Sec. 16. Changes to multifamily building standards; effective date. Those sections of this Act that amend or repeal portions of the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 10, section 1415-C take effect on January 1, 2006.

SUMMARY

This bill, which is reported out by the Joint Standing Committee on Utilities and Energy pursuant to the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 5, section 3327, subsection 4, accomplishes the following. It:

1. Provides for the Public Utilities Commission rather than the Department of Economic and Community Development to administer energy efficiency building performance standards;

2. Changes certain definitions in the energy efficiency building performance standards laws to make them consistent with the model building energy code;

3. Updates the mandatory building energy standards for multifamily residential buildings less than 4 stories in height to the standards adopted in the model building energy code;

4. Provides for provision by the Public Utilities Commission of information about the mandatory commercial building standards to appropriate entities involved in permitting building construction so that that information can be distributed to persons applying for such permits. It authorizes the commission to distribute the forms or other educational materials to entities involved in the design or construction of commercial buildings; and