Price the report. Know what stays in your bid.

Where the report ends

We prepare compliance documentation for the permit application from the plan set. That work has a flat published price you can carry into a bid. What we do not provide is anything that happens on site: installing to the documented values, completing installation certificates, ECC field verification by a qualified rater, or nonresidential acceptance testing.

Projects with permit applications submitted on or after January 1, 2026 are generally reviewed under the 2025 California Energy Code. Field verification is now described as ECC verification; older documents may still call it HERS.

• Report preparation: covered by our published price
• Installation certificates: completed by the installer
• ECC verification: a separate qualified rater
• Acceptance testing and agency fees: separate

Intake example card: a residential remodel

Illustrative bid-stage intake, not a completed client project: a GC is pricing a kitchen and bathroom remodel that also changes windows and equipment. Send a scope summary separating cosmetic work from altered envelope, lighting, water heating and HVAC. A room name alone does not tell the modeler whether an altered-component certificate or a broader performance package fits. Do not assume every kitchen needs a whole-building model, or that calling work cosmetic removes energy-document obligations. Confirm the application date and required documentation with the AHJ.

Upload the current architectural plans, existing-versus-proposed floor plans, elevations for affected openings, sections and the window schedule. Mark each retained and replacement window, its dimensions and selected U-factor/SHGC information. Include equipment schedules or product specifications for changed HVAC and water heating, plus insulation and assembly notes where walls or roofs are opened. For lighting changes, include the relevant layout and controls information. A dated sheet index lets the consultant distinguish the intended permit set from an earlier pricing set.

If the contractor is taking over an existing report, include that report and the actual plan-check letter. Cloud changes and identify the responsible designer rather than uploading an unlabeled mixture of old and new sheets. State which substitutions are proposed, which are approved by the designer, and which remain undecided. The energy consultant prepares design compliance documentation; the project designers remain responsible for their drawings and the installer for construction records. Avoid buying a different system on the assumption that its nominal size alone matches the report.

Budget the report using the published residential square-footage bands and total dwelling-unit count, not a separate remodel menu. Clarify the area included in the requested documentation before pricing it into the bid. Our own modeling/report-error corrections are Free; post-report architectural/design revisions are $75 flat. A major redesign requiring a rebuilt model needs a custom quote after intake. Upload the packet to confirm scope and price before treating the estimate as an accepted order.

• Scope and dated sheet index
• Existing/proposed plans and changed-component schedules
• Current report, comment letter and clearly marked revisions

• Upload the remodel packet
• Remodel trigger checklist
• Published residential pricing

Intake example card: an ADU or garage conversion

Illustrative intake: a builder is preparing a garage-conversion ADU bid while the owner is also considering changes to the main dwelling. Label the conversion boundary and distinguish existing unconditioned garage space from existing conditioned rooms, proposed living space and unrelated main-house work. A garage, detached ADU and attached addition are not interchangeable energy-model boundaries. State the proposed use and which drawings the AHJ will review together; do not infer occupancy or an exemption from the marketing name of the project.

Send dimensioned plans, elevations, sections, a north arrow and the proposed conditioned floor area. Show the existing slab, walls and roof, proposed insulation assemblies, new window/door schedules and any retained openings. Include the HVAC arrangement: dedicated equipment or a proposed extension of an existing system, with designer-supplied specifications and duct locations when relevant. Add water-heating location and selection, and solar/battery information only where it is actually part of the design. Flag unknown equipment instead of inventing performance values to complete the form.

Identify the total dwelling units in the report request and separate the ADU scope from any main-house revision. ADU reports use the same residential conditioned-area bands as other residential work, plus $75 for each additional dwelling unit beyond the first in the confirmed package. There is no special ADU or garage-conversion price menu. Main-house and ADU drawings do not automatically mean a particular unit surcharge applies: ask the consultant to confirm the documentation boundary and unit count before carrying it into a proposal.

Use the complete intake checklist and name a design contact for unresolved details. Optional residential rush is +$99 and means next-business-day production after complete inputs; commercial rush is +$149. Neither changes AHJ review time or guarantees permit approval. ECC field verification/testing, nonresidential acceptance testing, registry/document-registration fees, CALGreen documentation and AHJ plan-check/permit fees are separate from the energy report. Installation certificates belong to the responsible installers, with independent verification where required. This is educational coordination guidance, not legal advice or a local permit checklist.

• Conversion boundary, conditioned area and total units
• Existing envelope and proposed assemblies
• HVAC, water-heating and fenestration selections

• Upload ADU or garage plans
• ADU-builder pathway
• Garage-to-ADU decision guidance
• Full intake checklist

Read the documentation before you price equipment

The compliance documents describe the efficiencies, insulation values and verification items the design depends on. Reviewing them before final pricing helps avoid substituting equipment or assemblies that no longer match what was permitted. If a substitution is needed, it may require a documentation revision.

For corrections from a plan checker, send the letter. If the issue came from our own modeling or report error, the fix is free.

• CF1R, CF2R and CF3R
• Plan check corrections
• Additions and remodels
• Commercial compliance

Fast when inputs are complete

Rush production is available for a published fee and means next-business-day production after complete inputs are received. It is not a permit approval timeline. The quickest path is a full plan set with equipment and assemblies shown.

• Architect coordination
• Order a report