(a) (1) The commission shall develop and supervise the administration of the Technology and Equipment for Clean Heating (TECH) Initiative, a statewide market development initiative, to require gas corporations to advance the state‘s market for low-emission space and water heating equipment for new and existing residential buildings through upstream market development, consumer education, contractor and vendor training, and the provision of upstream and midstream incentives to install low-emission space and water heating equipment in existing and new buildings, with technologies identified pursuant to subdivision (b).

(2) The commission may determine whether each gas corporation or a third party, including the Energy Commission, shall administer the TECH Initiative.

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(b) As a part of the TECH Initiative, the commission shall identify and target key low-emission space and water heating equipment technologies that are in an early stage of market development and would assist the state in achieving the state’s greenhouse gas emissions reduction goal for 2030 and other long-term greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals established by the Legislature. In identifying and targeting these technologies, the commission shall give consideration to technologies that have the greatest potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in California and that improve the health and safety of, and energy affordability for, low-income households.

(c) (1) In supervising the administration of the TECH Initiative, the commission, in coordination with the Energy Commission, shall develop guidelines and evaluation metrics, implement outreach strategies for hard-to-reach customers, and provide for job training and employment opportunities.

(2) (A) The guidelines shall include, at a minimum, a list of eligible technologies, a process for evaluating new technologies, and a process and set of metrics by which to evaluate and track the TECH Initiative’s results.

(B) The metrics shall include, but are not limited to, the market share for eligible technologies, projected utility bill savings, and the cost per metric ton of avoided greenhouse gas emissions.

(d) Moneys allocated pursuant to Section 748.6 shall be available to each gas corporation, or the third-party administrator, for allocation consistent with this section.

(e) Each gas corporation shall provide the commission with any information required by the commission to complete the report on the TECH Initiative required pursuant to Section 910.4.

(Added by Stats. 2018, Ch. 378, Sec. 5. (SB 1477) Effective January 1, 2019.)