(a) The commissioner shall develop voluntary testing programs for energy-related products or categories of such products. Such testing shall be designed to protect the interests of consumers by providing reliable information on such products, and may include the evaluation of the energy efficiency, durability, reliability, health and safety aspects, life-cycle cost or other performance qualities of such products.

(b) The commissioner, in consultation with the Commissioner of Consumer Protection, shall adopt regulations in accordance with chapter 54 establishing provisions (1) for standardized procedures for the performance of such testing; (2) for categories of energy-related products to be covered by such testing procedures; (3) to differentiate between the testing of experimental energy-related products and commercial energy-related products, to determine the range of models produced by a specific manufacturer to which testing results will apply and to ensure that products submitted for testing constitute a representative sample of those produced within such range by said manufacturer; (4) for a standardized format for the compilation of information from such tests which shall include all relevant information from each type of test performed on a product; (5) for the designation of qualified state or state-certified facilities to perform such testing; provided, no person or organization which has any pecuniary interest in the manufacture, distribution or sale of energy-related products within or without the state shall be eligible for such designation; and (6) for a schedule of reasonable fees for the performance of such tests or a procedure for establishing such a schedule.

(P.A. 79-576, S. 5, 7; P.A. 88-220, S. 3, 11; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, S. 146(c); P.A. 04-189, S. 1; P.A. 11-80, S. 1.)

History: P.A. 88-220 deleted former Subsec. (c) which had contained obsolete reporting requirement; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6 replaced Commissioner of Consumer Protection with Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Protection, effective July 1, 2004; P.A. 04-189 repealed Sec. 146 of June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, thereby reversing the merger of the Departments of Agriculture and Consumer Protection, effective June 1, 2004; pursuant to P.A. 11-80, “secretary” was changed editorially by the Revisors to “commissioner”, effective July 1, 2011.