SACRAMENTO, California, November 21, 2024 – Frontier Energy, Inc., working with the California Statewide Codes and Standards Enhancement (CASE) Team and the California Energy Commission (CEC), supported updates to the recently adopted 2025 California Energy Code (Title 24, Part 6 or the Energy Code). Frontier Energy is the lead contractor responsible for single family home measures for the CASE Team, and led measures adopted into the Energy Code related to residential envelopes, water heating, HVAC, and heat pumps.
“California is a leader in effective and powerful energy codes, and the changes adopted in September will ensure that homes are as efficient and flexible as they can be, while saving money over time,” said Kristin Heinemeier, Frontier Energy’s Engineering Manager and lead for Frontier’s HVAC measures. “The requirements for heat pumps are particularly game-changing, as they will require that heat pumps not only be installed in more circumstances, but that they will be set up to perform well for many years. Frontier Energy’s expertise in working with statewide stakeholders to propose and analyze groundbreaking measures resulted in an updated code that will continue to expand California’s leadership.”
The CEC updates the Energy Code every three years to respond to state goals of decarbonization through increased energy efficiency and demand flexibility of California’s buildings and, more recently, the application of heat pump technology. Frontier Energy was a part of this process in looking at how to cost-effectively reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and other pollutants and lower the cost of operations for consumers in decarbonized homes and buildings of the future.
Frontier Energy led the following adopted updates:
- High performance windows for single family homes with lower mandatory and prescriptive U-factor requirements.
- Improved framed wall construction for single family homes with lower mandatory U-factor requirements.
- Defined prescriptive pathway for cathedral ceilings in single family homes.
- Promote optimal performance of heat pump water heaters through mandatory requirements for adequate ventilation for all building types.
- Promote optimal performance of heat pump space heaters through the following mandatory measures (unless noted as prescriptive):
- Sizing and equipment selection requirements to ensure that heat pump systems can meet design heating loads without supplementary electric resistance or gas.
- Establishing maximum allowable capacities for supplementary heating systems and controls that limit the operation to times of cold outdoor air temperatures.
- Controlling configuration requirements for timer based defrost systems.
- Functional testing to ensure that third-party thermostats are capable of modulating compressor speed when controlling variable speed systems.
- Expanding prescriptive third-party verification of accurate refrigerant charge for heat pumps to all climate zones.
The Energy Code will be submitted to the California Building Standards Commission (CBSC) in December 2024. If approved by the CBSC, the new standards will go into effect on January 1, 2026, giving builders, contractors, and other interested parties a year to plan for the changes.
For more information, view the CEC’s Fact Sheet and visit the Title 24 Stakeholders website.
The CASE Team is now considering the 2028 Energy Code and is soliciting ideas on cost effective measures that will continue to decarbonize CA buildings. Provide your thoughts here.
Location
Sacramento, CA
United States