California Code of Regulations
Title 20 - Public Utilities and Energy
Division 2 - State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission
Chapter 4 - Energy Conservation
Article 8 - California Home Energy Rating System Program
Section 1672 - Requirements for Rating Systems

Universal Citation: 20 CA Code of Regs 1672

Current through Register 2024 Notice Reg. No. 38, September 20, 2024

Upon the effective date of section 10-103.3 in Part 1 of Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations, the following amended version of this section will become effective, replacing the version above.

(a) California Whole-House Home Energy Rating or California Home Energy Audit. A California Whole-House Home Energy Rating or a California Home Energy Audit shall be completed for a home only if the rating or the audit is completed as specified by these regulations and the HERS Technical Manual.

(b) Data Collection.

(1) For ratings of existing homes that produce a California Whole-House Home Energy Rating or a California Home Energy Audit, each rating shall be based on a site inspection of the home that includes data collection and diagnostic testing as specified by the Rating System in conformance with these regulations and the HERS Technical Manual. Each Rating System shall have documented procedures for site inspection and diagnostic testing of Energy-Rated Homes.
(A) The data collection shall be completed by a California Whole-House Home Energy Rater or by a California Home Energy Inspector directly supervised by a California Whole-House Home Energy Rater.

(B) The types and the details of data pursuant to each level of Rater certification shall be collected as specified in the HERS Technical Manual.

(C) The minimum level of data collection for a California Whole-House Home Energy Rating or a California Home Energy Audit shall meet the specifications in the HERS Technical Manual.

(2) For ratings of newly constructed homes that produce a California Whole-House Home Energy Rating, each rating shall be based on data gathered from construction documents as specified in the procedures outlined in the HERS Technical Manual and verified or tested on-site by a California Whole-House Home Energy Rater. California Whole-House Home Energy Ratings may be produced based on sampling of one house out of a group of seven as long as all of the houses in the group have the same energy efficiency and on-site generation measures. These ratings may be produced using the multiple orientation approach specified in the Title 24, Part 6, Building Energy Efficiency Standards. Procedures for initial testing, sampling, resampling, and corrective action specified in the Residential Appendices to Title 24, Part 6, shall be followed.

(c) Data Analysis Requirements. The analysis to complete a California Whole-House Home Energy Rating or a California Home Energy Audit shall be conducted by either a California Whole-House Home Energy Rater or a California Home Energy Analyst under the direct supervision of a California Whole-House Home Energy Rater.

(d) Energy Uses Rated. Each Rating System shall rate the total combined energy efficiency of the following energy uses of each home rated:

(1) Space heating.

(2) Space cooling.

(3) Service hot water.

(4) Lighting in conditioned space.

(5) Exterior lighting mounted on buildings or lighting in an unconditioned garage.

(6) Electric appliances.

(7) Gas appliances.

(8) Other interior electric and natural gas uses specified in the HERS Technical Manual.

(e) On-Site Renewable Generation. If a home has on-site renewable generation whose energy production is modeled as specified in the HERS Technical Manual, two ratings shall be determined, one that rates the house with the on-site generation included in the energy calculations and one that rates the home without considering the on-site generation.

(f) Rating Scale. Each Rating System shall determine a California Whole-House Home Energy Rating score based on the annual TDV Energy of a home on a linear scale where 0 (zero) represents a Net Zero Energy Home and 100 represents the Reference Home. An Energy-Rated Home that uses more energy than the Reference Home shall have a rating of greater than 100. The rating shall be for the combined total of the energy uses specified in Section 1672(d).

(g) Method of Calculating TDV Energy. An hourly energy simulation program approved by the Energy Commission shall be used to calculate the TDV Energy of the Energy-Rated Home and the Reference Home for the purpose of calculating the rating. The method shall use standard weather files for the California climate zones and other modeling rules, procedures, and assumptions as specified in the HERS Technical Manual.

(h) Utility Bill Analysis. Every California Whole-House Home Energy Rating or California Home Energy Audit, where utility bills are available for a period of at least twelve months, shall include a utility bill analysis as specified in the HERS Technical Manual.

(i) Recommendations for Energy Efficiency Improvements. Every California Whole-House Home Energy Rating or California Home Energy Audit shall include a list of cost-effective improvements to the energy efficiency of the home as specified in the HERS Technical Manual.

(j) Greenhouse Gas Emissions. Each California Whole-House Home Energy Rating or California Home Energy Audit shall include an estimate of the carbon dioxide emissions attributable to the projected energy use of a home as specified in the HERS Technical Manual.

(k) HERS Report. The information specified in Sections 1672(a) through (j) shall be presented to the client in the form of a HERS Report for either a California Whole-House Home Energy Rating or a California Home Energy Audit as specified in the HERS Technical Manual.

(l) Provider and Rater Conduct and Responsibility. Providers and Raters shall not knowingly provide untrue, inaccurate, or incomplete rating information or report rating results that were not conducted in compliance with these regulations. Providers and Raters shall not knowingly accept payment or other consideration in exchange for reporting a rating result that was not in fact conducted and reported in compliance with these regulations.

Note: Authority cited: Sections 25213 and 25942, Public Resources Code. Reference: Section 25942, Public Resources Code.

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