Title 24 Part 6

What is Title 24, Part 6?

Title 24, Part 6 is California’s Building Energy-Efficiency Standards. This is also known as the California Energy Code or Energy Standards. It applies to all new construction, additions and alterations, of residential and non-residential buildings.

The Title 24 are energy design and calculation requirements a home or building must meet or exceed. The standards cover mechanical, plumbing, and electrical measures that tie to the building science of energy-efficiency and green building.  Additionally, California has 16 different Climate Zones the state broke them into. The Title 24 has different requirements for each climate zone.  Items included are for inside and outside of the home or building. Some of the items involved are:

  • Heating and Air Conditioning
  • Insulation
  • Window Efficiency
  • Hot Water Heater
  • Lighting – Electrical
  • Piping
  • Framing
  • Cool Roof
  • Solar (PV – Photovoltaic)

For example, the Title 24 will tell you what the minimum R-Value for the insulation. The R-Value is the resistance to heat flow. The larger the R-Value number, the more insulating power. In addition, another item is the window efficiency. The window efficiency has two values. There is the U-Factor and the SHGC. The U-Factor measures how well the window will insulate. The lower the U-factor, the better the window insulates. The SHGC takes into account the sun’s heat coming through the window. The Title 24 will tell you what the window compliance is.

Next, the documented Title 24 gets uploaded to a HERS Provider. The documents get printed in the plan sheets for submitting to the City or for obtaining permits. Specifically, plan sheets are often called CF1Rs . As a result, the measures often need a required field verification by a certified HERS Rater.  A  HERS Rater  must sign off that they inspected the compliance and it meets requirements. The HERS Rater signs off on the sheets called  CF3Rs .

What Code Are We In?

Currently, we are using the 2019 Building Energy-Efficiency Standards. City stamped plans on January 1, 2020 through today are in the 2019 Title 24 Part 6 Code. The California Energy Code gets an update every three years by the California Energy Commission (CEC). In conclusion, California’s energy goal is for all new residential construction to reach Zero Net Energy (ZNE) by 2020. Additionally, for all new commercial construction, the goal is Zero Net Energy (ZNE) by 2030. 

The full 2019 Building Energy Efficiency Standards are here: https://www.energy.ca.gov/programs-and-topics/programs/building-energy-efficiency-standards/2019-building-energy-efficiency.

DuctTesters provides top  quality energy consulting for California, Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico. The team has several  Certified Energy Analysts. The CEA’s run various scenarios to make sure you meet or exceed any required or requested energy compliance measures. This includes California’s Title 24.