Senate committee advances bill to extend appliance-efficiency rules to rented and leased devices

AB 2458, sponsored in the committee as Bennett’s bill, would authorize the California Energy Commission (CEC) to apply appliance-efficiency standards to appliances that are rented or leased in California, the sponsor said.

“It would allow the California Energy Commission to apply appliance efficiency standards to appliances rented or leased in the state,” Senator Bennett told the Senate Committee on Energy, Utilities and Communications as he presented the measure. Bennett said the CEC’s authority has historically covered only appliances sold to consumers and that the bill closes that oversight gap so ratepayers can share in efficiency savings.

Supporters said the change would deliver long-term consumer savings and reduce demand on the grid. “We’re here to voice our strong support,” Scott Cox said, and Lynn Trujillo of Southern California Edison said the utility supports the bill’s goals.

Senator Caballero asked whether commercial food processors — large industrial operations that produce goods such as tomato sauce — would be affected. Bennett read a response from the CEC clarifying that specialized industrial equipment and food‑processing machinery typically fall outside existing appliance-efficiency standards and would not likely be affected by standards adopted under this bill. “Food processing is generally considered an industrial process…specialized industrial equipment falls outside the scope of appliance efficiency standards,” the CEC’s response said, as read into the record.

The committee moved the bill and the secretary called the roll; the committee recorded a do‑pass to the Senate Appropriations Committee. Later in the session the committee announced AB 2458 passed the committee 16–0.

The bill now moves to the Appropriations Committee for further review.