(a) The Energy Commission, in collaboration with each utility, shall develop and administer the School Reopening Ventilation and Energy Efficiency Verification and Repair Program to award grants to local educational agencies to reopen schools with functional ventilation systems that are tested, adjusted, and, if necessary or cost effective, repaired, upgraded, or replaced to increase efficiency and performance.
(b) A local educational agency may apply for a grant pursuant to the program by submitting an application for reasonable costs of the HVAC assessment, assessment report, general maintenance, adjustment of ventilation rates, filter replacement, and carbon dioxide monitor installation.
(c) (1) The Energy Commission shall award a grant pursuant to this article if the amount requested in the application is verified by a contractor’s estimate and the local educational agency meets other requirements determined by the Energy Commission to be appropriate to achieve the purposes of this article. A grant shall be awarded in the amount requested plus an additional 20 percent of the requested amount for repairs, upgrades, or replacements necessary to make the system functional or more energy efficient.
(2) If a licensed professional identifies cost-effective energy efficiency upgrades or repairs that would exceed the additional 20 percent awarded, a local educational agency may apply for additional funding pursuant to this article for the cost-effective energy efficiency upgrades or repairs.
(3) The Energy Commission shall award a grant pursuant to this article for reimbursement of work already performed where the work was contracted and performed after August 1, 2020, and meets the requirements of Section 1622 to 1627, inclusive, and the local educational agency meets other requirements determined by the Energy Commission to be appropriate to achieve the purposes of this article.
(4) The 20-percent contingency funds set forth in paragraph (1) shall be returned to the SRVEVR Program if not used for the purposes specified in this subdivision. The local education agency shall provide the Energy Commission with documentation, as specified by the Energy Commission, demonstrating how contingency funds were spent.
(5) The Energy Commission shall have the authority to establish the timing of grant funding, including the ability to provide some or all funding in advance of the performance of work where requirements to ensure performance are established.
(Added by Stats. 2020, Ch. 372, Sec. 5. (AB 841) Effective January 1, 2021. Repealed as of January 1, 2027, pursuant to Section 1640.)