HB 2442 -- Energy Efficiency and Conservation

Sponsor:  Schoeller

This bill changes the laws regarding energy efficiency and
conservation.  In its main provisions, the bill:

(1)  Requires up to 10% of the funds appropriated each year for
the Facilities Maintenance Reserve Fund to be used for otherwise
eligible projects that are also energy projects with a 20-year
payback or less;

(2)  Requires any appliance purchased with state funding to be an
appliance that has earned the Energy Star under the Energy Star
Program of the United States Department of Energy and the federal
Environmental Protection Agency;

(3)  Requires the Division of Facilities Management, Design, and
Construction within the Office of Administration to ensure that
regular maintenance is conducted on the lighting, heating,
ventilation, and air conditioning systems in all state buildings;

(4)  Requires design documents submitted to the division for new
construction or substantial renovation of certain state buildings
to include a projection of the energy savings of the building as
a result of meeting the state minimum energy efficiency standard;

(5)  Requires the Department of Natural Resources, by January 1,
2009, to revise the minimum energy efficiency standard so that it
is at least as stringent as the 2006 International Energy
Conservation Code rather than the current standard of the
American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning
Engineers Standard 90.  By July 1, 2009, all designs for state
buildings involving new construction or substantial renovation
and any building considered for purchase or lease by a state
agency must meet the new minimum energy efficiency standard.
Exemptions from the minimum standard may be granted for any state
building for safety reasons or when the cost of compliance is
expected to exceed the energy cost savings;

(6)  Requires, beginning July 1, 2016, at least 10% of the
electricity used by the state government to come from renewable
energy sources and, beginning July 1, 2026, at least 20% to come
from renewable energy sources;

(7)  Establishes the Green Building Tax Credit which authorizes,
beginning January 1, 2010, a tax credit for individuals who
construct a green building or green tenant space or rehabilitate
an existing structure into a green whole or base building or
green tenant space.  The tax credit has a per-taxpayer cap of
$50,000 per year and an aggregate cap of $1 million per year and
can be refunded, transferred, sold, or assigned;

(8)  Authorizes an income tax deduction of 50% of the cost of a
qualified home energy audit conducted by an energy auditor
certified by the Department of Natural Resources and an income
tax deduction of 100% of the purchase price for energy star
certified products, up to $1,000 per taxpayer per year;

(9)  Establishes the Show Me Green Sales Tax Holiday which
specifies that, for 2009 and every year thereafter, during the
seven-day period from April 19 to April 25, all retail sales of
energy star certified appliances will be exempt from state and
local sales tax;

(10)  Requires the Missouri Energy Task Force to reconvene at
least once each year to submit to the Governor and General
Assembly an annual status report by December 31 on the task
force's progress in meeting the recommendations made in its final
report;

(11)  Designates the energy center of the Department of Natural
Resources as a central coordinator for energy sustainability
activities in the state; and

(12)  Creates the Studies in Energy Conservation Fund, consisting
of appropriations and private donations, to establish a full
professorship of energy conservation in the College of Natural
and Applied Sciences of Missouri State University for research
regarding energy efficiency and renewable energy.

The provisions of the bill regarding the Green Building Tax
Credit Program will expire three years from the effective date

Missouri House of Representatives
94th General Assembly, 2nd Regular Session
Last Updated October 15, 2008 at 3:12 pm