July 25, 2008   Navigate our site Training Research Local Government Programs New Initiatives Mortgages Utility Programs State and Federal agencies Current Issues Press/Recognition Reports, Protocols, & Scopes of Work Who We Are Links Board Members Executive Staff :: 2006 ca energy star home requirements ::   home   California 2006 ENERGY STAR Qualified Homes All ENERGY STAR Qualified Homes built in California must be 15% more energy efficient than the California energy code (2001 T-24 or 2005 T-24) under which they were permitted. Homes built under 2001 T-24 code have until December 31, 2006 to complete construction. All homes completed on or after January 1, 2007 must be 15% more energy efficient than the latest T-24 code. Any home formally enrolled in a utility incentive program for ENERGY STAR Qualified Homes by December 31, 2005, has until December 31, 2006 to complete construction and be labeled under old guidelines. All homes enrolled in a 2006 utility ENERGY STAR Qualified Homes (residential new construction) program must be qualified using the new guidelines. The 2006 ENERGY STAR Qualified Homes guidelines requirements include: Homes must be 15% more energy efficient than the code under which the home is permitted. The EPA ENERGY STAR Thermal Bypass Checklist/CEC Quality Installation Insulation merged protocols are a mandatory requirement. Performance credit to achieve 15% over code using quality insulation installation (TBC/QII) is not allowed. Ductwork leakage must be less than 6 cfm to outdoors per 100 square feet of conditioned space, though duct leakage tests can be waived if ducts and equipment are located in conditioned space and the home’s envelope leakage is less than 0.25 CFM 50 per square foot of building envelope. All cooling equipment shall be sized according to the latest editions of the ACCA Manuals J and S, ASHRAE 2001 Handbook of Fundamentals, or the equivalent computation procedure. Maximum oversizing of air conditioners is 15%. Equipment oversizing calculations shall use 99.0% and 1.0% outdoor design temperatures as published in the ASHRAE Handbook of Fundamentals for most representative city. However, a prevailing outdoor design temperature used by the local HVAC industry that can be documented with available weather data is an acceptable alternative. The Indoor temperature shall be 75ºF for cooling and 70ºF for heating. Infiltration rate shall be selected as tight. Indoor and outdoor coils shall be matched in accordance with ARI standards. Homes shall be inspected by a CEC certified third party HERS rater. Sampling is allowed and shall follow the CEC HERS protocols. EPA recommends, but does not require, that ductwork be located in conditioned space with a minimum of R-4 insulation to prevent condensation and moisture problems. Click here to download the 2006 CA Energy Star Homes Requirements (pdf) High Quality Insulation and Thermal Bypass Checklist Procedures (pdf) California Energy Star Homes Program CF-4R (pdf) http://www.energystar.gov