Which Jobs Need HERS Testing (Now ECC Verification)?
It is required when your certificate of compliance lists a measure that the code says must be verified in the field. Every newly built house and low-rise apartment building has some, most HVAC changeouts do, and many other jobs have none. HERS testing is the former name of ECC field verification and diagnostic testing, which an ECC-Rater performs.
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Start with the certificate
The CF1R lists every measure that needs a test in its ECC feature summary (formerly the HERS feature summary). The Energy Commission’s counter sheet says any verification a project needs is specified on the certificate of compliance, so that page settles your case, not a general rule. How to read your CF1R shows where it sits.
New buildings always have some
The counter sheet calls verification by an ECC-Rater mandatory for every newly constructed single-family and multifamily building. Whole-dwelling ventilation airflow and kitchen exhaust are verified in each one, and the prescriptive package adds refrigerant charge verification for heat pumps in all 16 climate zones; for air conditioners it applies in climate zones 2 and 8 to 15. Quality insulation installation is inspected in every zone for new buildings and for additions over 700 square feet, except low-rise apartments in zone 7. A ducted system adds duct leakage testing. In apartment buildings of four or more habitable stories, installing contractors do the testing, except for indoor air quality.
In an existing home, what you touch decides
- More than 25 feet of new or replacement duct must be sealed and tested (Section 150.2(b)1D).
- Replacing an air handler, outdoor unit or coil tests the connected ducts, unless they run under 40 linear feet, were already sealed and verified, or contain asbestos (Section 150.2(b)1E).
- Replacing refrigerant-containing parts adds verified airflow and charge for heat pumps in every zone and for air conditioners in zones 2 and 8 to 15, except factory-charged packaged units (Section 150.2(b)1F).
- Extending existing ducts to serve an addition triggers the sealing rules at any length (Exception 4 to Section 150.2(a)).
Alterations are verified one dwelling at a time, never in a sample group. The changeout paperwork is on HVAC replacement.
Jobs that need none
Section 10-103(a)1C names window and water heater replacements as alterations with no field verification, so a building department may waive or simplify their paperwork, though the work must still comply. A home with no ducts has no duct test: the compliance manual verifies only what is installed.
Which code applies
The 2025 Energy Code applies to permit applications submitted on or after 1 January 2026 and is in force now. A project permitted under an earlier code is verified to that code. On 1 January 2026 HERS raters became ECC-Raters and field verification moved from the HERS Program into the Energy Code Compliance (ECC) Program, as the ECC Program page explains.
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
It avoids the duct tests, not all verification. The Energy Commission's ADU FAQ says mini-splits and multi-splits may need refrigerant charge verification in all climate zones, and a newly installed vented range hood is verified by an ECC-Rater.
The certificate of compliance lists the required verification, and the building department enforces it. For a house, final inspection is not complete until the registered certificates of verification are posted or viewable on the registry (Section 10-103(d)2).
Mostly the details. Group sampling for alterations was removed from the appendices, weigh-in refrigerant charge methods were revised, and a fault indicator display alone no longer shows charge compliance, according to the Commission's ECC Program page.
Explore ECC-Raters
- 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?
- Where Do I Get My CF3R, the Former HERS Certificate?
- How Do I Complain About an ECC-Rater or Ask for a Refund?
View all ECC-Raters guides → · CHEERS and ECC · Title 24 guide