Sponsored by:
Senator BOB SMITH
District 17 (Middlesex and Somerset)
Senator JOHN F. MCKEON
District 27 (Essex and Passaic)
SYNOPSIS
Requires installation of smart thermostats in all new residential construction.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning smart thermostats and supplementing Title 52 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. As used in this section, “smart thermostat” means a thermostat with a wireless Internet connection, which may be used alone or as part of a larger home automation platform.
b. An application for a construction permit for new residential construction shall not be declared complete without containing provisions for the installation of a smart thermostat in each residential unit of the structure to be constructed.
c. The Commissioner of Community Affairs, in consultation with the Board of Public Utilities, shall adopt rules and regulations, pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), as may be necessary to implement the provisions of this section. The rules and regulations shall include, but need not be limited to, energy efficiency standards for smart thermostats to be installed in new residential construction.
d. Any determination as to whether a device is a smart thermostat for the purposes of this section shall be made in accordance with the rules and regulations adopted pursuant to subsection c. of this section.
2. This act shall take effect on the first day of the seventh month following the date of enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill would require the installation of a smart thermostat in all new residential construction. For the purposes of this bill, a “smart thermostat” is defined as a thermostat with a wireless Internet connection, which may be used alone or as part of a larger home automation platform. This type of thermostat is also commonly known as a “wi-fi thermostat.”
In order to obtain a construction permit for new residential construction, an applicant would be required to include provisions in the construction permit application for the installation of a smart thermostat in each residential unit to be constructed.
The bill directs the Commissioner of Community Affairs, in consultation with the Board of Public Utilities, to adopt regulations to effectuate the purposes of this bill. These regulations would include energy efficiency standards for smart thermostats.
This bill would take effect on the first day of the seventh month following enactment into law.