How Much Does HERS Testing (Now ECC Verification) Cost?
The Energy Code sets no price for it. An ECC-Rater, the former HERS rater, or the rater’s company quotes its own fee, and that fee is a third-party cost separate from your Title 24 report. What moves the quote is how many measures the CF1R lists, how many visits they need and whether a test has to be repeated.
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Who sets the price and who pays
Section 10-103.3 contains no fee for a rater’s work. Each ECC-Rater or rater company sets its own, and the ECC-Provider that certifies it may charge it a quality assurance fee. The builder or building owner hires the rater. For an HVAC changeout the installing contractor may do so only if the homeowner authorizes it, so ask whether the quote you hold already includes the test.
What moves the quote
- Measures. Each test on the CF1R’s ECC feature summary is work, so the more measures it lists, the more there is to quote.
- Visits. Insulation is inspected at framing rough-in and again before drywall, the attic sometimes later, and a charge check can wait until the outdoor temperature reaches 55°F.
- Repeats. A failed test is corrected and retested, as what happens after a failed test explains.
- Scale. Alterations are verified one dwelling at a time. Only newly built homes of similar design in one subdivision can be sampled: a group of up to seven, or five if open, needs one tested home after the first of each model.
- Paperwork. A rater may also help register documents, which is a separate service.
How to compare quotes
Send each rater the same ECC feature summary and ask what the price covers: visits, a retest, registry charges. CHEERS suggests contacting several raters to compare quotes and availability. When testing starts, the rater must give you a Consumer Information Form, and afterwards a report that itemizes each test and any other service, the amount charged and the pass or fail result (Section 10-103.3(b)1Avi). Find candidates through how to find an ECC-Rater.
Where this sits with the report price
Our report, which produces the CF1R, is priced on what a residential Title 24 report costs. The rater is paid separately, and whether your job needs verification at all is the first question to settle. The role is described in what an ECC-Rater does.
Common Title 24 Questions
- When is Title 24 required for a home?
- Does a remodel need Title 24?
- Does a room addition need Title 24?
- What plans are needed for a residential Title 24 report?
- How much does a residential Title 24 report cost?
- How long does a residential Title 24 report take?
Frequently Asked Questions
No official source gives a duration, so none is stated here; it depends on the measures listed. The code does fix the timing: the builder arranges the rater before installation so that testing does not delay final approval (Appendix RA2.4.1). The guide to preparing for the ECC-Rater lists what each test needs.
No fee schedule appears in Section 10-103.3. From 2027 each rater company must report its total and average cost for each type of test to the Commission, in an annual report that stays confidential for five years.
Neither the Standards nor the appendices say, so settle it in the contract before work starts. Where a sample group fails re-sampling, the builder must offer occupied owners testing and corrective action at no charge.
Explore ECC-Raters
- What Is an ECC-Rater?
- Which Jobs Need HERS Testing (Now ECC Verification)?
- ECC-Rater vs the Former HERS Rater in 2026
- When Does a Residential Project Need an ECC-Rater?
- My ECC-Rater Was Suspended or Decertified: Is My Test Still Valid?
View all ECC-Raters guides → · CHEERS and ECC · Title 24 guide