Title 24 Energy Compliance in San Jose, CA

Title 24 Energy Compliance in San Jose, CA

Title 24 Energy Compliance for an ADU in San Jose typically costs between $900 and $2,800 depending on the size of the unit, whether it’s a garage conversion or a new build, and how much of the compliance work can be handled during your existing ADU Design & Permitting process. Most San Jose homeowners need Title 24 documentation at two points during their project: once when the permit set is submitted to the city, and again after construction wraps to verify the final build matches what was approved. We handle both stages, and our written price for Title 24 work is locked before any documentation is produced.

Lodgewick ADU San Jose is part of the Kingswell family of home-service companies, established in 2010. Our Title 24 compliance work is done under The Kingswell Guarantee: a written price before we start, a real arrival window, a clean process, and a written guarantee on every compliance package we deliver. When the California Energy Commission updates Title 24 standards, which happens every three years, we already know what changed before you get a correction notice from the city. Call us at (669) 266-4319 if you’ve been told your ADU plans need energy compliance documents and you want a straight answer on what that means and what it costs.

Title 24 is shorthand for the California Code of Regulations, Title 24, Part 6: the state’s energy efficiency standards. Think of it as the rulebook that says your ADU has to meet certain insulation levels, window performance ratings, lighting efficiency, and ventilation requirements before San Jose will sign off on the permit. Most of the time, when a San Jose homeowner calls us about Title 24, they’ve been surprised by it. Their architect or designer submitted plans, the city came back asking for energy compliance documents, and now the project is paused. Our job is to un-pause it quickly, without changing the design you already approved.

We work with projects using leading ADU systems and materials, including James Hardie siding, Plant Prefab models, and Tuff Shed structures, which means we understand how those specific products perform under California’s energy modeling software. If you’re installing a prefab ADU, your Title 24 path looks different than a stick-built garage conversion, and we can explain exactly how before the first engineering calculation is run.

When You Need Title 24 Energy Compliance

You need Title 24 energy compliance documentation in San Jose in these situations:

• The City of San Jose flagged your ADU permit application. If the Building Division sent a comment asking for “Title 24 Part 6 documentation” or “energy compliance forms,” your drawings are on hold until it’s provided. We see this most often with homeowner-submitted plans and some design-build firms that don’t handle energy modeling in-house.
• Your ADU is over 120 square feet. Anything larger triggers the full Title 24 compliance pathway. Detached ADUs, attached additions, and garage conversions all have to run through approved energy modeling software like EnergyPro or CBECC-Res.
• You’re adding or converting conditioned space. If your new ADU will have heating or air conditioning, it’s a “conditioned space” under Title 24, and that changes the insulation, glazing, and ventilation requirements compared to an unconditioned workshop or storage shed.
• You’re adding windows or changing the exterior envelope on an existing structure. A garage conversion in the Rose Garden neighborhood or a second-story addition in Willow Glen means replacing or adding glazing, and those windows have to hit specific U-factor and SHGC ratings for San Jose’s climate zone.
• You’re installing standalone HVAC or a heat pump water heater in the ADU. San Jose now has building electrification reach codes that layer on top of state Title 24. We handle both the state-level and city-level compliance, so you don’t get a surprise correction during inspection.
• Your contractor pulled permits and then told you to “handle the Title 24 stuff” yourself. It happens more than you’d expect. If you’re holding a sheet of permit comments and don’t know what CF-1R or CF-2R means, call us before you pay someone else to redo the work.

For homeowners using a prefab manufacturer like Plant Prefab or a garage-to-ADU conversion through Tuff Shed, the Title 24 paperwork still has to match San Jose’s specific climate zone (Zone 3C) and the city’s local ordinances. A Title 24 package prepared for a project in Sacramento or Fresno won’t pass Plan Check here. The climate data, the site orientation, and the specific products all have to be modeled for your actual address.

Our Title 24 Energy Compliance Process

Here’s how Title 24 compliance works when you hire Lodgewick ADU San Jose. Every step is part of your written price, so you always know what you’re paying before we begin.

1. We review the permit set and the city’s specific corrections. We look at exactly what San Jose’s Plan Check marked up, which Title 24 forms are missing, and whether the underlying design already complies or needs modifications. If the design needs changes, we tell you in writing before you spend a dollar.
2. We run the energy model using approved California software. We input the ADU’s square footage, orientation, window sizes, wall and roof insulation values, HVAC type, water heater type, and lighting plan. The software produces the compliance margin, which tells us whether the design passes, barely passes, or needs to be adjusted.
3. We identify the cheapest path to compliance, not just the first path. If a window has too high a U-factor, sometimes the fix is a different glass package. Sometimes it’s adding R-value to the roof. We’ll show you the cheapest way to pass, because you shouldn’t have to replace windows you already bought if an insulation upgrade gets you there for less.
4. We generate the complete Title 24 document package. This includes the CF-1R (Certificate of Compliance for Residential Buildings), the compliance report, the mandatory measures summary, and the installation certificate (CF-2R) checklists that your contractor and HERS rater will sign during construction.
5. We coordinate with your HERS rater and contractor. Title 24 isn’t just paperwork. Duct leakage tests, airflow tests, and insulation verification are done on site. We make sure the right forms get to San Jose’s inspectors at final, so your ADU gets its certificate of occupancy without a failed inspection over missing energy documentation.
6. We provide the final Title 24 package for your records. When San Jose signs off, you get a complete set for your files. Keep it. If you sell the house, the buyer’s agent will ask for Title 24 records, and you’ll have them.

This is all part of The Kingswell Way: we say the price before we do the work, we show up when we say we will, we leave your project cleaner than we found it, and we put our guarantee in writing. That includes our 365-Day Done Right Promise. If any part of the Title 24 documentation we produce fails during the 365-day guarantee period, we come back and fix it at no charge, in writing, no questions.

Title 24 Energy Compliance Pricing in San Jose

Title 24 energy compliance for an ADU in San Jose ranges from about $900 for a simple garage conversion to roughly $2,800 for a complex two-story accessory dwelling unit with standalone HVAC, a heat pump water heater, and multiple compliance paths. Here’s what drives the number:

• Simple garage conversion or small JADU (up to 500 sq ft): $900 to $1,400. These are typically single-zone projects with one or two windows and electric resistance or ductless mini-split heating.
• Standard detached ADU (500 to 800 sq ft): $1,200 to $1,900. This range assumes a full permit set and a design that’s already mostly compliant. If we’re fixing a non-compliant design, expect the higher end.
• Larger ADU or second-story addition (800+ sq ft): $1,800 to $2,800. Multiple conditioned zones, multiple window packages, skylights, and more complex lighting controls all add modeling time and documentation volume.
• Revisions after an initial failed submittal: Add $300 to $600. This covers re-running the model and re-generating the documents if San Jose returns additional corrections.

The biggest cost drivers are window performance, HVAC system type, water heater selection, and whether the project is all-electric or gas-assisted. San Jose’s local reach codes push most new ADUs toward all-electric designs, which changes the Title 24 model significantly compared to a gas furnace setup. We’ll tell you exactly what your project needs before we write a number, and that number is fixed in writing before we begin. Estimates are free, and the price we quote is the price you pay.

FAQs – Title 24 Energy Compliance

How much does Title 24 compliance cost for an ADU in San Jose?

Title 24 compliance for a typical San Jose ADU costs between $900 and $2,800, depending on size, complexity, and whether we’re generating a new compliance package or fixing a failed submittal. A standard detached ADU between 500 and 800 square feet usually falls in the $1,200 to $1,900 range. Call (669) 266-4319 for an exact quote, the estimate is free and the price we give you is the price you pay.

Do I need Title 24 if my ADU is prefab from Plant Prefab or Tuff Shed?

Yes, you need Title 24 compliance for prefab ADUs, even when the manufacturer provides preliminary energy data. The compliance package still has to be modeled for your actual San Jose address, your site orientation, and the specific San Jose climate zone data, because a prefab model’s generic assumptions don’t automatically pass local Plan Check.

Can you fix a Title 24 rejection from the City of San Jose?

Yes, we regularly take over projects where the initial Title 24 package was rejected, re-run the energy model, and produce a compliant document set that passes Plan Check. The fix often costs less than homeowners expect and doesn’t require scrapping the entire design. Call us with the city’s correction letter and we’ll tell you what it costs to make it right.

How long does Title 24 compliance take?

For most San Jose ADU projects, a complete Title 24 compliance package takes five to seven business days from the time we receive a full permit set. Simple garage conversions can be done in as little as three business days. If you’re on a deadline with San Jose’s Plan Check, we’ll tell you upfront whether your timeline is realistic.

Why San Jose Homeowners Call Lodgewick for Title 24 Work

Most ADU contractors are good at framing, but Title 24 throws them. Energy modeling is a specialized skill, and getting it wrong means a plan check correction, a delayed permit, and sometimes a design change you didn’t budget for. Because Lodgewick ADU San Jose works with systems from Abodu, James Hardie, and Plant Prefab, our team already knows how those specific products perform in California’s compliance software. That means fewer back-and-forth emails with San Jose’s Building Division and a faster path to a permit.

We also do something most compliance providers don’t: we stand behind our documentation with a written guarantee. If our Title 24 package fails during the 365-day guarantee period, we come back and fix it. Free. That’s the 365-Day Done Right Promise, and it’s in writing on every project we touch.

A live person answers our phone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. No voicemail loop, no chatbot. If you call at 9 pm with a question about your permit, you’ll talk to someone who can help. That matters when your project is paused and every day stuck in Plan Check costs you money.

If you’re working through the ADU Design & Permitting in San Jose process and you’ve hit a Title 24 roadblock, call (669) 266-4319 for a free estimate. We’ll tell you in plain English what your project needs, what it costs, and when we can get it done. And we’ll put all of it in writing before you hire us.

Written by Russ Delmar, Owner at Lodgewick ADU San Jose, serving San Jose.