Connecticut HB 5248: AN ACT ESTABLISHING A TASK FORCE TO STUDY HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR PEER SUPPORT SERVICES IN THIS STATE.

Bill Text

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General Assembly Substitute Bill No. 5248
February Session, 2026

AN ACT CONCERNING ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND TRANSMISSION
PLANNING.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:

Section 1. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2026) If the federal Energy Star 1
program is eliminated, the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental 2
Protection, in consultation with the Commissioner of Consumer 3
Protection, may endorse an equivalent voluntary energy efficiency 4
certification program established by a third-party entity. The 5
Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection may coordinate 6
with any other state that endorses such a program to create 7
standardized labels for consumers pursuant to such program. 8
Sec. 2. Subdivisions (2) and (3) of subsection (d) of section 16a-48 of 9
the general statutes are repealed and the following is substituted in lieu 10
thereof (Effective October 1, 2026): 11
(2) (A) Such efficiency standards, where in conflict with the State 12
Building Code, shall take precedence over the standards contained in 13
the Building Code. [Not later than July 1, 2007, and biennially thereafter, 14
the] The Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection shall 15
periodically review and increase the level of such efficiency standards 16
by adopting regulations, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 17
54, upon [a] the commissioner's determination that increased efficiency 18
standards would [serve to] promote energy conservation in the state 19

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and would be cost-effective for consumers who purchase and use such 20
new products. [, provided no] In determining cost-effectiveness for 21
consumers pursuant to this subparagraph, the commissioner may rely 22
on a determination by a multistate appliance standards organization 23
that such new product will have a payback period for the consumer of 24
not greater than five years. No such increased efficiency standards shall 25
become effective within one year following the adoption of any 26
amended regulations providing for such increased efficiency standards. 27
(B) Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, when adopting 28
regulations pursuant to this subdivision, the commissioner may 29
incorporate by reference the relevant efficiency standard, including, but 30
not limited to, any definition within said standard that differs from any 31
definition provided in this section, and any associated test standard for 32
the relevant efficiency standard. Such standards may include, but need 33
not be limited to, requirements concerning the ability of a product to 34
interface with any demand response program of a municipal electric 35
utility or an electric distribution company. 36
(3) (A) The Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection, 37
in consultation with the Commissioner of Consumer Protection, shall, 38
from time to time, adopt and amend regulations, in accordance with the 39
provisions of chapter 54, to designate additional products, including, 40
but not limited to, plumbing fixtures, to be subject to the provisions of 41
this section and to establish efficiency standards for such products (i) 42
upon a determination that such efficiency standards [(i)] (I) would serve 43
to promote energy or water conservation in the state, [(ii)] (II) would be 44
cost-effective for consumers who purchase and use such new products, 45
and [(iii)] (III) would not impose an unreasonable burden on 46
[Connecticut] businesses in the state, or (ii) if product efficiency 47
standards that were issued or approved for publication by the United 48
States Department of Energy on or before January 1, 2018, pursuant to 49
the Energy Policy and Conservation Act, 42 USC 6201 et seq., were 50
subsequently withdrawn or repealed. In determining cost-effectiveness 51
for consumers pursuant to this subparagraph, the commissioner may 52
rely on a determination by a multistate appliance standards 53

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organization that such new product will have a payback period for the 54
consumer of not greater than five years. 55
(B) [The Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection, in 56
consultation with the Multi-State Appliance Standards Collaborative, 57
shall identify additional appliance and equipment efficiency standards. 58
The commissioner shall review all California standards and may review 59
standards from other states in such collaborative. The commissioner 60
shall issue notice of such review in the Connecticut Law Journal, allow 61
for public comment and may hold a public hearing within six months of 62
adoption of an efficiency standard by a cooperative member state 63
regarding a product for which no equivalent Connecticut or federal 64
standard currently exists. The commissioner shall adopt regulations in 65
accordance with the provisions of chapter 54 adopting such efficiency 66
standard unless the commissioner makes a spec