701 Minimum Energy Efficiency Requirements – Above Green

701.1 - Mandatory Requirements

The building shall comply with Section 702 (Performance Path), Section 703 (Prescriptive Path), or Section 704 (ERI Target Path). Items listed as “mandatory” in Section 701.4 apply to all Paths. Unless otherwise noted, buildings in the Tropical Climate Zone shall comply with Climate Zone 1 requirements.

701.1.1: Minimum Performance Path requirements

A building complying with § 702 shall include a minimum of two practices from § 705, or a minimum of one practice from § 705 and a minimum of one practice from § 706.

Required Documentation

Software report indicating at least compliance with the 2018 IECC requirement for the relevant climate location. Acceptable software includes, among others, REM/Rate, Open Studio, or Energy Gauge. The same software report can be used to support performance point claim in Section 702.

701.1.2: Minimum Prescriptive Path requirements

A building complying with § 703 shall obtain a minimum of 30 points from § 703 and shall include a minimum of two practices from § 705, or a minimum of one practice from § 705 and a minimum of one practice from § 706.

701.1.3: ERI Target Path requirements

A building complying with § 704 shall obtain a minimum of 30 points from § 704 and shall include a minimum of two practices from § 705, or a minimum of one practice from § 705 and a minimum of one practice from § 706.

Required Documentation

ERI report showing confirmed features and energy performance.

701.1.4: Alternative bronze and silver level compliance

As an alternative, any building that qualifies as an ENERGY STAR Version 3.0 Certified Home or ENERGY STAR Multifamily High Rise Version 1.0 Rev. 03 building or demonstrates compliance with the 2018 IECC or Chapter 11 of the 2018 IRC achieves the bronze level for Chapter 7. As an alternative, any building that qualifies as an ENERGY STAR Version 3.1 Certified Home or ENERGY STAR Multifamily High Rise Version 1.0 Rev. 03 (with the baseline at ASHRAE 90.1-2010) building achieves the silver level for Chapter 7. As an alternative in the Tropical Climate Zone, any building that meets all of the requirements in IECC Section R401.2.1 (Tropical Zone) achieves the silver level for Chapter 7. The buildings achieving compliance under Section 701.1.4 are not eligible for achieving a rating level above silver.

Required Documentation

ENERGY STAR certificate and energy performance report showing confirmed features and energy performance that demonstrates that meeting that the building qualifies for ENERGY STAR and which version, or statement from a qualified energy professional that the building meets the IECC’s Tropical Climate Zone requirements.

701.1.6: Alternative gold level compliance for tropical zones

One- or two-family dwelling in the tropical zone at an elevation less than 2,400 feet (731.5 m) above sea level that complies with the following shall achieve the gold level for chapter 7:

The residence complies with IECC Tropical Zone than section R401.2.1
The residence includes a minimum of 2 kW of PV and a minimum of 6 kWh of battery storage.
Any air conditioning has a minimum of 18 SEER.
Solar, wind or other renewable energy source supplies not less than 90 percent of the energy for service water heating.
Glazing in conditioned spaces has a solar heat gain coefficient of less than or equal to 0.25, or has an overhang with a projection factor equal to or greater than 0.30.
The exterior roof/ceiling complies with at least two of the following:
- Minimum roof reflectance and emittance in IECC Table C402.3
- Roof or ceiling has insulation with an R-value of R-15 or greater
- Includes a radiant barrier
Walls comply with at least one of the following:
- Walls have an overhang with a projection factor equal to or greater than 0.30
- Walls have insulation with an R-value or R-13 or greater
- Walls have a solar reflectance of 0.64
A ceiling fan is provided for bedrooms and the largest space that is not used as a bedroom; alternately a whole house fan is provided.
Wiring sufficient for a Level 2 (208/240V 40-80 amp) electric vehicle charging station is installed on the building site.

701.2 - Emerald Level Points

The Performance Path (Section 702) or the ERI Target Path (Section 704) shall be used to achieve the emerald level.

701.3 - Adopting Entity Review

A review by the Adopting Entity or designated third party shall be conducted to verify design and compliance with Chapter 7.

Required Documentation

3rd party report/statement showing design has been reviewed to ensure energy efficient performance or specific prescriptive details are adequately implemented in the building’s design, and to ensure proper integration of various energy efficient technologies. In Climate Zone 1, PE must sign off that the system will maintain the cooling season indoor humidity less than the ASHRAE Simplified method for Design Indoor RH (70%) if the system size is not consistent with Manual S.

701.4 - Mandatory Practices

701.4.1: HVAC systems

HVAC system sizing- Space heating and cooling system is sized according to heating and cooling loads calculated using ACCA Manual J, or equivalent. Equipment is selected using ACCA Manual S or equivalent. (Required)
- Required Documentation: Software output report for this building using ACCA Manual J AND Manual S or equivalent.
Radiant and hydronic space heating. Where installed as a primary heat source in the building, radiant or hydronic space heating system is designed, installed, and documented, using industry-approved guidelines and standards (e.g., ACCA Manual J, AHRI I=B=R, ACCA 5 QI-2010, or an accredited design professional’s and manufacturer’s recommendations). (Required)
- Required Documentation: Statement from qualified professional.

701.4.2: Duct systems

Duct air sealing. Ducts are air sealed. All duct sealing materials are in conformance with UL 181A or UL 181B specifications and are installed in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions. (Required)
- Required Documentation: For buildings with ducted systems provide product spec or trade contractor’s scope of work to confirm use of duct sealing using UL 181 tape, mastic, gaskets, or an IRC or ICC/IMC approved system.
Ducts and Plenums. Building framing cavities are not used as ducts or plenums. (Required)
Duct system sizing. Duct system is sized and designed in accordance with ACCA Manual D or equivalent. (Required)
- Required Documentation: Software output report for this building using ACCA Manual D or equivalent.

701.4.3: Insulation and air sealing

Building Thermal Envelope Air Sealing. The building thermal envelope is durably sealed to limit infiltration. The sealing methods between dissimilar materials allow for differential expansion and contraction. The following are caulked, gasketed, weather-stripped or otherwise sealed with an air barrier material, suitable film, or solid material:
- All joints, seams, and penetrations.
- Site-built windows, doors, and skylights.
- Openings between window and door assemblies and their respective jambs and framing.
- Utility penetrations.
- Dropped ceilings or chases adjacent to the thermal envelope.
- Knee walls.
- Walls, ceilings, and floors separating conditioned spaces from unconditioned.
- Behind tubs and showers on exterior walls.
- Common walls between dwelling units or sleeping units.
- Attic access openings.
- Joints of framing members at rim joists.
- Top and bottom plates.
- Other sources of infiltration.
  - Required Documentation: Drawing, specifications, scopes of work detailing air sealing that is not readily inspected during the rough inspection.
Air barrier, air sealing, building envelope testing, and insulation. Building envelope air barrier, air sealing envelope tightness, and insulation installation is verified to be in accordance with this Section and Section 701.4.3.2.1. Insulation installation other than Grade 1 is not permitted. (Required)
- Testing. Building envelope tightness is tested. Testing is conducted in accordance with ASTM E-779 using a blower door at a test pressure of 1.04 psf (50 Pa). Testing is conducted after rough-in and after installation of penetrations of the building envelope, including penetrations for utilities, plumbing, electrical, ventilation, and combustion appliances. Testing is conducted under the following conditions:
  - Exterior windows and doors, fireplace and stove doors are closed, but not sealed;
  - Dampers are closed, but not sealed, including exhaust, intake, makeup air, backdraft and flue dampers;
  - Interior doors are open;
  - Exterior openings for continuous ventilation systems and heat recovery ventilators are closed and sealed;
  - Heating and cooling systems are turned off;
  - HVAC duct terminations are not sealed; and
  - Supply and return registers are not sealed.
    - Note: Mutlifamily building testing by dwelling units, sleeping units, groups of dwelling units, groups of sleeping units, or the building as a whole is acceptable.
    - Required Documentation: Blower door report by qualified professional, signed by the party conducting the test.
- Visual inspection. The air barrier and insulation items are field verified by visual inspection.
- Grade I insulation installations. Field-installed insulation products to ceilings, walls, floors, band joists, rim joists, conditioned attics, basements, and crawlspaces, except as specifically noted, are verified as Grade I by a third-party are in accordance with the following (Required):
  - Inspection is conducted before insulation is covered.
  - Air-permeable insulation is enclosed on all six sides and is in substantial contact with the sheathing material on one or more sides (interior or exterior) of the cavity. Air permeable insulation in ceilings is not required to be enclosed when the insulation is installed in substantial contact with the surfaces it is intended to insulate.
  - Cavity insulation uniformly fills each cavity side-to-side and top-to-bottom, without substantial gaps or voids around obstructions (such as blocking or bridging).
  - Cavity insulation compression or incomplete fill amounts to 2 percent or less, presuming the compressed or incomplete areas are a minimum of 70 percent of the intended fill thickness; occasional small gaps are acceptable.
  - Exterior rigid insulation has substantial contact with the structural framing members or sheathing materials and is tightly fitted at joints.
  - Cavity insulation is split, installed, and/or fitted tightly around wiring and other services.
  - Exterior sheathing is not visible from the interior through gaps in the cavity insulation.
  - Faced batt insulation is permitted to have side-stapled tabs, provided the tabs are stapled neatly with no buckling, and provided the batt is compressed only at the edges of each cavity, to the depth of the tab itself.
  - Where properly installed, ICFs, SIPs, and other wall systems that provide integral insulation are deemed in compliance with this section.
Multifamily air leakage alternative. Multifamily buildings four or more stories in height and in compliance with IECC section C402.5 (Air leakage-thermal envelope) are deemed to comply with Building Thermal Envelope Air Sealing & Air barrier, air sealing, building envelope testing, and insulation.
- Required Documentation: COMcheck.
Fenestration air leakage. Windows, skylights and sliding glass doors have an air infiltration rate of no more than 0.3 cfm per square foot (1.5 L/s/m2), and swinging doors no more than 0.5 cfm per square foot (2.6 L/s/m2), when tested in accordance with NFRC 400 or AAMA/WDMA/CSA 101/I.S.2/A440 by an accredited, independent laboratory and listed and labeled. For site-built fenestration, a test report by an accredited, independent laboratory verifying compliance with the applicable infiltration rate shall be submitted to demonstrate compliance with this practice. This practice does not apply to field-fabricated fenestration products. (Required)
- Exception: For Tropical Zones Only, Jalousie windows are permitted to be used as a conditioned space boundary and shall have an air infiltration rate of not more than 1.3 cfm per square foot.
- Required Documentation: Manufacturer’s label or literature indicating listing complying with this practice.
Lighting in building thermal envelope. Luminaires installed in the building thermal envelope which penetrate the air barrier are sealed to limit air leakage between conditioned and unconditioned spaces. All luminaires installed in the building thermal envelope which penetrate the air barrier are IC-rated and labeled as meeting ASTM E283 when tested at 1.57 psf (75 Pa) pressure differential with no more than 2.0 cfm (0.944 L/s) of air movement from the conditioned space to the ceiling cavity. All luminaires installed in the building thermal envelope which penetrate the air barrier are sealed with a gasket or caulk between the housing and the interior of the wall or ceiling covering. (Required)
- Required Documentation: Manufacturer’s literature stating compliance with the practice.

701.4.4: High-efficacy lighting (Required)

Lighting efficacy in dwelling units or sleeping units is in accordance with one of the following:

A minimum of 75 percent of the total hard-wired lighting fixtures or the bulbs in those fixtures qualify as high efficacy or equivalent
Lighting power density, measured in watts/square foot, is 1.1 or less

701.4.5: Boiler piping

Boiler piping in unconditioned space supplying and returning heated water or steam is insulated.