Title 24 Consultant
We are here to consult you every step of the way
Title 24 Compliance
Title 24 of the California Energy Commission (CEC) outlines energy efficiency standards for new, altered, and existing buildings in the state of California. California requires a minimum mandatory energy score, as well as mandatory compliance measures. Optional upgrades and tests can translate into compliance points. For more information, visit the CEC website.
HERS Raters
The Home Energy Rating System (HERS) is used to test and enforce energy code standards set by the California Energy Commission. HERS Raters are private building inspectors who perform state compliance inspections and functional tests on residential and commercial buildings. Compliance testing has been legally required since 1974, and the codes are updated every couple of years. A HERS Rater is licensed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as an HVACR (Heating, Ventilation, Air conditioning, Cooling, Refrigeration) technician. At BarrierEnergy, our certified HERS Raters are thoroughly trained on all new building codes and regulations.
What is Title 24 Consulting?
HERS Raters use the Home Energy Rating System to certify the efficiency of a given property. This background knowledge gives us the ability to offer consultation to project managers, contractors, designers, and installers. BarrierEnergy offers consulting on a wide variety of topics. We can register your Title 24 Report/CF1R, design MEP plans, help you with permitting, guide you to the correct features to install, and provide a referral to installers in your area. Generally, the earlier you can bring us onto a project, the better. If we get involved in a project early on, we will provide assistance to help you maximize energy efficiency from beginning to end. Once you bring us on to a project, we offer 24/7 consultation.
Why You Need a Title 24 Consultant
Typically, consulting is most useful in the planning stages of a project. Most architects and installers don’t know Energy Code regulations in and out as we do. Proactively, we can offer guidance to make sure the equipment the Title 24 report prescribes matches what is going to be installed. That way, your project won’t get held up when you’re ready to call for an inspection! It’s a lot harder to amend an issue after the fact, so let’s save you money and time with a little extra planning upfront.
General Consulting
The other kind of consultation we offer is retroactive. We have certainly helped many clients out of a bind when they are stressed by a pressing deadline. For example, in one scenario we were brought on to a commercial project to help out with the kitchen hood air balance report. The owners of this restaurant were anxious to get this done because they had been unable to open. We came out and noticed the hood was not functioning properly or pushing the airflow that would be required by a building inspector. So, we got to researching what options they had to resolve this issue.
Finding a Resolution
Within a couple of hours of research, we realized we may be able to save money on their replacement if we could get the county to reduce their airflow requirement. How? Well, airflow requirements are determined by the type of cooking the system must accommodate. We noticed this kitchen vent covered a multitude of different cooking types. So, we figured instead of going with 4,000 CFMs of exhaust on a “heavy-duty” system, that we could factor in the light-duty cooking space. It would take some explaining to the County, but we calculated the variable CFM requirement was only about 2,400 CFMs of airflow! That’s a big difference in equipment expenses.
We know it can be difficult when a project gets held up and you’re dealing with an inspector who comes back with requests. However, having a skilled consultant takes the burden of that worry off your shoulders. Leave it to us to search through the code and find the workarounds so that you can move forward with your bottom line. Many people know Michael Barriere as their go-to Title 24 and HERS consultant. Contact us today for your free quote.
(888) 383-HERS (4377)
Contact Us
Please, let us know if you have a question or a comment!
