Remodel With New HVAC and Water Heater: Title 24 Checklist
Both replacements are alterations with their own fuel rules and their own proof. The HVAC half needs duct, airflow and charge checks by an ECC-Rater; the water heater half is checked by the inspector and needs insulated pipes. Plan one permit, one compliance document and two separate sign-offs.
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Fuel choices come first
A replaced heating system may not use electric resistance as its primary heat (Section 150.2(b)1G), so the usual choices are a heat pump or gas or propane, and electric resistance survives only in the narrow cases of Exceptions 1 to 3. A replaced water heater may be gas or propane, a single heat pump water heater, a NEEA Tier 3 heat pump unit, or a consumer electric unit if the old one was electric resistance (Section 150.2(b)1Hiii). A gas furnace with a gas water heater, or a heat pump with a heat pump water heater, both qualify.
The garage is where the trades collide
An air handler, coil or plenum in a garage carries a duct leakage limit of 6 percent or a smoke test, whatever length of duct is replaced. A heat pump water heater chosen under the single-unit option must sit on an R-10 insulated surface with its tank not outdoors, and unconditioned inlet air calls for backup heat unless the compressor cut-off is below the local winter extreme (Section 110.3(c)7). An indoor heat pump water heater also draws its heat from the indoor air, a load the manual says to consider when sizing heating equipment.
Two proofs, one visit that matters
- HVAC: duct leakage of 10 percent or less, or 7 percent to outside, or a smoke test; refrigerant charge and 300 cfm per ton airflow for air conditioners in zones 2 and 8 to 15 and heat pumps everywhere; a setback thermostat.
- Water heater: the alteration rules list no ECC-Rater test. The department checks the heater type and pipe insulation; a certificate for a heater swap is its call.
Paperwork and booking
The manual names CF1R-ALT-02-E for HVAC changeouts, which can be presented at final, and CF1R-ALT-01-E or ALT-05-E for other prescriptive alterations. Ask which combination your department takes. Book the ECC-Rater before the HVAC install, because testing follows installation.
Deeper pages: permit or Energy Code for a swap, water heater requirements, heat pump water heater installation, duct leakage testing and the whole-house checklist.
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
Section 150.2(b)1H lists the replacement type and pipe insulation but no ECC-Rater test, so in a combined job the rater is usually there for the HVAC portion.
Not prescriptively. Electric resistance cannot be the primary heat in a replacement system except under narrow exceptions, so a heat pump or gas is the usual route.
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