California Title 24 Part 6 has included mandatory HERS verifications of new construction homes since the 2013 code update. To secure a permit from the local Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ), the building department, you are required to submit compliance documents which describe the energy features of the building and how they comply with the energy code. These compliance documents are often called Title 24s, CF1Rs, or energy calcs. The official name is Certificate of Compliance. The Certificate of Compliance will list which features require third party verification by a HERS rater. Some features are mandatory, like if you have a ducted heating or air conditioning system then you must have the duct leakage verified by a HERS rater. New construction homes have a mandatory requirement for Indoor Air Quality verification. Some requirements are only triggered in extreme climate zones, for example you are not required to have refrigerant charge verification along the coast because air conditioning use is limited, but if you are in a desert climate zone where air conditioning is a health safety requirement then refrigerant charge is required. To confuse things more there are optional HERS verification such as equipment rating or envelope infiltration testing which can be added to the project by the designer. The only way to know is to access the Certificate of Compliance which the permit is based on.
New Construction: To determine the required HERS verifications look on page two of the Certificate of Compliance (CF1R-PRF or CF1R-NCB) under the HERS features summary. This is the document which any competent HERS rater or energy consultant will ask to see first. The HERS rater will need access to this document in the HERS data base before they can complete the verifications or data entry. Once the permit information has been entered in the HERS data base then any party which has access to the project can view the Project Status Report. The Project Status Report is a list of all the energy code compliance documents which apply to the specific project and tracks weather they have been completed or not.
Addition: Additions over 1,000 square feet trigger all of the same requirements as new construction which will require the design team follows the same process as above for the HERS requirements. For additions less than 1,000 the scope of work will determine if there are HERS measures. If the mechanical system is not part of the scope of work then you may not trigger HERS, give us a call to discuss your project.
Additional Dwelling Unit (ADU): Additional dwelling units have a number of special considerations. The requirements for new construction do apply regardless of square footage, which requirements apply are dictated by the scope of work such as converting an existing unconditioned space or newly constructed. Give us a call to discuss your ADU project.
Alteration: If the alteration involves the air moving equipment then you may trigger HERS measures, if the alteration involves envelope then you trigger the energy code but you most likely do not trigger any HERS measures. The CEC has dynamic forms for alterations which are very user friendly, but if you don’t have the same opinion, give us a call to discuss your alteration project.
