Every new build, addition and most remodels in California have to demonstrate Title 24 Part 6 energy compliance before permit issuance. We prepare the CF1R report and, when a project includes solar, the PV plan set — coordinated against the same drawing set we or your architect already produced, not modeled off a generic template.
Title 24, Part 6 is California's building energy efficiency standard — it sets performance requirements for the building envelope (insulation, window U-factor and solar heat gain coefficient, air sealing), HVAC equipment and duct systems, and water heating, then requires a CF1R (Certificate of Compliance) documenting that the specific building as designed meets them. It applies to residential and commercial construction alike under the same Part 6 standard, though the compliance software and the specific prescriptive-versus-performance path differ between the two. The report has to match the actual drawings — window sizes and orientations, wall assemblies, mechanical equipment — so it's most accurate when it's built alongside the drawing set instead of bolted on after the plans are already finished.
Solar PV plan sets live on this page too, because the two are practically joined at the hip: adding a PV system changes the energy budget the CF1R has to account for, and in some compliance paths it's what makes an otherwise-tight envelope pencil out. A PV plan set is the permit drawing package for the array itself — panel layout, roof structural attachment points, conduit routing and the electrical interconnection — reviewed by the building department alongside (or as part of) the same permit as the rest of the project. We coordinate the two so the solar offset actually shows up correctly in the energy report instead of being submitted as two disconnected packages.
Envelope, HVAC and water-heating performance modeled against your actual drawings — insulation values, window U-factor/SHGC, duct sealing and equipment specs — run through the compliance software and documented for plan check.
Ground-up homes need a full compliance report; additions and ADUs typically need one scoped to the new square footage and any existing systems the project touches. See our ADU & JADU Design page — every unit needs its own CF1R.
Reroofs, window replacements, HVAC swaps and water heater changes can trigger a compliance filing on their own, even without a full remodel. We check whether your specific scope crosses that line before you're surprised at permit counter.
Panel layout, roof attachment and electrical interconnection drawings for a new PV system, coordinated with the CF1R so the energy offset is documented consistently across both submittals.
We pull envelope assemblies, window schedules, HVAC and water heating specs from your drawing set, or from ours if we're drafting the project too.
Building specs run through the required compliance software to confirm the design meets Part 6, with solar PV factored in when the project includes it.
Certificate of Compliance and, if applicable, the solar permit drawing package, prepared for submittal alongside the rest of your permit set.
If plan check flags a mismatch between the report and the drawings, or your jurisdiction requires additional licensed review, we revise and coordinate rather than leaving you to sort it out.
Not every remodel, but more than people expect. New construction, additions and ADUs always need one. A remodel that stays purely cosmetic — new flooring, cabinets, paint — usually doesn't trigger it. But once a project touches the building envelope (reroofing, window replacement, added insulation) or swaps HVAC or water heating equipment, that specific scope can require its own compliance filing. We check your project's actual scope against this rather than assuming either way.
No. A CF1R documents that the building as designed meets Title 24 Part 6's energy performance standards — it's a compliance and documentation service, not a licensed engineering stamp. We're not a licensed engineering firm, and this report doesn't substitute for whatever structural or other licensed review your specific jurisdiction and project require. We prepare accurate, drawing-matched compliance documentation and are upfront about where separate licensed review applies.
Solar gets its own permit drawing package — the PV plan set covering panel layout, roof attachment and electrical interconnection — but it's not fully separate from the energy report. Adding PV changes the energy budget your CF1R has to account for, and in some compliance paths the solar offset is part of what makes the design meet Part 6. We coordinate the two so the numbers agree across both submittals instead of treating them as unrelated filings.
Residential or commercial, drafting or Title 24 — send a few details and we'll follow up with next steps and a free quote.
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Sunny Drafting & Design