
§ 2. The Department shall select the members of the Task Force. In addition to one representative each from the Department, the Department of Energy, and the Department of Social Services, the Task Force shall include a representative from the staff of the Commission on Electric Utility Regulation, a representative of the Division of Consumer Counsel of the Office of the Attorney General, and no less than 12 nonlegislative citizen members of the Commonwealth, including at least one clean energy advocate, a representative of the residential construction industry, a representative from a firm based in the Commonwealth and specializing in residential and commercial building energy performance, building diagnostics, or energy code compliance, an energy burden advocate, an income-qualified ratepayer advocate, a representative of a state institution of higher education, and no more than three utility providers that offer energy efficiency programs. The Task Force shall also include at least one income-qualified ratepayer located in the Commonwealth who has either received weatherization assistance or attempted to obtain weatherization assistance, at least one member representing an organization that provides home energy assessments and weatherization services from each region of the Commonwealth, at least one member representing an organization that provides affordable housing advocacy, and any other representative deemed appropriate by the Department. The members of the Task Force shall, by majority vote, select a chairperson and may select other officers or establish subcommittees as the members deem necessary.
§ 3. As used in this act, unless the context requires a different meaning:
"Income-qualified individual or household" means a person or household in the Commonwealth whose income is no more than 60 percent of the Virginia median income or 200 percent of the federal poverty level, whichever is higher, or any individual or household that qualifies for an income-qualified assistance program.
"Manufactured homes" means homes, which may include mobile homes, that are built in the controlled environment of a manufacturing plant and are transported in one or more sections on a permanent chassis.
"Total cumulative energy savings" means energy savings attributable to specific energy efficiency upgrades or deferral repairs.
"Weatherization" means the process of protecting a home's interior from outdoor elements.
"Weatherization deferral repairs" means repairs funded by the Department's Weatherization Deferral Repair Program, or any other programs that provide weatherization assistance, that are necessary to make homes weatherization ready.
"Weatherization-ready repairs" means any repairs necessary to ensure that a home is eligible to receive efficiency and health and safety measures.
"Whole-home energy efficiency retrofit" means renovations or upgrades following a comprehensive energy assessment that are designed to increase housing quality, resident health, safety, resilience, and efficiency of a home while reducing energy costs, with such upgrades including but not limited to removing mold, lead, and asbestos, upgrading electrical panels, providing weatherization, improving energy efficiency, or conducting repairs necessary for electrification.
§ 4. On or before September 30, 2027, the Task Force shall submit a report of its findings and recommendations to the Governor, the Chairs of the House Committee on Labor and Commerce and the Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor, the Secretary of Health and Human Resources, the Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources, the State Corporation Commission, and the Commission on Electric Utility Regulation. The report shall (i) describe the federal, state, and utility funding resources available to support the energy efficiency and weatherization needs of income-qualified individuals and households in the Commonwealth; (ii) describe the barriers that should be addressed and the additional resources needed in order to meet the existing energy efficiency and weatherization needs of all income-qualified individuals and households; (iii) describe any barriers unique to the weatherization and energy efficiency needs of individuals and households residing in multifamily buildings and manufactured homes, with due consideration to the needs of residents of both small and large multifamily buildings; (iv) provide policy recommendations to coordinate federal, state, and utility resources; and (v) submit a plan, including estimated budget, prospective timeline, and potential funding sources, to ensure that weatherization-ready repairs and whole-home energy efficiency retrofits are provided to all eligible income-qualified individuals and households in the Commonwealth residing in multifamily buildings, single-family dwellings, and manufactured homes by December 31, 2034. The report shall also provide recommendations to grow and sustain the workforce needed to provide these services. The Task Force may prepare any supplements or revisions to its report that it deems appropriate.
§ 5. The report required by this act shall include, at a minimum, (i) an estimate and analysis of the total number of income-qualified individuals and households by geography and housing type in the Commonwealth; (ii) the number of income-qualified individuals and households that remain in need of energy efficiency and weatherization improvements by geography and housing type in the Commonwealth; (iii) the total number of income-qualified individuals and households who were made weatherization-ready through pre-weatherization repairs; (iv) the number of households by geography and housing type who have applied for weatherization and been deferred and the number of households that have applied for weatherization but are still on a service provider's waitlist, including how long they have been on the waitlist; (v) the number of income-qualified individuals or households that received energy efficiency upgrades, weatherization assistance, or deferral repairs from government-sponsored or utility-sponsored programs to date, and the corresponding bill and total cumulative energy savings achieved; (vi) any implementation barriers, including workforce issues, preventing or inhibiting households from accessing and enrolling in weatherization and energy efficiency programs; and (vii) any other information necessary to inform policy decisions that seek to increase and improve the engagement of income-qualified households in weatherization and any energy efficiency programs available to such households.
§ 6. The report required by this act shall make publicly available information from the last five years that identifies by census tract or zip code how many income-qualified households received energy efficiency improvements, weatherization, or weatherization repairs from any program administered by the Department or funded by an electric or gas utility, the cost of these improvements, and, if available, the amount or estimated amount of energy saved.
§ 7. In order to carry out the duties required by this act, the Task Force shall meet at least six times between July 1, 2026, and September 30, 2027. The meetings of the Task Force shall follow procedures for public open meetings. A majority vote of the members at a meeting with a quorum shall be required for the Task Force to approve the report or any supplements or revisions to such report.