(a) An applicant school district may include plan design and other project components that seek school facility energy efficiency approaching the ultimate goal of school facility energy self-sufficiency, and may seek a grant adjustment for the state’s share of the increased costs associated with those components.

(b) Energy efficiency components that are eligible for inclusion into a project pursuant to this section include, but are not limited to, conservation, load reduction technologies, peakload shifting, solar water heating technologies as described in subparagraph (A) of paragraph (2) of subdivision (b) of Section 25619 of the Public Resources Code and as rated and certified by the Solar Rating and Certification Corporation, the use of ground source temperatures for heating and cooling, photovoltaics, and technologies that meet the emerging technology eligibility criteria established by the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission pursuant to Section 383.5 of the Public Utilities Code. A project that received funding from the renewable energy program administered by the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission is not eligible for a grant adjustment under this section.

(c) In order to be eligible for the grant adjustment pursuant to this section, the building proposed for the project, including the energy-efficiency and renewable energy measures utilized pursuant to this section, shall exceed the nonresidential building energy-efficiency standards specified in Part 6 (commencing with Section 100) of Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations by an amount not less than 15 percent for new construction projects and not less than 10 percent for modernization projects, and shall be shown to provide sufficient energy savings to return the cost of the initial investment in the project over a period not to exceed seven years. The applicant shall certify that the cost for the project exceeds the amount of funding otherwise available to the applicant under this chapter.

(d) The board shall provide an applicant for a new construction or modernization project with a grant adjustment to provide an increase not to exceed 5 percent of its state grants authorized by Sections 17072.10 and 17074.10 for the state’s share of costs associated with design and other plan components related to school facility energy efficiency as set forth in this article.

(Added by Stats. 2002, Ch. 33, Sec. 22. Effective April 29, 2002.)