Section 25402 of the Public Resources Code
The Legislature adopted the Warren-Alquist Act (the act), which created the Energy Resources and Conservation Development Commission (California Energy Commission, or CEC) in 1975 to deal with energy-related issues and charged the CEC to adopt and maintain energy efficiency standards for new buildings. The first standards were adopted in 1978 in the aftermath of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) oil embargo of 1973.
The act requires that the Energy Code be cost-effective “when taken in their entirety and amortized over the economic life of the structure.”
The CEC is required to periodically update the standards. One hundred eighty (180) days after the approval of the standards, manuals must be published to support the Energy Code. . The Energy Code (Part 6) goes into effect along with the other Parts of the California Building Standards Code (Title 24) on the stautorily required triennial update cycle. The act directs local building permit jurisdictions to not approve permits until the building satisfies the requirements of the standards.
The first-generation standards for nonresidential buildings took effect in 1978. Second-generation standards took effect for offices, and retail and wholesale stores, in 1984 and 1985, respectively.
The next major revision occurred in 1992 when the requirements were simplified and consolidated for all building types. Major changes were made to lighting, building envelope, fenestration, and HVAC and mechanical requirements. Structural changes made in 1992 led the way for national standards in other states.
The standards went through minor revisions in 1995. In 1998, lighting power limits were reduced significantly because electronic ballasts and T-8 lamps were cost-effective and becoming commonplace in nonresidential buildings.
The California electricity crisis of 2000 resulted in rolling blackouts through much of the state. This crisis produced escalating energy prices at the wholesale market and in some areas in the retail market. The Legislature responded with Assembly Bill 970 (Ducheny, Chapter 329, Statutes of 2000), which required the CEC to update the Energy Code through an emergency rulemaking. This rulemaking was achieved within the 120 days required by the Legislature. The 2001 Standards (or the AB 970 Standards) took effect mid-2001. The 2001 Energy Code included requirements for high-performance windows throughout California, more stringent lighting requirements, and other changes.
The Public Resources Code was amended in 2002 through Senate Bill 5X (Machado, Chapter 852, Statutes of 2008) to expand the authority of the CEC to develop and maintain standards for outdoor lighting and signs. The Energy Code covered in this manual builds on the rich history of Nonresidential Energy Code in California and the leadership and direction provided by the California Legislature over the years.
The 2008 Energy Code was expanded to include refrigerated warehouses and steep-sloped roofs.
The 2013 Energy Code reflected many significant changes and expanded the scope. Some changes included fault detection and diagnostic devices, economizer damper leakage and assembly criteria, air handler fan control for HVAC systems, updates to the low-sloped cool roofs requirements for nonresidential buildings, and, for the first time, set minimum mandatory requirements for insulation in nonresidential buildings. Expanding the scope of the standards included newly regulated covered processes such as parking garage ventilation, process boiler systems, compressed air systems, commercial refrigeration, laboratory exhaust, data center (computer room) HVAC, and commercial kitchens.
The 2016 Energy Code was current with ASHRAE 90.1 national consensus standards. Changes were made to HVAC controls, indoor and outdoor lighting, advanced building control systems, and covered processes, including new requirements for elevators, escalators, and moving walkways.
The 2019 Energy Code updated the indoor and outdoor lighting requirements to assume the use of LED lighting, updated indoor air quality requirements, and expanded to include requirements for healthcare facilities for the first time.
For a detailed list of the changes to the 2022 Energy Code, see Section 1.5 of this chapter, or view our 2022 Building Energy Efficiency Standards Summary found at https://www.energy.ca.gov/sites/default/files/2021-08/CEC_2022_EnergyCodeUpdateSummary_ADA.pdf.
Example 1-17
Question
Does a LEED-certified building still need to meet the 2022 Energy Code?
Answer
Yes.
Since energy use depends partly upon weather conditions, the CEC established 16 climate zones representing distinct climates within California. These 16 climate zones are used with residential and the nonresidential standards. Information is available by zip code and in several formats (http://energy.ca.gov/maps/renewable/building_climate_zones.html).
Cities may occasionally straddle two climate zones. In these instances, the exact building location and correct climate zone should be verified before any calculations are performed. If a climate zone boundary line splits a single building, it must be designed to the requirements of the climate zone in which 50 percent or more of the building is contained.
Figure 1-1: California Climate Zones
Source: California Energy Commission