Section 327 Of Chapter 2. The Public Utilities Commission: Organization From California Public Utilities Code >> Division 1. >> Part 1. >> Chapter 2.
327
. (a) The electrical corporations and gas corporations that
participate in the California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE)
program, as established pursuant to Section 739.1, shall administer
low-income energy efficiency and rate assistance programs described
in Sections 382, 739.1, 739.2, and 2790, subject to commission
oversight. In administering the programs described in Section 2790,
the electrical corporations and gas corporations, to the extent
practicable, shall do all of the following:
(1) Continue to leverage funds collected to fund the program
described in subdivision (a) with funds available from state and
federal sources.
(2) Work with state and local agencies, community-based
organizations, and other entities to ensure efficient and effective
delivery of programs.
(3) Encourage local employment and job skill development.
(4) Maximize the participation of eligible participants.
(5) Work to reduce consumers electric and gas consumption, and
bills.
(6) For electrical corporations, target energy efficiency and
solar programs to upper-tier and multifamily customers in a manner
that will result in long-term permanent reductions in electricity
usage at the dwelling units, and develop programs that specifically
target nonprofit affordable housing providers, including programs
that promote weatherization of existing dwelling units and
replacement of inefficient appliances.
(7) For electrical corporations and for public utilities that are
both electrical corporations and gas corporations, allocate the costs
of the CARE program on an equal cents per kilowatthour or equal
cents per therm basis to all classes of customers that were subject
to the surcharge that funded the program on January 1, 2008.
(b) If the commission requires low-income energy efficiency
programs to be subject to competitive bidding, the electrical and gas
corporations described in subdivision (a), as part of their bid
evaluation criteria, shall consider both cost-of-service criteria and
quality-of-service criteria. The bidding criteria, at a minimum,
shall recognize all of the following factors:
(1) The bidder's experience in delivering programs and services,
including, but not limited to, weatherization, appliance repair and
maintenance, energy education, outreach and enrollment services, and
bill payment assistance programs to targeted communities.
(2) The bidder's knowledge of the targeted communities.
(3) The bidder's ability to reach targeted communities.
(4) The bidder's ability to utilize and employ people from the
local area.
(5) The bidder's general contractor's license and evidence of good
standing with the Contractors' State License Board.
(6) The bidder's performance quality as verified by the funding
source.
(7) The bidder's financial stability.
(8) The bidder's ability to provide local job training.
(9) Other attributes that benefit local communities.
(c) Notwithstanding subdivision (b), the commission may modify the
bid criteria based upon public input from a variety of sources,
including representatives from low-income communities and the program
administrators identified in subdivision (b), in order to ensure the
effective and efficient delivery of high quality low-income energy
efficiency programs.