Local Energy Codes

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3C-REN

Tri-County Regional Energy Network (San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura)

A

AFUE

Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency

ACH50

Air Changes per Hour at 50 pascals pressure differential

ACM - Alternative Calculation Method

APPROVED CALCULATION METHOD is compliance software, or alternative component packages, or exceptional methods approved... for compliance with the California Energy Code.

B

Basecase

A prototypical building design that meets the minimum requirements of the California Energy Code (Title 24, Part 6).

Btu

British thermal unit

BAAQMD

Bay Area Air Quality Management District

BayREN

The Bay Area Regional Energy Network (BayREN)

B/C Lifecycle Benefit-to-Cost Ratio

The benefit-cost ratio (BCR) is the ratio of the total benefits of a program to the total costs discounted over some specified time period. The benefit-cost ratio gives a measure of a rough rate of return for the program to the participants and is also an indication of risk. A benefit-cost ratio above one indicates a beneficial program (California Standard Practices Manual, CPUC)

BSC

Building Standards Commission (also CBSC)

C

CFI - California Flexible Installation

CALIFORNIA FLEXIBLE INSTALLATION (CFI) is a set of criteria that allows a PV system to be modeled under the performance method without providing more specific orientations and tilts. In order to meet the requirements of CFI, the PV system must be installed with an azimuth ranging from 150 to 270 degrees from true north, with all modules at the same tilt as the roof pitches between 0:12 and 7:12. Additionally, each system must also meet minimal shading criterion outlined in JA11.3.1. (2019 Reference Appendices for the 2019 Building Energy Efficiency Standards, Appendix JA1)

CO2

Carbon Dioxide

CZ - Climate Zone

CLIMATE ZONES are the 16 geographic areas of California for which the Commission has established typical weather data, prescriptive packages and energy budgets. Climate zones are defined by ZIP code and listed in Reference Joint Appendix JA2. FIGURE 100.1-A is an approximate map of the 16 Climate Zones. (2022 Building Energy Efficiency Standards, Section 100.1)

CASE - Codes and Standards Enhancement

The Codes and Standards Enhancement (CASE) initiative presents recommendations to support the California Energy Commission’s efforts to update the California Energy Code (Title 24, Part 6) to include new requirements or to upgrade existing requirements for various technologies. (California Energy Codes and Standards Program)

CFM

Cubic Feet per Minute

CPAU

City of Palo Alto Utilities

CARB

California Air Resources Board

CARB Funding Wizard

A searchable database of current funding opportunities for sustainability projects.

CBSC

California Building Standards Commission (also BSC)

CPC

California Plumbing Code, Title 24, Part 5

CALGreen

California Green Building Standards Code, Title 24, Part 11. Part of the California Building Code

CEC

California Energy Commission

CBECC - California Building Energy Code Compliance

CBECC-Res Computer program developed by the California Energy Commission for use in demonstrating compliance with the California Residential Building Energy Efficiency Standards. (2022 Building Energy Efficiency Standards, Section 10.102)

CPUC

California Public Utilities Commission

D

DHW

Domestic Hot Water

Discount Rate

The discount rate expresses the time value of money and can make the difference between whether an investment project is financially viable or not. (Investopedia)

DWHR

Drain Water Heat Recovery

DOE

US Department of Energy

E

EDR - Energy Design Rating

Energy Design Rating is a metric used to assess energy performance. It takes various forms.

Energy Design Rating 1 (EDR1) is a compliance metric that represents Source Energy, excluding self-generation and demand flexibility, and as such represents Source Energy efficiency. The units are kBtu per square foot per year.

Energy Design Rating 2 (EDR2) is a compliance metric that represents TDV Energy, excluding self-generation and demand flexibility, and as such represents TDV Energy efficiency. The units are kTDV per square foot per year.

Energy Design Rating Total (Total EDR) is a compliance metric that represents TDV Energy, including self-generation and demand flexibility.

EPS

Expanded Polystyrene

EER - Energy Efficiency Ratio

ENERGY EFFICIENCY RATIO (EER) is the ratio of net cooling capacity (in Btu/hr) to total rate of electrical energy input (in watts), of a cooling system under designated operating conditions, as determined using the applicable test method in the Appliance Efficiency Regulations or Section 110.2.

ENERGY EFFICIENCY RATIO 2 (EER2) is the EER metric for residential central air conditioners effective January 1, 2023, as created by the U.S. Department of Energy “ISSUANCE 2016-11-30 Energy Conservation Program: Test Procedures for Central Air Conditioners and Heat Pumps, Final Rule”.

(2022 Building Energy Efficiency Standards, Section 100.1)

EF - Energy Factor

See Uniform Energy Factor (Energy Factor is not used in the 2022 Energy Code)

EBCE

East Bay Clean Energy, a community choice aggregator

Escalation Rate

The annual rate of increase in the cost of energy.

Electric Readiness

Accommodations to enable conversion from gas to electric appliances. This may include any of the following: electric service capacity, electrical panel capacity, prewiring circuits, designated locations for equipment, condensate drains and ventilation.

Energy Code (or California Energy Code)

California Code of Regulations Title 24, Part 6, part of the California Building Code.

EPA

US Environmental Protection Agency

Energy Star

A U.S. Environmental Protection Agency voluntary program that helps businesses and individuals save money and protect our climate through superior energy efficiency. (US EPA)

F

Federal Preemption

A provision of the National Appliance Energy Conservation Act (42 U.S.C., 6297) which prohibits state and local governments from establishing appliance standards that exceed Federal standards, or establishing performance standards that could not otherwise be met without using appliances that exceed Federal standards.

G

GHG

Greenhouse Gas

H

HERS Rater - Home Energy Rating System Rater

HERS Rater is a person who has been trained, tested, and certified by a HERS Provider to perform the field verification and diagnostic testing required for demonstrating compliance with the … Energy Code. (2022 Building Energy Efficiency Standards, Section 10.102)

HSPF - Heating Seasonal Performance Factor

HEATING SEASONAL PERFORMANCE FACTOR (HSPF) is the total heating output of a central air-conditioning heat pump (in Btu) during its normal use period for heating divided by the total electrical energy input (in watt-hours) during the same period, as determined using the applicable test method in the Appliance Efficiency Regulations.

HEATING SEASONAL PERFORMANCE FACTOR 2 (HSPF2) is the HSPF metric for residential central heat pumps effective January 1, 2023, as created by the U.S. Department of Energy “ISSUANCE 2016-11-30 Energy Conservation Program: Test Procedures for Central Air Conditioners and Heat Pumps, Final Rule”.

(2022 Building Energy Efficiency Standards, Section 100.1)

HPWH

Heat Pump Water Heater

HVAC

Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning

I

IOU

Investor-Owned Utility

I-REN

Inland Empire Regional Energy Network

IECC

International Energy Conservation Code

J

no terms found

K

kBtu

kilo-British thermal unit, or 100 Btus.

KWh

Kilowatt Hour, or approximately 3,412 Btus

KTDV

Kilo-TDV

L

LADWP

Los Angeles Department of Water and Power

LCC - Lifecycle Cost

All costs associated with the defined life cycle of a product, including capital costs, installation costs, operating costs, maintenance costs, and disposal costs. This definition does not include external costs (i.e., those not borne directly by the entity that owns and operates a product/service, such as environmental costs to society at large). (US EPA Glossary of Sustainable Manufacturing Terms)

LBNL

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

M

MF - Multifamily Building

Multifamily Building is any of the following:
• A building of Occupancy Group R-2, other than a hotel/motel building or timeshare property,
• A building of Occupancy Group R-3 that is a nontransient congregate residence, other than boarding houses of more than 6 guests and alcohol or drug abuse recovery homes of more than 6 guests, or
• A building of Occupancy Group R-4.
(2022 Building Energy Efficiency Standards, Section 100.1)

MMBtu

Million-British thermal unit, or 1,000,000 Btus

MCE

Marin Clean Energy, a community choice aggregator

Mandatory Measures

Measures that are required for compliance with the California Energy Code (Title 24, Part 6) under both the Prescriptive Compliance and Performance Compliance pathways.

N

NEM - Net Energy Metering

Net Energy Metering is a method to account for the generation and consumption of electricity in a building with grid-interconnected solar PV. As defined by the CA Public Utilities Code: Net Energy Metering means measuring the difference between the electricity supplied through the electrical grid and the electricity generated by an eligible customer-generator and fed back to the electrical grid over a 12-month period... (PUC 2827 (b)6)

NPV – Net Present Value

A measure used to help decide whether or not to proceed with an investment. Net means that both the costs and benefits of the investment are included. To calculate net present value (NPV), first add together all the expected benefits from the investment, now and in the future. Then add together all the expected costs. Then work out what these future benefits and costs are worth now by adjusting future cashflow using an appropriate discount rate. Then subtract the costs from the benefits. If the NPV is negative, then the investment cannot be justified by the expected returns. If the NPV is positive, it can, although it pays to make comparisons with the NPVs of alternative investment opportunities before going ahead. (The Economist)

NAECA

National Appliance Energy Conservation Act

NEEA

Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance

NREL

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

NREL BEopt - Building Energy Optimization Tool

The BEopt™ (Building Energy Optimization Tool) software provides capabilities to evaluate residential building designs and identify cost-optimal efficiency packages at various levels of whole-house energy savings along the path to zero net energy. (NREL)

O

no terms found

P

Proposed Design Building

PROPOSED DESIGN BUILDING is a building that is simulated by Commission-approved compliance software to determine the energy consumption resulting from all of the characteristics and energy consuming features that are actually proposed for a building, as specified by the Alternative Calculation Method (ACM) Approval Manual. (2022 Building Energy Efficiency Standards, Section 100.1)

PV - Solar Photovoltaic

SOLAR ELECTRIC GENERATION SYSTEM or PHOTOVOLTAIC SYSTEM is the complete set of all components for converting sunlight into electricity through the photovoltaic process, including the array of panels, inverter(s) and the balance of system components required to enable the system to effectively deliver power to reduce a building’s consumption of electricity from the utility grid. (2022 Building Energy Efficiency Standards, Section 100.1)

PG&E

Pacific Gas & Electric Company

PCE

Peninsula Clean Energy, a community choice aggregator

Preemption

See Federal Preemption

Prescriptive Measures

Measures that are required for compliance with the Energy Code under the Prescriptive Compliance pathway.

Performance Compliance

A method of compliance with the Energy Code that requires that the energy performance of the Proposed Building Design, as modeled by approved software, is greater than or equal to the Standard Building Design, i.e., that is a minimally compliant design.

Prescriptive Compliance

A method of compliance with the Energy Code that requires installation of specific measures.

Portfolio Manager

EPA's ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager is an online tool organizations can use to measure and track energy and water consumption, as well as GHG emissions. It can be used to benchmark the performance of one building or a whole portfolio of buildings, all in a secure online environment. (US EPA)

Q

no terms found

R

no terms found

S

SF - Single Family

SINGLE- FAMILY RESIDENCE BUILDING is any of the following:
• A residential building of Occupancy Group R-3 with two or less dwelling units,
• A building that is of Occupancy Group R-3, other than a multifamily building or hotel/motel building,
• A townhouse,
• A building of Occupancy Group R-3.1, or
• A building of Occupancy Group U when located on a residential site.
(2019 Building Energy Efficiency Standards, Section 100.1)

Standard Design Building

STANDARD DESIGN BUILDING is a building that is automatically simulated by Commission-approved compliance software to establish the Energy Budget that is the maximum energy consumption allowed by a Proposed Design Building to comply with the Title 24 Building Energy Efficiency Standards. The Standard Design building is simulated using the same location and having the same characteristics of the Proposed Design building, but assuming minimal compliance with the mandatory and prescriptive requirements that are applicable to the proposed building, as specified by the Alternative Calculation Methods Approval Manual. (2022 Building Energy Efficiency Standards, Section 100.1)

SEER - Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio

SEASONAL ENERGY EFFICIENCY RATIO (SEER) is the total cooling output of an air conditioner in Btu during its normal usage period for cooling divided by the total electrical energy input in watt-hours during the same period, as determined using the applicable test method in the Appliance Efficiency Regulations.

SEASONAL ENERGY EFFICIENCY RATIO 2 (SEER2) is the SEER metric for residential central air conditioners and heat pumps effective January 1, 2023, as created by the U.S. Department of Energy “ISSUANCE 2016-11-30 Energy Conservation Program: Test Procedures for Central Air Conditioners and Heat Pumps, Final Rule”.
(2019 Building Energy Efficiency Standards, Section 100.1)

SCE

Southern California Edison

SCG

Southern California Gas

SDG&E

San Diego Gas & Electric

SMUD

Sacramento Municipal Utility District

SVCE

Silicon Valley Clean Energy, a community choice aggregator

SCAQMD

South Coast Air Quality Management District

SC-REN

Southern California Regional Energy Network

Solar + Storage

A battery storage system integrated with a solar PV system.

Source Energy

A unit of energy that includes losses incurred during production and delivery to the meter. It may be expressed in Btus, kWh, therms or TDV.

Site Energy

A unit of energy as measured by a meter at (or near) the point of use. It does not account for energy expended in production and delivery (I.e., generation, transmission and distribution losses). It is usually expressed in Btus, kWhs or therms.

T

TDV - Time Dependent Valuation

Time Dependent Valuation is a quantification of delivered energy based on its relative value rather than its static embodied energy content. TDV is a version of Source Energy (as opposed to Site Energy), in that it accounts for source fuel and line losses, but unlike traditional source energy, it varies as supply and demand change and is therefore useful as a metric to allocate resources based on economic efficiency. It is defined in the Energy Code as ... the time varying energy caused to be used by the building to provide space conditioning and water heating and for specified buildings lighting. TDV energy accounts for the energy used at the building site and consumed in producing and in delivering energy to a site, including, but not limited to, power generation, transmission and distribution losses. (2022 Building Energy Efficiency Standards, Section 100.1)

Title 24 - California Code of Regulations Title 24, Part 6

2022 Building Energy Efficiency Standards, part of the California Building Code. Also see Energy Code.

TOU - Time-Of-Use

Under time of use rates the price of electricity will depend on the time of day you use energy. TOU rates charge customers more when the cost to generate electricity is high (late afternoon and early evening) and less when the cost is low (all other times). This is a system that is beneficial for the electricity grid and allows customers the most power to reduce their bills. CPUC

Therm

Unit for quantity of heat that equals approximately 100,000 British thermal units

U

UEF - Uniform Energy Factor

UNIFORM ENERGY FACTOR (UEF) of a water heater is a measure of overall water heater efficiency, as determined using the applicable test method in the Appliance Efficiency Regulations. (2022 Building Energy Efficiency Standards, Section 100.1)

V

VNEM - Virtual Net Energy Metering

Virtual Net Energy Metering (VNM or VNEM) is a tariff arrangement that enables a multi-meter property owner to allocate the property's solar system's energy credits to tenants. CPUC

W

no terms found

X

no terms found

Y

no terms found

Z

ZNE

Zero-net Energy