Confirm which edition applies to the permit application date and which compliance approach the project uses, then check that every value in the certificates of compliance, such as envelope assemblies, fenestration, mechanical and water heating equipment, lighting, and verification measures, matches the drawings, schedules, and specifications. AI can flag conflicts; the energy consultant and the building department decide compliance.
What does the California Energy Code cover?
The California Energy Code is Part 6 of Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations. The California Energy Commission describes the 2025 Building Energy Efficiency Standards as setting energy and water efficiency and indoor air quality requirements for new residential and nonresidential buildings, additions, and alterations. It offers three approaches: mandatory requirements that apply to all buildings, a performance path that compares the design with an energy budget by climate zone and building type, and prescriptive packages that work as a checklist alternative.
The Energy Commission’s 2025 Energy Code page states that buildings whose permit applications are applied for on or after January 1, 2026, must comply with the 2025 Energy Code, and links the standards. The 2025 standards publication and its Reference Appendices are free PDFs, and the Commission publishes separate single-family, multifamily, and nonresidential compliance manuals. The California Building Standards Commission lists Part 6 in the 2025 Title 24 edition, effective January 1, 2026, with errata. All checked October 7, 2026. Cities may adopt local energy ordinances; record any that apply.
Compliance is documented on Commission forms: for nonresidential, hotel and motel, and high-rise multifamily buildings, NRCC certificates of compliance, NRCI installation, NRCV verification, and NRCA acceptance certificates; for low-rise multifamily, LMCC, LMCI, and LMCV certificates; and for single-family homes, CF1R, CF2R, and CF3R certificates. Measures that need field verification and diagnostic testing are registered with an Energy Code Compliance provider. Voluntary energy measures sit in the CALGreen guide, and the building code in the California Building Code guide.
Gather the certificates and the drawings they describe
Collect the certificates of compliance for each scope (envelope, mechanical, lighting, and water heating, or the residential CF1R), the energy model report where the performance path is used, the architectural wall, roof, and floor sections, the window schedule, the mechanical and plumbing equipment schedules, the lighting plans, fixture schedule, and controls, the solar and battery drawings where they apply, and the energy notes and specifications.
Certificates are often generated from an earlier design. Upload them with the current drawings and note the date of each.
Match each certificate value to the drawings
| Review question | Sources to compare | Decision to record |
|---|---|---|
| Edition and approach | Certificates, energy notes, permit application date | Confirm the edition and whether each scope is prescriptive or performance. |
| Envelope | Certificates, wall and roof sections, insulation specifications | Match insulation, assemblies, and roof properties to the sections and specifications. |
| Fenestration | Certificates, window schedule, specifications | Find windows whose performance values or areas differ from the certificate. |
| Mechanical and water heating | Certificates, equipment schedules, plumbing schedules | Check equipment types and efficiencies against the schedules. |
| Lighting and controls | Certificates, lighting plans, fixture schedule, controls narrative | Reconcile lighting power and controls with the plans and schedule. |
| Verification and acceptance | Certificates, specifications, commissioning notes | Confirm measures needing field verification or acceptance testing are carried into the specifications. |
Model-code energy reviews follow the IECC guide and the ASHRAE 90.1 guide. Lighting specifications are compared with the drawings in the lighting controls guide, and California permit steps are on the California page.
Example: the certificate and the window schedule disagree
Hypothetical example. The nonresidential envelope certificate of compliance lists one glazing performance for all storefront. A later window schedule changes the storefront to a different glass with lower performance, and the certificate was not regenerated.
The envelope certificate of compliance lists a glazing performance for the storefront that differs from the current window schedule and glazing specification. Please confirm the glass and regenerate or revise the certificate.
The energy consultant reruns the compliance documents for the current glass, and the architect confirms the window schedule. The building department reviews the revised certificate.
Review California energy compliance with Groundbook
Upload the current drawings and specifications to Groundbook, and state the edition, amendments, and review scope in your instructions. Download the 2025 Energy Code and Reference Appendices from the Energy Commission and upload them as Code files, with the certificates of compliance as reference documents and any local energy ordinance. See how Groundbook works with local and licensed codes.
Compare the certificates of compliance and energy model report with the wall, roof, and floor sections, window schedule, mechanical and plumbing equipment schedules, lighting plans, fixture schedule, controls narrative, solar and battery drawings, and energy specifications. Flag values that differ between the certificates and the drawings, and measures needing verification or acceptance testing that the specifications omit. Use the supplied 2025 Energy Code and cite both sources.
Groundbook links each potential finding to the certificate page and the sheet or specification involved.
Document review does not run energy models, complete or register certificates, or replace the energy consultant or the building department.