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State Planning and Incentive Structures | Energy Efficiency Actions | Energy Supply Actions

State Planning and Incentive Structures

Lead By Example—Energy Efficiency in Public Facilities

Status: Completed

Details: On June 25, 2008, Florida Governor Charlie Crist approved H.B. 7135, which requires newly constructed or renovated buildings financed by the state to be designed and built to meet nationally recognized green building standards. State agencies also must lease ENERGY STAR-rated buildings and employ energy saving performance contracts to upgrade existing facilities.
Executive Order 07-126, signed by Governor Crist on July 13, 2007, directs the Florida Department of Management Services to set Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building standards for the state's new and existing state-owned buildings.
The 2006 Florida Energy Plan calls for all new state government buildings to meet LEED standards and for a reduction of energy consumption in state facilities by 25% from 2002 levels by 2007.

Lead By Example—Energy Efficient Appliance and Equipment Purchase Requirements for Public Facilities

Status: Completed

Details: Executive Order 07-126, signed by Governor Crist on July 13, 2007, applies greenhouse gas standards to the state's procurement processes. Executive Order 05-241 (2005) calls for the continued reduction in the state's energy demands and encourages all state agencies, departments, and local governments to be models for all Floridians and engage in energy conservation practices including the investment in energy-saving equipment.

Lead By Example—Clean Energy Goals for Public Facilities

Status: Completed (with caveat)

Details: Florida law encourages the use of solar technologies and energy efficiency strategies in state buildings when economically feasible (measured by life-cycle cost analysis). The Florida Energy Conservation in Buildings Act of 1974 mandates the use of energy efficient equipment and design and solar energy devices for heating and cooling state buildings where life-cycle cost analysis determines that the solar systems will be cost-effective over the life of the building.

Lead By Example—Energy Efficiency and Alternative Fuel Goals for Public Fleets

Status: Completed

Details: On June 25, 2008, Florida Governor Charlie Crist approved H.B. 7135, establishing a telecommuting program for state agencies and requiring those agencies to buy or lease fuel-efficient vehicles and to use ethanol or biodiesel fuel blends when available.
Executive Order 07-126 (2007) requires the Department of Management Services to only approve the purchase of new vehicles with the greatest fuel efficiency in a given class, as required for that vehicle to minimize emissions of greenhouse gases. State-owned vehicles must also use ethanol and biodiesel fuels when available. Executive Order 05-241 (2005) calls for continued reduction in the state's energy demands and encourages all state agencies, departments, and local governments to be models for all Floridians and engage in energy conservation practices including the investment in energy-saving vehicles.

State and Regional Energy Planning

Status: Completed

Details: Executive Order 07-128, signed by Governor Crist on July 13, 2007, creates a new "Action Team on Energy and Climate Change," to develop a "comprehensive energy and climate change action plan" that would lay out policy options and suggest strategies for meeting the orders' goals and provide analysis of whether to implement mandates, voluntary standards, or market-based regulatory mechanisms. The Action Team will undertake these efforts through the development of a comprehensive Energy and Climate Change Action Plan. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection released a state energy plan on January 17, 2006.

Determining the Air Quality Benefits of Clean Energy—Energy Efficiency/Renewable Energy Set Asides (NOX Budget Trading Program)

Status: No Activity Identified

Determining the Air Quality Benefits of Clean Energy—Energy Efficiency/Renewable Energy Set Asides (CAIR Budget Trading Program)

Status: No Activity Identified

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Energy Efficiency Actions

Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standards

Status: No Activity Identified

Public Benefit Funds for Energy Efficiency

Status: No Activity Identified

Building Codes for Energy Efficiency—Commercial Programs

Status: Goes Beyond ECPA

Details: On June 25, 2008, Florida Governor Charlie Crist approved H.B. 7135, which requires the Florida Building Commission to prepare a 2010 edition of the Florida Energy Efficiency Code for Building Construction that increases the energy performance of new buildings by at least 20% relative to the 2007 Florida Building Code, increasing to a 50% performance improvement by the 2019 edition.
Executive Order 07-127, signed on July 13, 2007, by Governor Crist, sets new building standards that will increase the energy performance of new buildings 15% from the 2007 energy code by 2009.
State developed code, Chapter 13 of the Florida Building Code, meets or exceeds ASHRAE 90.1-2004, mandatory statewide; can use Energy Gauge FLACOM to show compliance.

Building Codes for Energy Efficiency—Residential Programs

Status: Goes Beyond ECPA

Details: H.B. 7135, signed by Governor Crist on June 25, 2008, requires that new buildings and homes meet energy efficiency standards, starting with 20% greater efficiency than the 2007 Florida Building Code by 2010 and increasing to 50% greater efficiency by 2019.
Executive Order 07-127, signed on July 13, 2007, by Governor Crist, sets new building standards that will increase the energy performance of new buildings 15% from the 2007 energy code by 2009.
State developed code, Chapter 13 of the Florida Building Code, exceeds 2006 IECC, mandatory statewide; can use Energy Gauge FLARES to show compliance.

State Appliance Efficiency Standards

Status: Completed

Details: On June 25, 2008, Governor Charlie Crist signed into law House Bill 7135, which updated and expanded Florida's appliance efficiency standards. Executive Order 07-127, signed by Governor Crist on July 13 2007, sets new standards that mandate a 15% increase in the efficiency of certain consumer products by 2009.

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Energy Supply Actions

Renewable Portfolio Standards

Status: In Progress

Details: On June 25, 2008, Florida Governor Charlie Crist approved H.B. 7135, which requires the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) to establish a statewide RPS that will specify a minimum percentage of retail electricity sales that must be supplied by renewable energy. The bill does not set a minimum standard or a timeline, however. Instead, it requires the commission to prepare a draft rule by February 2009 and present it to the legislature for approval. The PSC held a public workshop on August 20, 2008, to begin development of the RPS.
Executive Order 07-127, signed by Governor Crist on July 13, 2007, asks the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) to initiate rulemaking no later than September 1, 2007, that will require utilities to draw on renewable energy for 20 percent of their electricity.

Public Benefit Funds for Clean Energy Supply

Status: No Activity Identified

Output-Based Environmental Regulations

Status: No Activity Identified

Interconnection Standards—Clean Distributed Generation

Status: Completed/Further Work In Progress

Details: In March 2008, the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) adopted interconnection rules for renewable energy systems up to 2 megawatts (MW) in capacity. The PSC rules apply only to the state's investor-owned utilities and not to electric cooperatives or municipal utilities. Florida's interconnection rules include provisions for three tiers of renewable energy systems: Tier 1: 10 kilowatts (kW) or less; Tier 2: larger than 10 kW, but not larger than 100 kW; Tier 3: larger than 100 kW, but not larger than 2 MW. In June 2008, H.B. 7135 was enacted, requiring IOUs to develop a standardized interconnection agreement and net metering program for customer-owned renewable generation by July 1, 2009.

Interconnection Standards—Net Metering

Status: Completed

Details: In June 2008, H.B. 7135 was enacted, requiring IOUs to develop a standardized interconnection agreement and net metering program for customer-owned renewable generation by July 1, 2009. The Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) approved a new net metering rule on March 4, 2008, designed to promote the development of customer-owned renewable generation while minimizing the cost for customers to interconnect with state utilities. The amendments to the state’s net metering and interconnection rule expand the size of eligible systems from 10kW to 2MW, expand the type of eligible systems from photovoltaic to all renewable technologies, expedite the interconnection of customer-owned renewable generation, and allow customers to offset consumption through net metering.
Executive Order 07-127 (July 13, 2007) asked the PSC to initiate rulemaking by September 1, 2007, to authorize net metering for renewable energy systems up to 1MW in capacity. Florida's net metering rules previously applied to solar and wind generation systems up to 10 kW.

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