Why Did My Project Fail Title 24? How to Read a Failing Result
Failing means the proposed building uses more than the standard design in at least one measure, or misses a mandatory item the software never checks. New homes are scored on source energy, efficiency LSC and total LSC, and each must come in at or under budget. Find the measure that failed before changing anything.
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Step 1: find the scoreboard that failed
For a new single-family building the result is three budget comparisons, not one: source energy, efficiency LSC and total LSC. Additions and alterations are judged on LSC alone. New homes also face a peak cooling limit: cooling energy used from 4 to 9 pm may not exceed 120 percent of the standard design's. Check too for a mandatory measure. The compliance manual warns that software may not automatically check them, so a design can fail for a reason the result page never shows. What the compliance margin means explains the number beside each line.
Step 2: the usual suspects
- Heat source. The standard design is built from the prescriptive package, where Table 150.1-A lists gas space heating as not allowed and a heat pump water heater is assumed, so a central gas furnace raises heating source energy.
- Missing package items. The standard design also includes quality insulation installation, below-deck roof insulation or a radiant barrier, and a PV system. Leaving one out is a debit.
- Too much glass. The standard design stops at 20 percent of floor area with no overhangs, so heavily glazed plans start behind.
Step 3: choose a fix by what it changes
A model-only correction costs nothing on site. Envelope upgrades change the drawings. Better equipment can pass, but credit above the minimum only counts if an ECC-Rater verifies it, so you buy a test with it; the list is on which credits need a rater test. Solar panels cannot cure an efficiency failure, because PV has no effect on the efficiency LSC measure (why solar cannot fix it).
Step 4: what a re-run does to the paperwork
If the specification changes, the building must be shown on amended plans, specifications and certificates for approval. Our reports are re-run until the project complies; see what counts as a revision. For the common causes in prose, read why a design does not comply, and for department comments use residential plan check corrections. Orders start on the residential report page.
Common Title 24 Questions
- What is Title 24?
- Do I need a Title 24 report?
- How much does a Title 24 report cost?
- How long does a Title 24 report take?
- What is included in a Title 24 report?
- What plans do I need to upload?
Frequently Asked Questions
Not for an efficiency failure. Panels count in total LSC but have no effect on efficiency LSC, so the building envelope or equipment must improve.
The building department will not approve a certificate that does not show compliance, so the design or inputs must change and the documents be resubmitted.
Explore Performance Calculations
- Efficiency LSC vs Total LSC: Why Solar Cannot Fix a Failing Efficiency Result
- Existing + Addition + Alteration: How the Performance Method Works
- Prescriptive vs Performance Compliance for Home Additions
- Prescriptive vs Performance Compliance
- How Much Compliance Margin Should I Keep Before Construction?
View all Performance Calculations guides → · Reports and Calculations · Title 24 guide