AEC definitions
An energy code is the minimum efficiency the law requires for a building's envelope, lighting, and mechanical systems. In much of the United States the adopted model is the International Energy Conservation Code, sometimes with ASHRAE 90.1 as a compliance path. A green rating program is voluntary. The energy code is a permit requirement.
Definition
The drawings and a compliance report show how the project meets the adopted edition: insulation, glazing U-factor and SHGC, lighting power, and HVAC efficiency. The plans examiner reviews that package. Substituting a window or a light fixture after permit can break the compliance model. California's Title 24 and other state codes replace or amend the IECC. Use the code the jurisdiction adopted, including the year. An old report on a new edition is not compliance.
In depth
Cities adopt an edition, often with amendments. A report run on the wrong year will not match plan check. State the edition on the code sheet.
Stretch codes and local green ordinances can sit on top. Ask before you assume the model code is the whole requirement.
Prescriptive compliance follows tables: maximum U-factors, maximum lighting power. Performance compliance uses a model that trades measures and still beats a baseline. The report should say which path. Submittals have to match the measures the path used.
COMCheck, or the state's own software, is a method. It is not the code.
Window schedules that list U-factor and SHGC, lighting schedules that list wattage, and mechanical schedules that list efficiency are how the report stays true. A cut sheet that misses those numbers is a compliance problem, not only a product-data problem.
Value engineering a glazing product after permit requires a new report if the numbers change.
Commissioning and testing of controls show up in later editions for certain systems.
That is a closeout requirement tied to the energy code, specified so the contractor prices it.
Examples
The permit set includes an IECC report for the adopted edition. The window schedule lists the U-factors the report used.
A lighting substitution lowers fixture wattage. The compliance form is updated anyway, because the examiner asked for the as-designed numbers.
A California project uses Title 24 forms. An IECC report is not substituted.
FAQ
Unlock the value of your institutional knowledge—organized, connected, and grounded in your team's critical workflows with Nomic.
