Appendix H: Energy Requirements

Table of Contents

A. All Projects.

  1. All Projects must meet the applicable 2020 National Green Building Standards (ICC 700-2020 NGBS) certification requirements. Each residential building must be NGBS certified.
    When the Initial Energy Consultant report shows requirements that exceed the standards detailed in this Appendix, those selected energy requirements must be met.
    The 2020 NGBS Standards baseline encompasses the following:
    1. The 2018-I codes, including IBC, IRC, and IECC. 
    2. The third-party energy consultant must be certified as an NGBS Green Verifier.
    3. All materials regarding NGBS certifications can be found at the Home Innovations NGBS website.
  2. All mechanical systems including Heating/Cooling Systems, Water Heating, Lighting, and Appliances shall meet the minimal ratings listed from the following:
    1. Multifamily Projects - ENERGY STAR’s Exhibit 1: Multifamily Reference Design Summary of the Energy Star MFNC v1.1 (Rev. 5) Program Requirements.
    2. Single Family and Townhome Projects - ENERGY STAR’s Exhibit 1: Reference Design Home Summary of SFNH v3.1 (Rev. 14) Program Requirements.
  3. At a minimum, Paints, Coatings, Stains, Sealers, Caulking, and Adhesives shall comply with Green Seal standards (GS-11 and GS-36) and Regulation 8, Rule 51 of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. 
  4. Projects using any Federal funding, including HOME, may have different baseline certification requirements. Check with the participating jurisdiction administering the Federal funds to ensure compliance.

B. New Construction.

  1. Projects must meet the 2020 NGBS Silver Certification Requirements.
  2. Thermal bridging measures shall be maintained at the building envelope with slab insulation required as follows: R-10, 4’ Deep, Flush with the top of the Slab. 

C. Acquisition/Rehab or Rehab.

Projects must meet the 2020 NGBS Bronze Certification Requirements. NGBS allows existing buildings to use NGBS exemptions for mandatory practices that apply to building portions that remain unaltered.

D. Adaptive Reuse Projects.

  1. If additions to a building exceed 75% of the original above grade conditions, the Project must meet the 2020 NGBS Silver Certification and will be held to the same standards as New Construction in Section B above.
  2. If additions to a building are less than 75% of the original above grade conditions, the project must meet the 2020 NGBS Bronze Certification Requirements and will be held to the same standards as Acquisition/Rehab or Rehab Projects in Section C above.
  3. Buildings with an addition of more than 75% of an existing building’s above grade conditioned area should use the New Construction guidelines unless there are historic preservation restrictions. Buildings with historic designation restrictions are exempt from NGBS mandatory practices for unaltered portions.

E. Application Submission Requirements.

IFA will verify that the Energy Consultant listed on the Qualified Development Team tab in the Application is NGBS certified.

F. Initial Construction Package Requirements.

No later than the Project’s submission of their 10% Test Application, Projects must submit an Initial Energy Report with the Initial Construction Package submission from the Project’s Energy Consultant showing that each building will meet the required energy standards set forth here and in the QAP. If a Project has selected points under 6.3.N, Energy Efficiency, the Initial Energy Report must demonstrate that each building will meet the energy standards selected by the Project.

G. 8609 Application Submission Requirements.

Prior to IFA issuing the 8609, Projects must submit a Final Energy Report, NGBS Verifier certification, and documents demonstrating that required energy standards are being met for each building with the Final Construction Package. Failure to do so will result in a delayed 8609 issuance.