Current through February 26, 2024
(1) The provisions of this section shall
apply only to those investor-owned utilities set forth below:
(b) Madison Gas and Electric
Company.
(c) Northern States Power
Company.
(d) Superior Water, Light
and Power Company.
(e) Wisconsin
Electric Power Company.
(f)
Wisconsin Gas LLC.
(h) Wisconsin
Power and Light Company.
(i)
Wisconsin Public Service Corporation.
(2) Nothing in this section shall preclude
special and individual consideration being given to exceptional or unusual
situations. The rule may be modified or waived by the public service commission
in particular cases whenever said rules are shown to be impracticable for
special reasons. Upon due investigation of the facts and circumstances involved
and after hearing if required, the commission may order requirements as to
individual utilities or service which shall be lesser, greater, other or
different from those provided in the rules of this section.
(3) Before natural gas spaceheating service
can be rendered to existing residential structures converting to a gas
spaceheating system, each utility listed in sub. (1) shall perform an energy
audit and require that the following conservation standards be met:
(a) Ceiling or attic insulation: If a
structure has insulating material with insulation value less than R-19, the
customer shall install insulation to a level of R-38. If insulation materials
equal to a level of R-38 cannot be installed because of inadequate space
between the ceiling and the roof, then as much insulation as space permits
shall be installed. Exception: If the structure has existing insulation
material with a value of R-11 or more and the customer is installing batt
insulation, the customer need only install additional insulation material with
a value of R-19.
(b) Sill box area
insulation shall be installed to a level of R-19, unless physically
impractical.
(c) Floor insulation
over vented crawl spaces or unheated basements shall reach a level of R-19. In
a heated crawl space, insulation materials with an R factor of at least 5 shall
be installed on the walls.
(d) In
unheated areas, insulation shall be installed on all heating ducts, cold air
returns, and hot water pipes.
(e)
Windows shall be double-glazed or have storms.
(f) All doors exposed to the outside
atmosphere shall have a storm door or equivalent insulated door.
(g) Weatherstripping shall be installed on
all movable doors and windows exposed to an unheated space. Caulking shall be
installed whenever 2 different materials or parts of a structure meet, such as
chimney openings, around windows and doors, etc.
(h) If a new central heating unit is to be
installed, the equipment shall meet the energy efficiency requirements of s.
Comm 22.13, which are as follows: Combustion spaceheating equipment shall be
provided with electronic ignition and automatic flue dampering, except sealed
combustion equipment or equipment located in enclosures and provided with
combustion air need not be provided with flue dampering.
Note: Section Comm 22.13 no longer
exists.
(i) Ventilation
above the ceiling/attic insulation shall be installed. The free ventilating
area shall be at least 1/300 of the horizontal area. One half of the venting
should be near the eaves and the other half near the top of the roof.
(j) If a structure is unable to meet all
required standards, other methods of energy conservation may be substituted
such that the energy savings will be the same or greater. This substitution
shall be based on heat loss calculations performed in a normally accepted
manner. Such substitutions may include but are not limited to the following:
1. Furnace modifications as suggested by the
utility; or
2. Insulation materials
equal to R-5 on the inside walls of a heated basement.
(4) Before natural gas service can
be rendered for commercial or industrial spaceheating use in buildings
constructed before July 1, 1978, each utility listed in sub. (1) shall require
that the following conservation standards be met:
(a) Design heat loss, excluding infiltration
and ventilation, through above-grade gross walls and roofs facing heated
interiors shall not exceed 13 BTU per hour per square foot for the total
building envelope;
(b) If a
building exceeds the heat loss of par. (a), the building may receive gas
service provided that it demonstrates additional innovative building or system
designs that will reduce fuel consumption to a level equal to or less than fuel
consumption which results from complying with par. (a);
(c) All exterior windows and doors shall be
designed to limit leakage into or from the building and shall be
weatherstripped; and
(d) Special
use buildings such as greenhouses, inflatable structures, and the like, or any
building exempt from the heating and ventilating requirements of ch. SPS 363
are exempt from these requirements.
(5) Prior to rendering natural gas
spaceheating service to an existing rental unit, as defined in s.
SPS
367.04(17), which is converting to
natural gas spaceheating, each utility shall inform the rental unit owner of
the additional energy efficiency requirements of s.
SPS
367.11. The requirement of this subsection is in
addition to subs. (3) and (4).
Chapter SPS 367 has been
repealed.
