Title 24 reports for Alameda permits.
Replacing an air conditioner in an existing Alameda house is an energy-code project — and the city wrote the rule for climate zones 1 through 14 and 16 rather than only its own. A second chapter amends the Energy Code itself, and neither has been filed with the Energy Commission.
Two chapters, two code parts, no CEC filing
Ordinance No. 3389 N.S. (10-21-2025) put two local energy rules in different parts of the code. AMC 13-10.3 makes CALGreen A4.204.1.1 mandatory: replacing an air conditioner in an existing single-family dwelling, duplex or townhome — “in climate zones 1 through 14 and 16,” not just its own — means a heat pump as primary heating source, or the package. On existing ducts the package is 10 percent duct leakage, 300 CFM per ton, 0.45 W/CFM fan efficacy, refrigerant-charge verification, an R-49 vented attic and ceiling-plane air sealing; new ducts tighten it to R-8, 5 percent, 350 CFM per ton and 0.35 W/CFM. Each is a HERS verification line, so an AC change-out here is paperwork. That one is a CALGreen (Part 11) amendment, not Part 6, which is why it is on no CEC list.
The second amends the Energy Code itself. AMC 13-11.3 adds 100.0(i) and 150.0(w), electric readiness for alterations: a kitchen branch-circuit change pulls a 50-amp provision, a circuit near a gas dryer 30 amps, framing opened near a gas water heater a 2.5-by-2.5-by-7-foot space, and a panel upsize becomes a documented event with Article 220.83 calculations filed to the building official. Nine exceptions sit at AMC 13-11.4, and the one for ADUs and JADUs inside existing space hangs on the term Covered Single-Family Project — which the code uses once and never defines. Both ZIPs are Climate Zone 3. The electric-readiness rule is codified in AMC 13-11.3 but not on the CEC’s approved list for the 2025 code, and nothing has been filed in either docket.
One thing that doesn’t change by city: my price and turnaround are flat statewide — $99 first report, $150 flat after, 24–48 hours on your first job. What differs city to city is what happens on the plan-check side before and after the CF1R lands in your permit set, which is what this page covers.
Prices
Flat fees, in writing before I start. No hourly, no bid package, no change-order games — the number on the quote is the number on the invoice.
One honest note
I’m not a licensed engineer or architect, and I don’t stamp drawings. On the CF1R I’m the documentation author — you stay the responsible designer. Nothing about your role on the job changes.
That’s on purpose. I’m not after your scope or your clients. I do one piece of the permit set — the piece that usually holds it up — and I do it fast.
Alameda plan-check questions
If yours isn’t here, see the full FAQ or call and ask.
What are Alameda’s three off-ramps from the heat-pump rule?
How does Alameda want the energy documents submitted?
Does the project need HERS field verification?
Sometimes — typically for duct leakage, refrigerant charge, or certain heat-pump and quality-insulation measures. The CF1R lists exactly which measures need it, and I’ll flag it in the email so it isn’t a surprise at inspection. The field testing itself is done by a third-party HERS rater the owner or contractor hires; that’s outside what I do.
Plan check came back with an energy comment. Now what?
Forward it to me. If it’s a job I did, the first two revisions are free and I answer the comment directly — you don’t have to translate between your plan checker and me.
If someone else did the original report, I’ll still take it. Send the comment and the existing CF1R and you’ll get a flat quote back the same day.
Send your Alameda plans.
Change-out, remodel or new ADU, the CF1R comes back with the HERS-verified airflow, fan efficacy and duct leakage lines the AMC 13-10.3 package turns on, sized to print on the plans without reduction.