Confirm the energy code edition the jurisdiction enforces, whether the commercial or residential provisions apply, the climate zone, and the compliance path. Then trace envelope, mechanical, water heating, and lighting values from the compliance documents into the drawings and schedules. AI can flag conflicts; the designer and code official decide compliance.
What does the IECC cover?
ICC describes the International Energy Conservation Code as applying to the design and construction of energy-efficient new and existing buildings. Its 2024 preface explains that the code holds two separate sets of provisions, commercial and residential, each applied separately to the buildings within its scope. The residential provisions cover one- and two-family dwellings and low-rise residential buildings; other buildings, including taller residential buildings, fall under the commercial provisions.
ICC Digital Codes lists the 2024 IECC as the current edition. ICC’s energy code committee page states that the IECC is developed under ICC’s consensus procedures and that a 2027 edition is in development; it was not yet published. For residential buildings, the U.S. Department of Energy’s determinations page lists its December 20, 2024 determination that the 2024 IECC will improve energy efficiency in residential buildings. All checked October 5, 2026. States adopt energy codes separately from building codes, often on a different edition. Record the edition and amendments the jurisdiction enforces.
ICC’s committee page notes that its residential energy committee also oversees the IRC’s energy chapter, so a house set may cite either document; see the IRC guide. California enforces its own Energy Code under Title 24, and Washington its own energy code, described in the Washington State Building Code guide.
Gather the compliance documents and the sheets they describe
Collect the energy compliance documents (forms, software reports, or an energy model summary), the cover sheet or code analysis naming the energy code, climate zone, and compliance path, the wall, roof, and floor assemblies, the window and door schedules with performance values, the mechanical and water heating equipment schedules, the lighting plans, fixture schedule, and controls, and the related specification sections.
House sets often print energy values in general notes instead of on forms. Note where each value lives, so a change on one sheet can be traced to the others.
Trace the energy values through the set
| Review question | Sources to compare | Decision to record |
|---|---|---|
| Edition, provisions, and climate zone | Cover sheet, code analysis, compliance documents | Confirm one edition, the commercial or residential provisions, and one climate zone across documents. |
| Compliance path | Compliance documents, general notes, specifications | Identify the path the design follows and any document that assumes a different one. |
| Envelope assemblies | Wall, roof, and floor types, sections, compliance documents | Match insulation and assembly descriptions to the values the forms claim. |
| Windows and doors | Window and door schedules, elevations, compliance documents | Reconcile performance values and glazed areas with the forms. |
| Mechanical and water heating | Equipment schedules, specifications, compliance documents | Match equipment types and efficiencies across sources. |
| Lighting and controls | Lighting plans, fixture schedule, controls, compliance documents | Check fixture counts, wattages, and control zones against the forms. |
Commercial projects that document compliance against ASHRAE 90.1, where the adopted code permits it, continue in the ASHRAE 90.1 guide. Insulation and air sealing details connect to the insulation and air barrier specifications guides, and lighting controls to the lighting specifications guide.
Example: energy values with no energy code named
Published finding. In Groundbook’s published accessible home addition review, the drawings printed energy performance values, such as a minimum attic insulation value and a maximum air leakage rate, but no sheet named the building code edition, the energy code, the compliance path, or the climate zone. The general notes asked only for work consistent with all applicable codes.
No building code edition, energy code or climate zone is stated anywhere in the set. Add a code block to the cover: applicable building code and edition, energy code and compliance path, climate zone, use group and construction type.
The architect of record sets the code basis, and the building department confirms the edition in force at the permit date. Until then, a plan reviewer has nothing to check the energy values against.
Review energy code coordination with Groundbook
Upload the current drawings and specifications to Groundbook, and state the edition, amendments, and review scope in your instructions. Add the IECC edition the project uses from a copy you are licensed to use, where the license permits uploading it, and the jurisdiction’s published amendments. See how Groundbook works with local and licensed codes.
Compare the energy compliance documents with the cover sheet, assemblies, window and door schedules, mechanical and water heating schedules, lighting plans, and specifications. Flag a missing or conflicting energy code edition, climate zone, or compliance path, and values that differ between the forms and the drawings. Use the supplied IECC edition and local amendments and cite both sources.
Groundbook links each potential finding to the sheets and forms involved. It compares the values the documents state; it does not run energy compliance software or an energy model.
Document review does not certify energy code compliance or replace the designer, energy consultant, or code official.