Changing California Code: Finding the Next Savings Opportunities

Every three years, the Codes and Standards Enhancement (CASE) Initiative recommends updates to the California Building Energy Efficiency Standards (Title 24, Part 6). This paper documents the feasibility, energy implications, and cost implications of four proposed code changes for the 2019 code cycle: ASHARE 62.1 alignment, ASHRAE 90.1 alignment, cooling tower minimum efficiency updates, and new lab exhaust regulations. The assessment considers an examination of the state of the market, energy savings, life-cycle costs, and statewide consequences. Finally, the paper discusses modeling challenges that arise when trying to predict savings at a large scale and its implications on code.