The CF1R is the document that most people think of when they think of "a Title 24 report." It's the design compliance certificate (the Certificate of Compliance, Residential, Part 1) and it's the single piece of paper that proves, at permit time, that a house has been designed to pass the California Energy Code.
If you are the owner, it is the report you are paying for. If you are the architect, it is the attachment your permit set needs. If you are the contractor, it is the spec sheet that tells you what to install. And if you are the plan-check reviewer, it is the document you stamp, reject, or send back with comments.
It looks unassuming: fifteen to twenty-five pages of tables and checkboxes. But every field on it is load-bearing. Here's what's actually on it, and how to read it.
CF1R vs CF2R vs CF3R
Before the CF1R, a quick tour of its two siblings. All three are certificates of compliance; they differ by stage.
- CF1R · Design. Produced before construction. Documents the energy model of the house as drawn. Submitted with the permit set.
- CF2R · Installation. Produced during construction, signed by the installing contractor. Documents that specific systems were installed to the CF1R's specification. One CF2R form for HVAC, one for envelope, one for water heating, and so on.
- CF3R · Verification. Produced by an independent ECC-certified rater (formerly HERS rater). Documents that field-verifiable measures actually passed their tests: duct leakage, refrigerant charge, quality insulation installation.
The CF1R is the only one produced before construction. The other two are produced during and after. Together they form the paper trail that lets the building department close out the permit.
How the CF1R is structured
The CF1R opens with a project summary: address, climate zone, square footage, number of dwelling units, compliance path. Then it gets into specifics. The document has several major sections, each covering a different part of the building.
General information
The first page lists the fundamentals. A reviewer checks these before anything else.
- Climate zone. One of the sixteen. Every line below depends on this number (see California's 16 climate zones).
- Compliance path. Performance or prescriptive. Performance runs print a set of scores; prescriptive runs print a checklist.
- Software version. EnergyPro 2025 with the correct ruleset for the permit date. If the software version is stale, the reviewer can reject the report before reading further.
- Project type. New construction, addition, alteration, or ADU. Different baselines apply.
Envelope
Walls, roof, floor, windows, doors, glazing distribution. Each assembly is listed by name with its U-factor, R-value, area, and orientation. Glazing is broken out by orientation because orientation affects solar heat gain.
This is where many corrections come from. If the envelope in the CF1R doesn't match the details on the drawings (if the architect drew 2x6 walls and the model assumed 2x4), the plan-check reviewer will catch it. We read both the drawings and the model against each other before submitting.
HVAC
Heating and cooling systems. Each system is described by type (heat pump, furnace, air conditioner, mini-split), capacity, efficiency rating (SEER2, HSPF2, AFUE), and duct configuration. Duct leakage test requirements are called out if applicable.
The 2025 code prescribes a heat pump for space heating at the baseline. Any deviation from that (any gas furnace, any split system) is accommodated through performance trade-offs, and will appear in the HVAC section with a note about how the trade-off is justified.
Water heating
Type, efficiency, capacity, fuel. The 2025 baseline prescribes a heat-pump water heater. A tankless gas water heater is allowed through performance trade-offs, but the CF1R will document the justification.
Photovoltaic and storage
Array size in kilowatts, tilt, azimuth, shading assumptions. If battery storage is included and the project is taking performance credit for it, the battery specification appears here.
Lighting and appliances
Mandatory measures: high-efficacy lighting throughout, specific appliance requirements, indoor air quality fan sizing, kitchen ventilation.
Compliance scores (performance runs only)
At the end, a performance run prints its scores. The key metrics you will see:
- LSCe (Long-term System Cost efficiency). The 2025 code's primary compliance metric. Replaces EDR1/EDR2 from prior cycles. The house's LSCe must be less than or equal to the baseline's LSCe.
- Peak Cooling. New in 2025 for new construction. Tracks peak summer cooling load; a trade-off in this metric must be earned elsewhere.
- Source Energy. Total annual site energy converted to source-energy equivalents. Informational on most projects; binding on some.
A compliant CF1R shows every metric under the threshold. A non-compliant one shows a number highlighted and a "FAIL" next to it.
ECC-verified measures box
Near the end of the CF1R is a box listing measures that require field verification by an ECC rater. A reviewer checks that this box contains the expected entries for the scope of work: usually duct leakage, refrigerant charge, quality insulation installation, and any high-performance envelope measures the model took credit for.
This box used to say HERS. It says ECC as of January 2026 (see HERS is now ECC).
What plan-check actually looks at
A plan-check reviewer opens a CF1R and runs through a short list:
- Is the climate zone correct for the project address?
- Is the software version current for the permit date?
- Do the envelope assemblies listed in the CF1R match the wall sections on the drawings?
- Do the HVAC and water-heating specs on the CF1R match the mechanical schedule?
- Is the PV sizing documented and does it match the PV plan?
- Does the ECC-verified measures list include the measures required by the scope?
- Do the compliance scores (LSCe, Peak Cooling) pass?
If all seven check out, the reviewer stamps. If any one fails, a correction letter goes out. Most corrections are minor mismatches between the model and the drawings, and are fixed by a revision.
What to do with your CF1R once you have it
Three things. First, attach it to the permit set in whatever format your jurisdiction requires. Most want a PDF inside the energy section of the drawings. Second, hand the HVAC and envelope specs from the report directly to the contractor, because the CF2R installation forms will be written against them. Third, keep the file. The ECC rater on the verification visit needs the CF1R's verified-measures list to know what to test.
The CF1R is a small document carrying a lot of weight. When it's written well, a permit goes through on the first read. When it's written badly, it comes back with comments. Reading it carefully, once, before it leaves the office, is the entire job.