CABEC 2018 Brown Bag Webinar Series #6, June 20, 2018: Energy Code for ADUs

As a means to address the housing shortage in California, the construction of accessory dwelling units (ADUs) on residential lots is steadily increasing. To help facilitate the development of ADUs, legislation and local ordinances provide direction on how to apply the California Building Code (Title 24) for these buildings. However, many builders, designers, energy consultants, etc. still have questions about how the Energy Code (Title 24, Part 6) applies to ADUs. Like any other building, ADUs must meet the applicable 2016 Energy Code requirements. The applicable requirements will vary depending on whether the ADU is an addition or a newly constructed building. In this presentation, we will clarify the Energy Code requirements for ADUs and discuss:

• The definition of additions vs. newly constructed buildings
• The various types of ADUs and how the Energy Code defines them
• The prescriptive requirements for additions, including envelope, HVAC, water heating, and the mandatory lighting requirements
• The performance approach modeling workarounds for additions, including wall extensions and detached buildings