(a) On or after October 27, 2011, and upon the allocation of the proceeds of the bonds authorized by section 49 of public act 11-1 of the October special session*, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection shall establish an energy efficiency fuel oil furnace and boiler replacement, upgrade and repair program to provide replacement furnaces and boilers, and repairs and upgrades to existing furnaces or boilers to meet the standards for replacement units specified in this subsection, to (1) nonprofit organizations that own their own buildings, and (2) housing authorities for use in dwelling units owned by such housing authorities. The Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection shall, upon terms acceptable to the commissioner, enter into a written agreement with the Fuel Oil Conservation Board, established pursuant to section 16a-22n, to provide for the purchase and installation of energy efficient oil furnaces and boilers or upgrades or repairs to existing furnaces and boilers, as appropriate. Such replacement energy efficient oil furnaces or boilers shall be equipped with electronically commutated blower motors and have an efficiency rating of not less than eighty-six per cent. Such energy efficient oil furnaces and boilers shall be equipped with thermal purge or temperature reset controls and have an efficiency rating of not less than eighty-six per cent. If upgrades or repairs are possible in a manner that will achieve an efficiency rating of seventy-five per cent or more, units shall be upgraded or repaired rather than replaced.

(b) On or before December 1, 2011, the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority shall provide the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection a list of housing authorities in the state that own dwelling units that are heated with a fuel oil furnace or boiler.

(c) (1) On or before January 1, 2012, the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection, in conjunction with the Fuel Oil Conservation Board, shall (A) develop a process for identifying and notifying each nonprofit organization and housing authority that may be eligible for the program, and (B) implement a method to process applications for a replacement furnace or boiler or repairs or upgrades to existing furnaces or boilers pursuant to this section. The board shall begin to make preliminary determinations on the eligibility of any applicants not later than January 1, 2012.

(2) As a condition of eligibility for the program, each nonprofit organization or housing authority applying for the program pursuant to subdivision (1) of this subsection shall, at the time of submission of its application, verify that it (A) has applied for, and (B) agrees to accept the services of any available conservation program administered pursuant to section 7-233y or 16-245m.

(3) The Fuel Oil Conservation Board shall act on completed applications in the order received, except that the board may act immediately in emergencies where the nonprofit organization has no heat or has a furnace or boiler that is unsafe or inoperable, or the housing authority owns a dwelling unit that has no heat or such dwelling unit's furnace or boiler is unsafe or inoperable.

(d) The Fuel Oil Conservation Board, in conjunction with the Connecticut Energy Conservation Management Board, shall (1) establish criteria for determining (A) the condition of a nonprofit organization's oil furnace or boiler and fuel oil tank, or the condition of an oil furnace or boiler and fuel oil tank in a dwelling unit owned by a housing authority, and (B) whether such furnace, boiler or tank is inoperable or unsafe, or whether such furnace or boiler has an efficiency rating of less than sixty-five per cent, and (2) if the unsafe or inoperability circumstances of an oil furnace or boiler involve oil tank replacement, determine on the basis of a five-year payback whether it would be more cost effective for such applicant to connect to a natural gas pipeline, if available. If it is determined that it is not cost effective for such applicant to connect to a natural gas pipeline, or if no pipeline is available, the boards may elect to replace the applicant's oil tank. When the boards elect to replace an oil furnace or boiler with a gas furnace or boiler, such gas furnace shall have not less than a ninety-five per cent annual fuel utilization efficiency and such gas boiler shall have not less than a ninety per cent annual fuel utilization efficiency.

(e) The Fuel Oil Conservation Board shall issue a request for proposals for the anticipated furnaces, boilers and equipment needed to meet the obligations of the program established under this section.

(Oct. Sp. Sess. P.A. 11-1, S. 50.)

*Note: Section 49 of public act 11-1 of the October special session was repealed effective July 1, 2016, by section 126 of public act 16-4 of the May special session.

History: Oct. Sp. Sess. P.A. 11-1 effective October 27, 2011.