To complete and submit the CF1R, choose the correct form variant for your project, fill it out using state-approved compliance software or the prescriptive form, get it signed by the responsible designer or builder, register it with an approved Energy Code Compliance (ECC) Provider if the design triggers any field verification, and then submit it with your permit application to the local building department. Permit applications submitted on or after January 1, 2026, must use the 2025 Energy Code forms and 2025-approved compliance software.1California Energy Commission. 2025 Building Energy Efficiency Standards
Pick the Right CF1R Variant
California uses several CF1R forms, and the version depends on whether you’re building new, adding square footage, or altering an existing system.2California Energy Commission. 2025 Energy Code Compliance Documents – Forms for Single-Family Buildings
- CF1R-NCB-01-E for new residential construction and additions greater than 1,000 square feet.
- CF1R-ADD-01-E for additions of 1,000 square feet or less on the prescriptive path.
- CF1R-ADD-02-E for additions that don’t trigger any field verification or diagnostic testing.
- CF1R-ALT-01-E for general alterations such as window replacements or added insulation.
- CF1R-ALT-02-E for space conditioning alterations: furnace, air conditioner, heat pump, or ductwork.
- CF1R-ALT-05-E for simple alterations that don’t require field verification.
Supplemental worksheets attach when your assemblies need extra math. The CF1R-ENV-02-E handles area-weighted averages for mixed insulation or fenestration, CF1R-ENV-03-E covers Solar Heat Gain Coefficient calculations, and CF1R-ENV-04-E documents solar reflectance values for cool roofs.
Two boundary points worth flagging on new construction: under the 2025 Energy Code, the prescriptive path for a new home no longer allows gas-fired space heating (the design must use a heat pump or other electric heating system), and the CF1R must document a solar photovoltaic system’s specifications. On HVAC changeouts filed under CF1R-ALT-02-E, a duct leakage test is required whenever heating or cooling components go into a ducted system or you replace more than 25 linear feet of duct, and refrigerant charge verification is required in most climate zones when refrigerant-containing components are installed or altered. Heating-only equipment and standalone air handler or furnace swaps are exempt from refrigerant charge and airflow verification.
Gather Your Project Information First
You can’t produce a valid CF1R without a complete data set. Pull all of this together before you open the software or a blank form.
Climate zone. California is divided into 16 climate zones, and nearly every efficiency requirement varies by zone.3California Energy Commission. Climate Zone Tool, Maps, and Information Supporting the California Energy Code Use the Energy Commission’s free address lookup; a wrong zone produces a CF1R that doesn’t match your jurisdiction’s standards.
Building envelope. Have R-values for attic, wall, raised floor, and slab-edge insulation. For windows and glass doors, pull the U-factor and Solar Heat Gain Coefficient from the NFRC label. Under the 2025 code, prescriptive maximum window U-factors run from 0.27 to 0.30 depending on climate zone, and SHGC maximums run from 0.20 to 0.23 in zones where a limit applies.
Mechanical systems. Record SEER2 or EER2 for air conditioners, HSPF2 for heat pumps, and Uniform Energy Factor (UEF) for water heating. If a solar PV system is part of the project, note the rated capacity in kilowatts, the panel orientation, and the tilt angle.
Conditioned floor area. Total square footage drives the energy budget in performance software and decides which addition form applies at the 1,000-square-foot line.
Prescriptive Path or Performance Path
Every CF1R reflects one of two compliance approaches, and the choice shapes how you fill out the form.
The prescriptive path is the simpler route. You look up the specific requirements for your climate zone in the energy code tables (insulation R-values, window U-factors, HVAC efficiency minimums) and confirm your design meets every one. No energy modeling software is needed for the analysis. Prescriptive CF1R forms (those ending in “-E”) can be downloaded from the California Energy Commission website and completed by hand or on-screen by the responsible party before submission.
The performance path is required when your design can’t hit every prescriptive target, such as a window with a higher U-factor than the prescriptive maximum. You run the project through state-approved compliance software, which calculates the building’s total energy budget and lets you trade weaker performance in one area against better performance in another. If total energy use stays within the code-allowed budget, the software generates a passing CF1R.4Energy Code Ace. Prescriptive and Mandatory Measures The performance path is also what lets you trade off quality insulation installation (QII) requirements against other efficiency measures.
Complete the CF1R
Using Compliance Software (Performance Path)
Enter your building specifications into state-approved software; it models the energy use and produces the CF1R automatically. The California Energy Commission approves three programs for 2025 code compliance:5California Energy Commission. 2025 Energy Code Compliance Software
- CBECC 2025-2.1, the CEC’s public-domain program, free to download from the CEC’s GitHub repository, covering single-family, multifamily, and nonresidential buildings.
- EnergyPro 10.0 from EnergySoft, a commercial third-party option covering all building types.
- Right-Energy Title 24 2025.2.0, a third-party option limited to single-family new construction.
The software walks you through screens for climate zone, floor area, envelope assemblies, fenestration, mechanicals, and solar PV. After you enter everything, it runs the model and tells you whether the design passes or fails. A passing run generates the CF1R along with any required supplemental worksheets. Review the output against your architectural drawings before doing anything else.
Using a Prescriptive Form (No Software)
For straightforward alterations and small additions that meet every prescriptive requirement, download the blank form from the CEC website and fill it out directly. The CF1R-ALT-02-E for HVAC replacements, for example, asks for equipment make and model, efficiency ratings, duct insulation R-values, and whether specific diagnostic tests apply. Check every entry against the prescriptive tables for your climate zone.
Who Signs the Form
The building designer, typically the architect or engineer of record, signs the CF1R to certify that the design complies with the energy code. The designer can delegate preparation of the energy analysis to an energy consultant, but the designer’s signature carries responsibility for the accuracy of every entry. On homes that don’t require a licensed design professional (most single-family residential projects), the builder may sign in the designer’s block.6Energy Code Ace. Roles and Responsibilities
Register the Form With an ECC Provider (When Required)
If any part of the design triggers field verification and diagnostic testing (duct leakage, refrigerant charge, blower door, QII inspections), the CF1R must be registered with an approved Energy Code Compliance Provider before submission to the building department. As of January 1, 2026, all former HERS Providers are recognized as ECC Providers. Two are currently approved:7California Energy Commission. Home Energy Rating System Providers
- CHEERS, approved for 2025 Energy Code documentation as well as 2013 through 2022 code documentation.
- Golden State Registry (GSR), approved for generating energy code compliance documentation.
Registration means uploading the CF1R to the provider’s data registry and paying a fee. At CHEERS, registration runs $45 per dwelling unit for new construction and $30 for alterations; energy consultants uploading a performance-path plan pay $7 per upload.8CHEERS. Pricing Both the building designer and the property owner may need to provide digital signatures inside the registry. Once the form is registered and signed, the registry produces a watermarked version. That watermarked copy is the only one the building department will accept during plan check.
Submit to the Building Department
For projects that required registry upload, print or download the watermarked CF1R and include it in your permit application package alongside the plans and other documents.
For projects that don’t trigger any field verification (minor envelope alterations, for example), skip the registry step. Download the appropriate prescriptive form from the CEC website, complete it, have the responsible designer or builder sign it, and submit it directly to the local building department with the permit application.
What Happens After the Permit Is Issued
The CF1R is the design-phase certificate. Two more form families verify that what was designed actually got built.
As equipment and materials go in, the installing contractor completes CF2R Certificates of Installation documenting that installed components match the CF1R specifications. Separate CF2R forms cover envelope measures, space conditioning, ducts, water heating, and solar PV. Each is uploaded to the ECC Provider registry on projects requiring field verification, or submitted directly to the building department on those that don’t.
A certified ECC rater (formerly a HERS rater) then performs on-site diagnostic testing and completes the CF3R Certificate of Verification. Tests depend on what the CF1R triggered and commonly include duct leakage testing, refrigerant charge verification, system airflow, blower door, QII inspection at framing and insulation stages, and mechanical ventilation airflow. The rater enters all results into the data registry, whether they pass or fail. Once every CF2R and CF3R is uploaded, signed, and showing “approved” status on the Project Status Report, the building official can clear the project for final inspection and occupancy.
Mistakes That Get the Form Rejected
The most frequent reason building departments bounce energy documents is a mismatch between the CF1R and the architectural drawings. If you change the windows during design and don’t regenerate the CF1R with the new U-factor and SHGC values, the plan checker will catch it. Every time an insulation type, window brand, or HVAC model changes, the CF1R has to be updated to match.
Other things that stall permits:
- Wrong form variant, such as submitting a CF1R-ALT for an addition, or using CF1R-ADD-01-E for an addition over 1,000 square feet that requires CF1R-NCB-01-E.
- Missing registry watermark. On projects that require field verification, building departments will not accept a non-registered CF1R. Printing the form straight from the compliance software without uploading it to an ECC Provider gets it rejected.
- Wrong code year. Applications filed on or after January 1, 2026, must use 2025 code forms and 2025-approved software; output from 2022-edition software will be rejected.
- Missing solar PV documentation on new construction. Solar has been mandatory for new residential buildings since the 2020 code cycle, and a new-construction CF1R that omits the PV specifications will fail plan check.