As the state’s primary energy policy and planning agency, the California Energy Commission (CEC) is responsible for the adoption and implementation of California’s Building Energy Efficiency Standards, including requirements in the Energy Code (Title 24, Part 6) and voluntary standards in CALGreen (Title 24, Part 11). The Energy Code is applicable to all residential and nonresidential newly constructed buildings, additions, and alterations throughout California. Voluntary energy efficiency standards in CALGreen serve as examples for local governments that choose to exceed the minimum requirements of the Energy Code. Together with appliance efficiency standards, CA’s Building Energy Efficiency Standards have saved Californians over $200 billion dollars in energy costs.
The Energy Code consists of two equally important parts that work together to reduce wasteful, uneconomic, inefficient, or unnecessary energy use in California: the development of regulations and ensuring compliance with those regulations. Both are essential to the Energy Code’s goals of lowering energy costs, advancing energy efficiency, and achieving California’s bold climate action goals. Currently, the state lacks comprehensive data on Energy Code compliance rates, regional variations in compliance, and the root causes of noncompliance. This limits the CEC’s ability to fully understand the cost of noncompliance to the state, effectively implement state policy, and allocate supporting resources where they are needed most.
This report, referred to as a “gap analysis”, attempts to improve on those conditions by identifying challenges and proposing solutions to enhance the state’s intelligence related to Energy Code compliance. This gap analysis also establishes a technical foundation through defined compliance terms, a literature review, data analysis, gap identification, field study methodologies, and actionable recommendations.
Key findings of this report include the impact of unpermitted construction, existing methodological gaps, the need for clear definitions, and lessons learned from prior studies. To improve compliance, staff recommend the CEC conduct targeted field studies in the short term (1-3 years) and develop systematic ongoing tracking of key compliance metrics in the long term (3+ years). Field studies would require coordination with the more than 540 local jurisdictions in California. Data-driven methods – such as HVAC sales tracking, real estate data analysis, interval meter data analysis, and satellite imagery analysis – can provide valuable insights but should be viewed as supplemental to primary research methods like field studies, which are more critical. Engaging interested parties is also essential, as it enables the validation or refinement of assumptions made during the initial gap analysis.
Next steps include stakeholder engagement via public workshops and acquiring funding for field studies. Addressing these issues will enhance enforcement, improve compliance, and help to improve the overall efficacy of California’s building energy efficiency standards.
