Official Text and Analysis.

Authorizes a city, town, or county to adopt additional residential energy code requirements as developed by the State Building Code Council (Council). Requires the Council to develop rules for electric vehicle infrastructure that require electric vehicle charging capability at all new buildings that provide on-site parking.

Amends the definition of "covered commercial building" such that it is limited to those buildings built after the effective date of the Act.

Allows a tariff for voluntary renewable natural gas service to provide reasonable limits on participation based on the availability of renewable natural gas and to use environmental attributes of renewable natural gas combined with natural gas. Requires the voluntary renewable natural gas service to include delivery to, or the retirement on behalf of, the customer of all environmental attributes associated with the renewable natural gas.

Specifies that, as part of the conditional compliance method developed by the Department of Commerce under the State Energy Performance Standard, no energy efficiency requirement need be met that would cost more to purchase, install, and implement than would be saved by the building owner over ten years as a result of energy savings.

Removes the section requiring the State Building Code Council to adopt rules that require electric vehicle charging capability at all new buildings that provide on-site parking.

Requires the Department of Commerce to reply and cite the section of law, code, or standard in a notice of violation for noncompliance with the requirements of the State Energy Performance Standard when requested to do so by the building owner or the building owner's agent.

Exempts owners of covered commercial buildings that are located in rural counties from the State Energy Performance Standard. Exempts qualifying utilities that are located in rural counties from the requirement to participate in the State Energy Performance Standard Early Adoption Incentive Program. Exempts electric and gas utilities that are not qualifying utilities and that are located in rural counties from the requirement to provide certain energy benchmarking information. Exempts buildings located in rural counties from certain electric vehicle infrastructure requirements under the State Building Code.

The act may not be applied to private property until all public property is fully compliant with the provisions of the act.

Requires legislative approval of the rule for the state energy performance standard program for commercial buildings.

Caps the total amount of penalties that may be assessed for noncompliance at $25,000 in any calendar year. Changes the requirement that new buildings must have a certain percentage of parking spaces with electric vehicle charging capacity from 10 percent to 5 percent.

House concurred in Senate amendment(s).