Appliance Efficiency Support Request Form

This support request webform allows anyone to submit questions regarding the Title 20 Appliance Efficiency Regulations, the appliance certification process and database, and any other appliance-related topics.

Please view our Appliance Efficiency Program Page to find the Title 20 regulations, rulemaking information, appliance database, certification instructions, program bulletins, outreach and education material, and other helpful information.

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If you are having difficulties finding a specific model in the database, please provide as much information as possible about the model when filling out the support request webform (model number, brand, manufacturer, appliance type, etc.)

To perform searches for approved models, anyone from the public can use the Quick Search or Advanced Search functions in the database. No log in is needed to search for models.

You can search by looking up specific model numbers, brands, manufacturers, or search by specific appliance type. In the Advanced Search tool, additional filters can be added to search by specific performance data and model information.

Seeing a model number listed as approved in the database is all that’s needed to verify compliance. There are no additional certificates or other documents to show compliance. Only models that are fully compliant with the Title 20 Appliance Efficiency Regulations are listed as approved.

Models listed under the “Approved” status are models that are currently complaint with the regulations. “Archived” models are models that were complaint at the time they were certified but are no longer complaint. Models can be archived for three reasons:

  • The testing requirements or performance standards in the regulations have been updated for that appliance type. The models would be archived to indicate that they were certified as compliant with previous requirements.
  • The manufacturer has chosen to archive the models (usually for models no longer being manufactured).
  • If the models have been listed as approved for 10 years or more, the CEC may archive the models. This is in accordance with section 1606(i) of the Title 20 regulations and is done to help maintain the stability of the database and to remove outdated listings.

For further assistance, please fill out the support request webform below.

For other database and certification related questions, please fill out the support request webform below.

For general information about the California Energy Commission, Programs, Events, etc., see the California Energy Commission website.

Regulated appliances have testing, marking, certification, and energy/water performance requirements under the Title 20 Appliance Efficiency Regulations (with some exceptions). Here’s a brief breakdown of the sections in Title 20 that contain these requirements:

  • Section 1604: Testing Requirements
  • Sections 1605.1 through 1605.3: Energy/Water Performance Standards
  • Section 1606: Certification Requirements
  • Section 1607: Marking Requirements

For additional appliance-specific information, please refer to our Title 20 Outreach and Education Page. This page contains helpful material like fact sheets, frequently asked questions (FAQs), webinar presentations, and regulatory advisories and notices.

For further assistance, please fill out the support request webform below.

If you are trying to determine if a specific product is regulated, please send additional information regarding the product like pictures and specification sheets when filling out the support request webform.

Not all appliances are regulated under the Title 20 Appliance Efficiency Regulations. Only regulated appliances need to comply with Title 20 before being sold or offered for sale in California.

To determine if a product type is regulated, first, look at section 1601 of Title 20 to see the overall scope of the regulations. All regulated appliance types are listed in that section.

Next, view section 1602 of Title 20 to see all regulatory definitions for specific appliance types. If a product meets the definition for a regulated appliance type, then it is considered regulated and would need to comply with its applicable Title 20 requirements.

For further assistance, please fill out the support request webform below.

The regulations are updated regularly through rulemakings (proceedings). Active rulemakings can be found on our Appliance Efficiency Proceedings page. This page also includes information about recently adopted rulemakings and ones in the “pre-rulemaking” period.

For further assistance, please fill out the support request webform below.

Please fill out the support request webform below to receive further assistance regarding the Title 20 Appliance Efficiency Regulations.

For general information about the California Energy Commission, Programs, Events, etc., see the California Energy Commission page.

The Title 20 Appliance Efficiency Regulations are a set of mandatory state and federal requirements for specific appliances. The requirements include testing, marking, certification, and energy/water efficiency and performance requirements. Manufacturers must ensure that their regulated appliances are fully complaint with Title 20 before offering them for sale in California.

For the federal requirements shown in Title 20, these are mirrored from the Department of Energy’s Appliance and Equipment Standards Program and are in effect for the entire country.

To view the regulations, please view the official online version of the Title 20 Appliance Efficiency Regulations.

For further assistance, please fill out the support request webform below.

Please visit the Building and Home Energy Resource Hub page for information on available incentives, rebates and financing.  For questions about these resources, please contact existingbldgecarb@energy.ca.gov.

Please visit the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) page for information on related programs, funding, rebates, and training. For questions about the IRA, please contact IRAresidentialenergyrebates@energy.ca.gov.

Additionally, you can contact your local utility companies to receive information regarding any current rebate or assistance programs.

For further assistance, please fill out the support request webform below.

For questions regarding Title 24, please reach out to that office here:
Energy Code Hotline Submission Form
Toll-free in California: 800-772-3300
Outside California: 916-654-5106

The Title 24 Building Energy Efficiency Standards contain requirements for new construction, additions, and permitted retrofits in California in order to reduce wasteful, uneconomical, and unnecessary uses of energy.

Regarding appliances, the Title 20 Appliance Efficiency Regulations contain standards for appliances that must be met before those units can be sold in California. Under the Title 24 Building Standards, some appliances may have to meet certain installation requirements before being installed in new construction.

For more information, please view the Title 24 Building Energy Efficiency Standards program page.

For further assistance, please fill out the support request webform below.

For questions regarding enforcement, please reach out to that office here: applianceenforcement@energy.ca.gov.

The California Energy Commission has a dedicated Office of Compliance Assistance and Enforcement to ensure that manufacturers, retailers, and other regulated stakeholders comply with the Title 20 Appliance Efficiency Regulations.

For further assistance, please fill out the support request webform below.

For questions regarding FDAS, please reach out to that office here: flexdemandstandards@energy.ca.gov.

The Flexible Demand Appliance Standards (FDAS) facilitate the deployment of flexible demand technologies that enable appliance operations to be scheduled, shifted, or curtailed to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases associated with electricity generation.

The FDAS regulations are separate from the Title 20 Appliance Efficiency Regulations.

For more information, please view the FDAS program page.

For further assistance, please fill out the support request webform below.

For further assistance regarding the appliance efficiency program, please fill out the support request webform below.

For general information about the California Energy Commission, Programs, Events, etc., see the California Energy Commission page.

To demonstrate compliance with the Title 20 Appliance Efficiency Regulations, manufacturers are required to certify their regulated models to MAEDbS, which is California’s “Modernized Appliance Efficiency Database System”. Manufacturers are responsible for ensuring that their regulated appliances are properly certified before selling those models in California.

The database performs validation checks to verify that new model submissions are complaint with the performance standards from the regulations. If the submitted data is compliant with the regulations, then the model is listed in MAEDbS as approved. All approved models are searchable in the database to confirm compliance. Any model listed in MAEDbS is considered fully complaint with Title 20 and can be sold in California.

The MAEDbS database is completely free to use. There is no cost to submit models for certification.

Manufacturers may delegate 3rd party companies to submit data on their behalf. The role of manufacturers, test labs, and 3rd party certifiers is explained in detail in the MAEDbS General Instructions - PDF.

For further assistance, please fill out the support request webform below.

If you are receiving error messages when submitting data, please provide all relevant information when filling out the support request webform: the appliance type you are submitting data for, screenshots of the error message, your filled in Excel sheet (if using the Excel method), and any other helpful information.

After a regulated model has been properly tested (in accordance with section 1604 of the Title 20 regulations), it can then be submitted to MAEDbS for certification. Complete test reports are not required to be submitted. Instead, certain data points from the test report are entered for the model.

Certification Instructions
There are Certification Packets for each appliance type. These packets contain detailed guidance on the certification process and should be referenced whenever submitting data. Each packet contains three items:

  • General instructions on how to use MAEDbS
  • Specific instructions on how to submit data for the selected appliance type
  • A template Excel sheet that can be used to submit the data for the selected appliance type

These instruction documents contain helpful guidance on how to enter data points, rounding requirements, and more.

If you are using the Excel method to submit the data, please use the specific Excel template found in the packets. If outdated versions of the Excel sheet are used, or if the submitter modifies the format of the template Excel sheet, the database will not be able to read the information which will result in submission errors.

Test Laboratories
Any test lab that can perform the required test can conduct the testing. This lab is required to be identified during the model submission process. Test labs need to have their own company accounts in MAEDbS and need to submit applications through MAEDbS to become listed as approved test labs in the system. Only approved labs are listed for the submission process. If you do not see your lab on the approved list, this means that the lab does not yet have a company account, or they have not yet gained approval in the system as a test lab. The MAEDbS General Instructions - PDF contain additional guidance on the role of test labs.

For further assistance, please fill out the support request webform below.

Does your question involve a specific appliance? If yes, please answer (If no, leave blank)
  1. If you are reaching out for assistance with user/company accounts in MAEDbS, please include the following information: Username, Company name as seen on the accounts, and what you need done to the account
  2. If you need to include any pictures, documents, or any other attachments, you will have the opportunity to send those to use by replying to the confirmation email you will receive after submitting your request.