California Governor Jerry Brown recently signed into law a bill, AB 1124, which enables renters and landlords to be eligible for repair and replacement of furnaces and hot water heaters under California utilities’ energy efficiency programs. Existing law requires that any building with a dwelling unit maintain certain characteristics in order to be tenantable, including the maintenance of adequate heating and hot water systems that conform to legal standards. The new law requires that these provisions would not be interpreted to prohibit tenants or owners from qualifying for energy savings assistance in order to repair these systems. The bill was authored by Assemblymember Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley), a long time champion of energy efficiency and friend of affordable housing, and was sponsored by the California Housing Partnership Corporation (CHPC).

Click here to read AB 1224.