Special Cases for Building Energy Efficiency Standards
Compliance Options
Public Resources Code, Section 25402.1 (b) requires the California Energy Commission to establish a formal process for certification of compliance options of new products, materials, and calculation methods that can improve building efficiency levels set by the California Building Energy Efficiency Standards. The Energy Commission encourages the use of energy saving techniques and designs for showing compliance with the Standards that are approved by the Commission through the Compliances Options approval process. Compliance options can affect the Standards in several ways but can generally be viewed as:
- Those that affect a change in compliance through a change in the scope of the requirements, and
- Those that affect a change in compliance through enhancement of the current compliance process.
Low-Sloped Roofs That Use Aggregate as the Surface Layer
Cool Roof Default Values for Aggregate Roofing Materials
Commission Approved Default Cool Roof Performance Values for Low-Sloped Roofs that Use Aggregate as the Surface Layer. (PDF file, 1 pages, 98 kb)
Default Cool Roof Performance Values for Low‐Sloped Roofs That Use Aggregate as the Surface Layer
Final Evaluation Report. Compliance Option for the Building Energy Efficiency Standards. Pub # CEC-400-2012-018-SF. (PDF file, 13 pages, 351 kb)
Notice of December 18, 2012, Staff Webinar on Draft Evaluation Report of Building Energy Efficiency Standards Compliance Option for Low-Sloped Roofs (PDF File, 4 pages, 53 KB)
Proposed Compliance Option for Low-Sloped Roofs That Use Aggregate as the Surface Layer -
Draft Evaluation Report. Pub # CEC-400-2012-018-SD. (PDF file, 11 pages, 351 kb)
Staff Presentation for December 18, 2012 Webinar. (PDF file, 8 pages, 266 kb)
Alternative to Temperature Measurement Access Holes (TMAH)
- Approved Alternative to Temperature Measurement Access Holes (TMAH) - Approved at the February 13, 2013 Energy Commission Business Meeting. (PDF file, 1pg, 115 kb)
- Proposed Compliance Option for an Alternative to the Use of Temperature Measurement Access Holes for the Building Energy Efficiency Standards - Final Evaluation Report. Pub # CEC-400-2012-017-SF. Posted January 22, 2013 (PDF file, 11 pages, 479 kb)
This report will be considered for approval by the Energy Commission at the February 13, 2013 business meeting.
November 15, 2012 Webinar
- Notice of Staff Webinar on Draft Evaluation Report of Compliance Option for an Alternative to the Use of Measurement Access Holes for Verifying Refrigerant Charge in Residential Air Conditioning Systems (PDF File, 4 pages, 61 KB)
- Staff Presentation for November 15, 2012 Webinar. (PDF file, 5 pages, 164 kb)
Liquid Line Temperature Charge Method
- HERS verification for refrigerant charge of split system air conditioners and heat pumps
- Residential Refrigerant Charge Testing and Related Issues. (PDF file, 61 pages, 2 mb)
Altherma Air-To-Water Source Heat Pump
- Efficiency Ratings and Performance Modeling Inputs for the Daiken AC (Americas), Inc. Altherma Air-to-Water Source Heat Pump System (PDF File, 2 pages, 77 KB)
- Compliance Option for Altherma Air-To-Water Source Heat Pump - Final Evaluation Report. Pub # CEC-400-2011-010-SF. (PDF file, 16 pages, 414 kb)
- Application Materials for Compliance Option for Altherma Air-To-Water Source Heat Pump
- Comments & Responses
Spray Polyurethane Foam Alliance
Open Cell, Low-Density Spray Polyurethane Foam (ocSPF) Insulation
July 25, 2011
Staff Workshop on Draft Evaluation Report of Compliance Option for Open Cell Spray Polyurethane Foam Insulation- Notice of Staff Workshop
- Application for Compliance Option for Open Cell, Low-Density Spray Polyurethane Foam (OcSPF) Insulation - Final Evaluation Report. Pub # CEC-400-2011-006-SF. (PDF file, 39 pages, 627 kb)
Products and Appliances Listings
The Special Case Products and Appliances Listings provide performance rating information for manufacturer appliance products, system components, or other regulated energy efficiency items that receive a waiver from reporting, or for various other reasons are not included in the Energy Commission's Title 20 Appliance Efficiency Database. These listings are organized into the following categories for the 2008 Building Energy Efficiency Standards:
- U.S. Department of Energy Interim or Permanent Waiver
- Compliance Option
- Section 112 Approved Appliances
- Manufacturer Supplemental Listings
An explanation of each of the listings and links to the data for the various appliances or components in each of these listings follows.
U.S. Department Of Energy Interim or Permanent Waiver
This listing includes appliances which have received an interim or permanent waiver from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), exempting the appliance from meeting minimal federal efficiency requirements. These waivers are given to appliances that have a design or function that cannot be measured using existing testing procedures. DOE's exemption would result in the appliance not being marketable in California based on the current Appliance Efficiency Regulations.
This listing will permit the installation of appliances using new technologies to be installed in California, allowing the opportunity for the Energy Commission to evaluate the relative merits of each appliance. For the purposes of compliance with the Building Energy Efficiency Standards, all equipment on this list is assigned the minimal efficiency value defined by regulations of the closest associated appliance.
Appliances placed in this DOE waiver list will be removed when one of the following situations exist:
The appliance is tested and rated under a test procedure recognized by the Energy Commission. In this case the appliance would be added to the Appliance Efficiency Database.
A compliance option is approved by the Energy Commission which incorporates the appliance's performance. For this situation the appliance would be required to be listed as part of the compliance option database.
Data is provided to the Energy Commission which demonstrates that the appliance does not meet the minimal efficiency requirement used as the reference in this database.
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Section 112 Approved Appliances
The Building Energy Efficiency Standards Section 112 includes minimal appliance efficiency requirements for space-conditioning equipment beyond those defined in the Appliance Efficiency Regulations. In many cases the actual efficiency of specific appliances may not be current or reported. This listing includes those appliances that need verification of their compliance with the minimal efficiency requirements listed in Section 112.
Manufacturer Supplemental Listings
The Manufacturer Supplemental Listings provide performance rating information for manufacturer appliance products, system components, or other regulated energy efficiency items that are not included in the Energy Commission's Title 20 Appliance Efficiency Database. These appliances, components, or regulated items have efficiency, non-energy related performance, or other special characteristics that must be reported to the Energy Commission to allow those items to be modeled or documented when used as a feature for compliance with the Title 24 Building Energy Efficiency Standards.
Appliances or technologies that receive approval for use as Compliance Options after the effective date of the Building Energy Efficiency Standards are subsequently integrated into the next update of the Standards and Alternative Calculation Method manuals, but those appliances or technologies may not be incorporated into the T20 Appliance Efficiency Database, thus may remain in these Manufacturer Supplemental Listings.
- Approved Ice Storage Air Conditioners. (PDF File, 7 pages, 98 kb).
- Low Leakage Air Handler Product Listings (PDF file, 66 pages, 395 kb)
- Air Filter Product Listings (Letter with instructions) posted: July 13, 2010 (PDF File, 2 pages, 45 kb).
- Air Filter Performance Data Submittal Spreadsheet. (Excel File).
- Manufacturers' Air Filter Performance Data. (PDF File).
- Efficiency Ratings for the Daiken AC (Americas), Inc. Altherma Air-to-Water Source Heat Pump System (PDF File, 1 page, 68 KB).