Every new home built in California must pass an ECC (Energy Code Compliance) rating before the building permit can close. For builders and general contractors who are new to the process — or who have worked with other raters and want a clearer picture of what's actually happening — this guide lays out everything you need to know. What is an ECC rating, what does the rater inspect, what are all the required measures, and how do you avoid delays at the end of a project?
What Is a New Construction ECC Rating?
An ECC rating — previously called a HERS (Home Energy Rating System) rating — is an independent, third-party field verification that a new home was built in compliance with California Title 24 Part 6, the Energy Code. A licensed ECC rater visits the job site and verifies specific energy-related features of the home before filing compliance certificates with the HERS data registry.
The building department relies on those filed certificates to confirm compliance before issuing a final permit sign-off. No certificates on file means no permit closeout, which means the home cannot legally be occupied.
Important timing note: Some required measures — specifically QII (Quality Insulation Installation) — must be inspected before drywall is installed, because the rater needs to see the insulation. Schedule your rater early and coordinate the inspection sequence with your framing and insulation subs.
The required measures for any given project are spelled out on the CF-1R — the compliance form generated by the energy modeler when the Title 24 calculations were run for your permit. The CF-1R is the single most important document for understanding what your ECC rating will involve. If you don't have a copy, get one before you schedule your rater.
The Two Phases of a New Construction ECC Rating
New construction ECC ratings typically happen in two phases, corresponding to different stages of construction:
Phase 1: Pre-Drywall Inspection (QII)
If your CF-1R requires Quality Insulation Installation (QII) verification — which is common on new builds that use the prescriptive compliance pathway or claim insulation performance credit — this inspection happens before drywall. The rater visually inspects the insulation installation to confirm it was done correctly: full coverage, no gaps or voids, proper contact with all framing surfaces, and correct R-value installed.
QII verification is not a pass/fail test with equipment — it's a trained eye inspection. When QII is required, it must be completed and the pre-drywall certificate filed before the walls are closed up. Failing to schedule this in time is one of the most common causes of ECC-related project delays.
Phase 2: Final Inspection
The final ECC inspection happens after construction is complete and all systems are operational. This is when the rater performs the testing that requires equipment — blower door, duct leakage, refrigerant charge, airflow, and fan watt draw. All systems must be fully installed and operational before this visit.
The Seven Required Measures for New Construction
While the exact measures for any project depend on the CF-1R, most new residential construction in California requires verification of the following:
1. Blower Door Test (Whole-House Air Leakage)
The blower door test measures how airtight the building envelope is — walls, ceiling, floor, windows, and all penetrations. A calibrated fan is temporarily mounted in an exterior door opening and used to depressurize the house to a standard 50 Pascals. The airflow required to maintain that pressure is measured and used to calculate the air changes per hour at 50 Pascals (ACH50).
California's Energy Code sets a maximum ACH50 limit. For Sacramento-area homes in Climate Zones 12 and 16, homes that don't meet the threshold must have air leakage located and sealed before a re-test. Since the 2019 Title 24 update, blower door testing has been required on virtually all new residential construction in California — it's no longer an optional compliance path credit.
Common air leakage sources that cause failures include:
- Unsealed top plates at wall-ceiling transitions
- Gaps around recessed lights and electrical boxes
- Penetrations for plumbing and mechanical equipment
- Leaky attic access hatches
- Gaps at the sill plate and band joist
Builder tip: Air sealing is far cheaper to address during framing and rough-in than after drywall. Brief your framing crew and insulation sub on the common leakage points. A good air barrier at the rough-in stage makes blower door testing much more predictable.
2. Duct Leakage to Outside
Duct leakage testing on new construction focuses specifically on leakage to outside — meaning conditioned air escaping the duct system into unconditioned spaces like the attic or crawlspace, rather than simply leaking from one part of the duct system to another. This is distinct from the total duct leakage measurement.
If all ducts are located fully within conditioned space — an increasingly common design approach in high-performance homes — the duct leakage test may not be required. However, in the vast majority of California tract homes where ducts run through the attic, this test will be required and the results must meet the threshold specified in the CF-1R.
3. Duct Location Verification
Before the duct leakage test is performed, the rater also verifies that the duct system is installed where the permitted plans indicate. This is a field verification step — the rater confirms that the duct layout, locations, and routing match the compliance documentation that was submitted for permit.
This matters because the energy model that generated your CF-1R made assumptions about duct location. Ducts located in an unconditioned attic have higher heat gain and loss than ducts in conditioned space, which affects the energy model's results. Installing ducts in a different location than what was modeled can void the compliance calculations.
4. Refrigerant Charge Verification
Every new AC and heat pump installation must have its refrigerant charge verified by a licensed ECC rater. The rater measures system operating conditions — suction and liquid line temperatures, system pressures, and ambient temperatures — and confirms that the charge is within the manufacturer's specified range using either the superheat or subcooling method, depending on the metering device type.
A properly charged system is critical for efficiency and equipment longevity. An improperly charged system can run at significantly reduced efficiency and, in extreme cases, cause premature compressor failure. The verification must be documented on a CF-2R form and filed with the HERS registry.
5. Airflow Verification
Airflow verification confirms that the HVAC system is delivering the designed CFM of conditioned air as specified in the CF-1R. The measurement is taken using a flow hood or a pressure-based method. Correct airflow is a prerequisite for an accurate refrigerant charge test — if airflow is significantly off, refrigerant charge measurements will be unreliable.
Airflow problems on new construction typically stem from undersized duct systems, excessive duct runs, or restrictive transitions at the air handler. These issues should be identified and corrected before the ECC inspection visit.
6. Fan Watt Draw (Fan Efficacy)
Fan watt draw measures the actual electrical consumption of the air handler fan while it operates at its design airflow. The result (in watts per CFM) is compared against the Title 24 fan efficiency requirement. This test ensures that the installed motor is the efficient, code-compliant type specified in the compliance documents — not a lower-efficiency substitute.
For new construction, the Energy Code typically requires high-efficiency ECM (electronically commutated motor) fan motors, which use significantly less energy than older PSC motors. If a less efficient motor was installed than what the CF-1R specified, the system will fail this test.
7. QII — Quality Insulation Installation
QII is a pre-drywall inspection that verifies insulation was installed correctly throughout the building envelope — walls, ceiling, and floor assemblies. The rater looks for:
- Full coverage with no gaps, voids, or compressed areas
- Insulation in full contact with all framing surfaces
- Correct R-value installed as specified in the CF-1R
- Proper installation around obstructions (blocking, wiring, pipes)
- Appropriate backing or support for horizontal insulation
QII is a new construction measure only — it does not apply to HVAC replacements or altered systems. When required by the CF-1R, it must be completed before drywall and the pre-drywall certificate filed before walls are closed.
Summary: New Construction ECC Measures at a Glance
| Measure | Category | When It Happens |
|---|---|---|
| QII — Quality Insulation Installation | Envelope / Insulation | Pre-drywall |
| Blower Door Test | Envelope / Air Sealing | Final inspection |
| Duct Leakage to Outside | Duct System | Final inspection |
| Duct Location Verification | Duct System | Final inspection |
| Refrigerant Charge Verification | HVAC Equipment | Final inspection |
| Airflow Verification | HVAC Equipment | Final inspection |
| Fan Watt Draw | HVAC Equipment | Final inspection |
Common Causes of New Construction ECC Delays
ECC-related permit delays almost always come down to a few predictable issues. Here's what to watch for:
Forgetting to Schedule QII Before Drywall
This is the most costly mistake a builder can make. If the CF-1R requires QII and you schedule your rater after drywall is up, the rater can't verify the insulation — and the building department won't accept an unverified QII measure. In some cases this requires opening walls for inspection, which is expensive and time-consuming. Schedule your rater before insulation starts and coordinate the QII visit into your construction sequence.
Calling the Rater Before the System Is Running
Refrigerant charge, airflow, and fan watt draw all require the HVAC system to be fully installed and at steady-state operation. Calling the rater before the HVAC contractor has finished commissioning the system results in a wasted trip. Make sure the HVAC system has been fully installed, checked for refrigerant charge by the HVAC tech, and run for at least 15–20 minutes before the rater arrives.
Air Sealing Not Completed Before Blower Door Test
Temporary penetrations, open top plates, and unsealed attic access hatches can cause a blower door test to fail even if the underlying construction is solid. Before the rater arrives for the final inspection, walk the home and make sure all penetrations are sealed, attic hatches are installed and weatherstripped, and any temporary openings used during construction have been closed up.
Pro tip for builders: Share the CF-1R with your HVAC contractor, insulation sub, and framing crew before work begins. Each trade should understand what they're responsible for building to — not just in terms of code, but in terms of what the ECC rater is going to verify. The more each trade knows about the inspection process, the fewer re-inspections you'll have.
How to Schedule a New Construction ECC Rating
When you're ready to schedule, have the following information on hand:
- The CF-1R from the permit (tells the rater what measures are required)
- The project address and jurisdiction
- Estimated completion dates for insulation and HVAC commissioning
- Contact for the HVAC contractor and insulation sub
For the QII pre-drywall inspection, coordinate the visit between the time insulation is installed and before drywall begins. For the final inspection, don't schedule until the HVAC system is fully commissioned and operational.
Building in the Sacramento Area?
Roo's Ratings provides full new construction ECC ratings for builders across Sacramento, Placer, El Dorado, San Joaquin, and Yolo counties. Volume discounts available for builders with 5+ homes. Same-day certificate filing after every inspection.
Working With a Rater Long-Term as a Builder
If you're building multiple homes per year in California, it's worth establishing an ongoing relationship with a single ECC rater rather than shopping around for each job. A rater who knows your typical construction sequence, your subs, and your documentation process can get in and out faster, file certificates more reliably, and flag potential issues before they become failures.
At Roo's Ratings, we work with builders across the Sacramento region on an ongoing basis. We offer volume pricing for builders running 5 or more homes per year, and we're available to review CF-1Rs before construction begins to flag any potential compliance issues early — when they're cheap to fix rather than expensive to remediate.
If you have questions about what your next new construction project will require, give us a call. We're happy to walk through the CF-1R with you and help you build the ECC inspection into your construction schedule so it doesn't become a last-minute problem.