This training provides an overview of the program’s structure and mandatory requirements, including all changes through Revision 2. The performance threshold and certification process are covered in Part 2. (January 2025, 45 minutes)
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Sarah Santiago-Cok:
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Welcome to the U.S. Department of Energy's training on the Efficient New Homes Program, Multifamily Version 2.
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Please note that while this training is available to all partners on the DOE Efficient New Homes website, raters and verifiers need to take this and other required training through their Home Certification Organization or Multifamily Review Organization for DOE so that they may track your participation. Watching this training via the DOE website does not fulfill the training requirements for raters and verifiers.
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This training covers three main topic areas. We'll start with a quick overview of the program structure, and then there's a longer section on the mandatory requirements, covering them in a moderate amount of detail. Then we'll look at the compliance documentation required for certification.
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In this section, we'll cover building eligibility, the technical building blocks of the program, and implementation dates for program versions and revisions.
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DOE Efficient New Homes Version 2 includes separate specifications for single-family homes, multifamily buildings, and manufactured homes. Multifamily Version 2 does not apply to any detached single-family homes, duplexes, or manufactured homes. Multifamily Version 2 does apply to multifamily buildings with any number of stories. It also applies to mixed-use buildings where more than 50% of the total floor area is for residents, which includes dwelling units and residential common spaces like corridors, exercise rooms, and so on. Multifamily Version 2 can also be used for townhouses in limited circumstances. Townhouses must use the ERI path, and they're only eligible under Multifamily Version 2 if they have a permit date before January 1, 2026. In general, the DOE Efficient New Homes specifications were developed for new construction, but gut rehab projects are still eligible and have previously met the Efficient New Homes requirements. There are two types of the Multifamily Version 2 program requirements – one for all states except California, referred to as “National,” and a California-specific set of program requirements that achieves a similar level of efficiency to National, but provides some additional allowances and compliance options for mandatory requirements that harmonize with the California Energy Commission's Building Energy Efficiency Standards. The California specifications are not covered in this presentation.
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Program requirements are structured in three pieces: mandatory requirements, a performance threshold, and checklists for verification. First, mandatory requirements are key features that are essential to a building's performance. There's a major opportunity cost not to include them during a building's initial construction because they're really difficult to retrofit. This includes things like envelope and electric readiness features. The second key component is the performance threshold, which sets the bar for the building's overall energy efficiency. It can be achieved with a variety of measures that collectively meet the threshold. There's no one required way to achieve this reduction in energy use, and there are three ways to measure compliance with the threshold, which we'll go over on the next slide. And finally, compliance with the first two pieces, the mandatory requirements and the performance threshold, is verified using rater checklists. A third-party rater uses these checklists to field verify critical efficiency measures and adds a guarantee that the building really does offer everything DOE promises in its certification.
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As we just mentioned, there are three paths the project can choose from to achieve this Multifamily Version 2 performance threshold. Depending on the project type, how it's pursuing compliance with code or other certification programs, and the project team, one of these compliance paths may be a better fit than the others. All the paths allowed by Multifamily Version 2 are allowed by the Energy Star Multifamily New Construction program.
Using the Energy Rating Index, or ERI, pathway, which is the most common pathway, the individual dwelling units are modeled with ERI modeling software. The unit being modeled, which is the design dwelling unit, must be more efficient than the target dwelling, which is a reference design generated within the software. This means that the ERI of the design dwelling unit will be equal or less than the target ERI. The ERI compliance path allows builders and designers to optimize their approach to lowering the ERI using the combination of technologies and building strategies that works best for the project
Using the Prescriptive pathway, the design must meet or exceed all of the provisions in the specs that set the energy efficiency of the ERI target home. In other words, the design must meet or exceed things like the heating system efficiency for the climate zone where the project is being built, use appliances meeting certain efficiency levels, use a water heater meeting a minimum efficiency level, and so on. A no-modeling approach is attractive to some project teams that want to avoid the need to model.
Using the ASHRAE 90.1 pathway, the design must demonstrate through energy modeling that the project achieves 20% energy cost savings or source energy savings above Standard 90.1-2019, and this pathway can be a good fit for projects that are already conducting 90.1 modeling for another purpose like code compliance. An alternative under the 90.1 path is offered for projects that are certified as Phius Core or Phius Zero 2021 or 2024. These projects can forego the 90.1 modeling if their Phius modeling demonstrates compliance levels 20% beyond the Phius Core 2021 or 2024 source energy criteria without renewables. This option is also offered in the Energy Star Multifamily New Construction Program.
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Our last topic in this section is how to decide which version of the program your project should be using based on program version effective dates. The chart shown here, which is also available on the program requirements website, identifies implementation dates for the Multifamily Version 2 program requirements. To determine the appropriate set of program requirements to use for a given project, you need to know its building type, permit date, and location. Here, we see that Version 1, Revision 9 is required for all multifamily projects with permit dates on or after January 1st, 2024, and that Multifamily Version 2 is required for all multifamily projects permitted on or after January 1st, 2025. As a reminder, these are the national program versions for multifamily, and projects in California will use different program versions, also shown on this same webpage. This chart will be regularly updated on the website as new revisions to these program versions are released.
If you look closely at the eligibility requirements, you'll notice that Revision 9 is the only Version 1 program revision that specifically addresses the multifamily building type, a spec with the same efficiency requirements as other Version 1 revisions, but with some requirements edited and tailored to apply better to buildings of all heights.
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However, in order to align with the other Version 1 program specifications and the transition to Version 2, the definition of permit date is a little different between Version 1, Revision 9 and Multifamily Version 2. This slide shows what parts of the permit date definition are the same and different between the two program versions. You'll notice that both program versions allow the permit issue date or the date of the rater's first site visit, but only Multifamily Version 2 allows permit application date to be used.
The rater's first site visit is the date that a rater first verifies a DOE Efficient New Homes program provision requiring an on-site inspection. So something like inspecting the slab insulation would be allowed to serve as the project's permit date.
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In general, revisions represent minor updates to a program version. It's also important to note that newer, more recent program versions and revisions may optionally be used earlier than the required implementation date. A project certified under a newer program version or revision is also deemed to meet the certification requirements of corresponding earlier or older versions or revisions. For example, a building meeting Multifamily Version 2, Revision 1 would also be deemed to meet the certification requirements of the original Multifamily program version. Additionally, a project must be certified under one program version and revision – it is not permitted to take parts of one program version and parts of another program version. For example, a project cannot certify using Revision 9's efficiency requirements and Version 2's permit date definition.
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And that's it for the program structure. Next, we'll get into the mandatory requirements for Multifamily Version 2. For this section, I'll pass it over to Jamie Lyons, the program's technical director.
Jamie Lyons:
OK, great. Next, we're going to walk through each of the mandatory requirements for Multifamily Version 2. And I'll point out that the level of detail on the slides that we'll go through is what we call moderate. It gives a good sense of each requirement. It covers a lot of the details, but not necessarily each and every last detail. So as project teams move along with their projects and they develop specs for the requirements, it is important to review the actual program requirements just to be aware of any additional details that might apply.
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And the official place to look for that information on the program's requirements is the document posted on the website titled Multifamily Version 2 National Program Requirements. Sometimes we'll abbreviate that as the “NPRs.” As you get into that document, the first exhibit that you see here, a little piece of it, describes all the mandatory requirements associated with the program. And then the following exhibits further down describe the performance threshold for the three different compliance paths that Sarah mentioned. Exhibit 1, the mandatory requirements, applies to all three compliance paths.
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So the first mandatory requirement that any builder should recognize is the requirement for the two EPA certifications: ENERGY STAR and Indoor AirPlus. The DOE program builds upon these prerequisites, which give us really sound building science, better than code efficiency levels, and a comprehensive package of indoor air quality measures that are provided through the ENERGY STAR and the IAP programs. So all three programs are working in coordination with each other.
Like DOE Efficient New Homes, ENERGY STAR and Indoor Air Plus have different program versions available. For Multifamily Version 2, DOE requires certification under ENERGY STAR Multifamily New Construction Version 1.2 or 1.3. For Indoor AirPlus, the required version depends on the permit date. Version 1 of IAP Revisions 4 or 5 can be used for projects with permit dates until the end of 2026. Beginning in 2027, ENH will require Indoor AirPlus Version 2's Certified tier, but builders are also welcome to use the higher Gold tier if they're interested, and that will also meet the DOE ENH requirement.
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In addition to the co-requisite EPA certifications, Exhibit 1 in the NPRs also spells out the mandatory measures for each of the little icons that you see here, the envelope, windows, ducts, water efficiency, ventilation, appliances, lighting, and then the readiness measures – electric readiness, PV, and EV readiness. So, we'll talk through each one of these in the slides that follow.
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So first, we'll start with the building envelope. Getting the envelope right during construction has always been viewed as critical within the program because it's that unique chance to get all those details right and designed in as far as insulation levels. This will result in lower heating and cooling loads, which then of course translates to lower energy bills. Other benefits of the high-performance envelope include keeping temperatures consistent within the building and the dwelling units, reducing drafts, and providing a comfortable environment during periods of extreme outdoor temps – very hot, very cold temps. Even when the power goes out, dwelling units in buildings with a really robust envelope can stay comfortable for longer periods of time than you might find in standard apartment buildings.
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There are a few different options for achieving this high-performance thermal envelope. For ERI and ASHRAE path projects, envelope values come from either the 2021 or the 2024 IECC. For Prescriptive path projects, U-factors come from the ENH target dwelling design, while common space U-factors come from the 2021 or 2024 IECC. In practice, this difference between the paths just means that for ERI and ASHRAE path projects, commercial or residential code U-factors may be used, while for prescriptive path projects, only common spaces can use the commercial code U-factors.
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These are the actual tables in the IECC where the required U-factors can be found. As mentioned on the last slide, projects have a couple different options for the U-factors. In common spaces, there's two options – the Residential table of the IECC or the Commercial table, “All Other” column. You can pick one of these two tables depending on which one works best for the project but cannot mix components from the two different chapters. For dwelling units, your options depend on which compliance path you take.
For ERI and ASHRAE path projects, U-factors can come from the Residential table of the IECC, which is the same option provided for common spaces. These projects can also use U-factors from the Commercial table, but they must be the “Group R” values rather than the “All Other” values, which is what would be used for common spaces. Prescriptive projects just use the U-factors from the national program requirements.
A key point to note here is that you can't mix between the various tables. You have to pick one and then stick to it. But you can use a different source for all dwelling unit U-factors and for the common space U-factors
While these various options add some complexity to the Efficient New Homes Program's envelope requirements, the overall goal is to provide flexibility for teams to use the values that work best for their project.
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Regardless of which U-factors are chosen, projects are able to use the UA method to trade off different envelope components. This UA can be calculated on either a dwelling unit basis or on a whole building level. ERI path projects will often use the dwelling by dwelling approach, since that is what's captured in residential ERI models for multifamily projects.
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Here's a brief summary of how UA and TC calculations work. Under the 2021 IECC, the UA is calculated by multiplying the surface area of each envelope component by its corresponding U-factor in the applicable tables we discussed previously. Under the 2024 IECC, the TC is calculated almost the same way as the 2021 UA, except for homes with a slab-on-grade foundation, an additional term is included in the equation, F-factor times the slab edge perimeter. For both cases, the building or dwelling unit’s calculated envelope level must be less than or equal to the code envelope level. Energy modeling software programs typically include a UA and/or a TC calculation.
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The UA calc can be done either on a unit-by-unit basis or a whole building basis. So here we have a quick example created by our colleagues at the ENERGY STAR program that shows how to use the whole building trade-off method. So let's say you have a building where the window requirement is a U of 0.3, the roof has to be R-49, and the walls have to be R-20. But the design that the team intends to use has windows at a 0.28 U-factor, which meets the requirement and in fact exceeds it. It has a roof at R-60, which again exceeds the requirement, and walls at R-15, which doesn't quite meet the requirement. So, if you end up using a whole building trade-off method, then the extra credit in insulation value that you're getting from the window and roof requirements would make up for the less efficient walls.
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In addition to the total envelope UA requirement, DOE Efficient New Homes also has specific mandatory high-performance window requirements for SHGC, or solar heat gain coefficient. SHGC is the fraction of solar radiation emitted through a window, door, or skylight, really anything with glazing. The lower the SHGC, the less solar heat it transmits and the greater its shading ability. A window with a high SHGC rating is more effective at collecting solar heat during the winter, helping to maintain warmer indoor temperatures, while a product with a lower SHGC rating is more effective at reducing cooling loads during the summer by blocking heat gain from the sun. Due to the ability of lower SHGC windows to reduce heating loads in the summer, the Efficient New Homes Program requires low SHGC windows in warm climates.
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In the table shown here, we can see the required solar heat gain coefficient values for Multifamily Version 2. The limit for Climate Zones 1 and 2 is an SHGC of 0.23. For Zone 3, the SHGC limit is 0.25, and for Zones 4A and B, an SHGC of 0.4. If you're using class AW windows, then these requirements also apply with a slightly relaxed allowance of 0.25 SHGC windows in Climate Zones 1 and 2. These values are attainable with many window products in the market, and some builders will go beyond these levels and use even higher efficiency windows. For the DOE Efficient New Homes Program, these window specs apply only to the windows in the dwelling units. For windows in common spaces, refer to the ENERGY STAR Multifamily New Construction requirements.
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Okay, so moving on from the envelope, a third mandatory requirement in the Multifamily V2 Program is to locate all in-unit ducts and air handlers to be in conditioned space because of the significant energy and performance savings that can be gained with that type of a design. So if, for example, you're in a top floor apartment and you have your ducts located up above the apartment in an unconditioned attic, this can add up to 25% to the cooling load in hot climates, so it can have a major impact. Routing ducts within building cavities within the envelope can be even more feasible in high-performance construction because the lower heating and cooling loads that we get in high performance construction translates into less air we have to move around, which translates into smaller ducts, which can more easily be located within those building cavities.
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Water heating also has a significant energy use impact, particularly in apartments where the conditioned floor area per resident is relatively smaller than in single-family homes. So, as the graphic here shows, water heating energy makes up a third of total energy consumption in U.S. apartment buildings with five or more units. And while the efficiency of the water heater itself is certainly a big contributor to the energy use, the DOE requirement focuses also on the efficiency of the building's hot water delivery system, which can also translate to saving a lot of energy used to heat water, reduce water consumption, and also reduce all the energy that's used upstream at the utility level that goes into water sanitation and distribution.
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So, the program has four provisions related to water heating efficiency. We'll start with all dwelling units must be provided with WaterSense certified fixtures for showerheads, bathroom sink faucets, and faucet accessories. These fixtures can be verified either with its cut sheet or by finding the fixture in the WaterSense product registry. It's important to note that fixtures in common spaces, like a public space bathroom or exercise room, are not required to be WaterSense certified.
Second, in-unit hot water piping must store less than 1.8 gallons of water between the hot water source and the furthest fixture. So, for context, this volume allows for about 65 feet of three quarter inch diameter piping, or up to 130 feet of half inch diameter pipe, including all branches. This limit minimizes the water wasted while we sit there waiting for the hot water to flush through and get through the piping. And along with that, it also conserves water heating energy since we're not heating up a lot of water that then just ends up sitting in a pipe once the hot water draw is over. So, this provision applies to the in-dwelling unit plumbing systems, where the hot water source is an in-unit water heater, and also applies to systems fed by a central recirc loop. For central systems with a recirc loop, that 1.8-gallon limit must be measured from the branch point off the central loop to the furthest fixture in the dwelling unit. If dwelling units have a bathroom that does not include a tub or a shower, those branches aren't included in this calc and wouldn't end up counting as the furthest fixture.
Third, if a design is using an in-dwelling recirc system to help comply with the stored volume requirement, then this in-dwelling recirc system must use on-demand controls, so it's not just running continuously. Again, this is just for an in-dwelling recirc system. The system can't use continuous recirc or activate based only on a timer or a temp sensor. Adaptive systems are also allowed, and these are systems that learn the hot water profile and the usage profile of the dwelling unit and adjust recirc patterns based on that.
And then lastly, continuous central recirc systems are permitted. So, if a central recirc system is used, it needs to meet the pipe insulation criteria that are shown here on this slide. So, if the interior diameter of the pipe is less than 1.5 inches, then the insulation must be at least 1.5 inches thick or have an R-value of 10 or greater. And if the piping is 1.5 inches in diameter or larger, then it must have at least two inches of insulation or have piping insulation of R-12 or greater. The pipe insulation should cover the entire length of the recirc loop to the extent possible. And if piping ends up getting routed through building cavities that are more space constrained, that prevent the noted thickness or R-value from being used, then the maximum thickness of insulation that's possible within the space should be used.
So just to summarize, these are the four hot water efficiency requirements.
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OK, moving on. Indoor air quality and a healthy indoor environment are really critical benefits for the people who live in high-performance homes. The program views indoor air quality as really a key component of a high-performance home. And just as important, many builders find that indoor air quality is really a key feature that their residents and their buyers expect and they're looking for in their housing. So good indoor air quality promotes healthy living. It minimizes and protects against pollutants and can improve comfort. And we have a nice homeowner testimonial here on this slide demonstrating that high-performance homes can really make a significant difference in how residents feel, such as this case where one of the residents of a new home saw a remarkable improvement in asthma symptoms.
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So we've already covered the main component in this category, which is the requirement for Indoor AirPlus certification, providing key protections like those that are listed here in the upper left, provisions for ventilation, pest management, combustion safety, low-emission materials, radon control, and moisture control. Currently, the ENH Multifamily Version 2 program requires compliance with IAP Version 1 specs. IAP has also updated its program to a Version 2 with some enhanced specifications, and the DOE Efficient New Homes program will require certification under the IAP Version 2 Certified Tier for building units permitted on or after January 1st, 2027.
And then the second piece of IAQ within the program is noted here, and it also provides efficiency benefits through the use of a heat or energy recovery ventilator for use in Climate Zones 6-8. And these are the cold climate zones where the energy that this technology can save can be very significant due to the cold outdoor air temperatures. So the H or ERV that's used and required can be either in-unit or centralized. And if it's an in-unit system, it must have recovery efficiency of 65% or greater and fan power of at least 1.2 CFM per watt. And if a project is using a centralized H or ERV serving multiple dwelling units, there aren't specific recovery efficiency criteria.
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The next mandatory provision requires energy efficient lighting and appliances. And if we just take a step back quickly and we're thinking about the overall goal, it simply makes sense to take advantage of all the opportunities we have to reduce energy use, so lighting and appliances are part of that consideration. As the pie chart shows here on the left side that the heating and cooling energy use in homes has been significantly reduced over the past decades. So what's happening as the percentage of a home's energy that's used for heating and cooling gets smaller and smaller, the relative importance of lighting and appliances, which is the yellow slice of the pie that we can see here, increases. So it makes even more sense to focus on these systems and make them as efficient as possible.
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So Multifamily V2 requires ENERGY STAR refrigerators, dishwashers, clothes washers, clothes dryers, and bathroom ventilation fans in those cases when the builder supplies and installs these items in dwelling units. If the builder is not supplying these appliances, then the requirements wouldn't apply, and appliances in common spaces are also exempt. For lighting, the program requires 100% LEDs with a small potential allowance for specialized lighting up to 5%. Like the appliances requirement, this provision only applies to lighting in the dwelling units, not the common spaces. And we also note that the LED requirements don't apply to lighting fixtures that are part of appliances, like the range hood light or lighting within a refrigerator.
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OK, moving ahead, the last four mandatory requirements are readiness measures. So these innovations revolve around clean energy technologies that also make a home more efficient to operate, and homes are designed to accommodate them. As the graph here shows on the right, U.S. electric generation capacity from renewable energy systems has been growing pretty quickly in the U.S. and is projected to continue along that same trend. The readiness measures in the program positions buildings to leverage high-efficiency electrical technologies as the U.S. electric grid significantly increases the supply of clean electric power. Multifamily V2 includes four separate readiness measures, heat pump, heat pump water heater, PV, and EV, which we'll cover on the next few slides. And each of these four readiness requirements does come with a few important exceptions, which we'll also cover. And while DOE supports the implementation of new energy efficient technologies like these, the exceptions and alternatives provided here are also very important to provide flexibility and account for a variety of potential future installation designs.
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OK, so first, apartments where gas is the primary heating source in the initial design must be ready for the installation of a future heat pump. So dwelling units must include a branch circuit or conduit that terminates within three feet of the existing gas furnace labeled, “For future heat pump.” And there are two exceptions to this requirement. The first is for apartments where an electric heating system is already the primary heating source – so, the unit either already has a heat pump or electric resistance is used. So the readiness measures are already covered. And the second exception is that the provision only applies to in-unit systems, in-unit heating systems. If the dwelling unit is served by a central heating system, there are no electric ready provisions that would apply.
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The second readiness requirement is for heat pump water heater readiness, and it has three items in it. First, there must be a space large enough in the unit to accommodate a heat pump water heater, which for the purposes of the program is specified at 3 feet by 3 feet by 7 feet. And importantly, this space can include the space used by the existing water heater, so if there's already a tank water heater, it's likely that will provide most, if not all, of that reserved space.
Second, there must be an individual branch circuit installed and energized, and it must terminate within 3 feet of the installed gas water heater. Unlike the last requirement for heat pump readiness, this requirement is for an energized circuit, not just conduit, and the circuit that we're talking about must have a rating not less than 240 Volts and 30 Amps or 120 Volts and 20 Amps.
And third, there must be a condensate drain installed within three feet of the existing water heater. The drain doesn't have to be reserved exclusively for use with this future heat pump water heater, and it can be shared with other nearby laundry or plumbing facilities.
And then there are a couple exceptions to these provisions, which all depend on what system will actually be installed. So first, just like for the heat pump readiness requirement, if the dwelling unit is served by a central hot water system, the unit doesn't need these heat pump water heating readiness features. Second, there are a few carve-outs for electric and gas tankless in-unit water heating systems. So we have a little chart here that shows the various exceptions that exist for these provisions. So we can see on the chart that the circuit is not required for any electrical system because there would already be a circuit in place that could be used for a future heat pump water heater. The reserve space volume isn't required for any systems except for a gas water heater with a tank. And the drain is only required if the installed system is electric with a tank of at least 50 gallons or gas with any size tank. So refer back to that chart and our specs to see which of those heat pump readiness provisions applies to given designs.
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The third readiness requirement is for PV readiness, which also has a few pieces to it. So first off, the builder must designate and reserve a solar ready zone, which covers at least 40% of the available roof area. The zone must be free from obstructions and can be one single area or it can be split into multiple areas, but all solar-ready areas must be at least 5 feet across in its narrowest dimension. The zone must also include 5 pounds per square foot of collateral dead load in the design. The main electric service panel for the building must have space reserved to allow for the installation of a dual pole circuit breaker to tie in a future solar electric system, which is labeled, “For future solar electric.” And documentation must show a pathway for conduit or piping to run from the reserved solar zone to the main service panel. And the certificate posted near the panel must relate this info as well. And if the building doesn't have a main electric service panel serving the entire building, then an electric service panel serving common space can be used for this provision. And if the building also doesn't have an electric service panel serving common space, then this requirement shall be applied to the electric service panels within individual dwelling units. And if we end up using this approach, at least one half of the dwelling units in the building must meet these requirements.
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As mentioned on the previous slide, one of the four PV-ready requirements for Multifamily Version 2 is for a solar ready zone. The solar ready zone's area must be 40% of the available roof area. There are specific instructions for exactly how to calculate the available roof area to be used when determining the area of the solar ready zone, and here's a quick example of some of the items to be aware of. First, the available roof area does not include any skylights, occupied roof decks, like a rooftop patio, or vegetated roof areas. The available roof area also does not include mandatory access and setback areas as required by the International Fire Code. This includes areas like a clear perimeter around the roof's edge and other required clear pathways to access hatches, standpipes, et cetera. So, as we can see here, the available roof area is often a much smaller area than the whole area of the building's roof.
When you take away all the sections highlighted in orange, what remains is the total available roof area to be used for the purpose of calculating what's required under the ENH program provision for the solar ready zone. So take 40% of the available roof area, and you're left with the area that's required to be reserved as a solar ready zone on a multifamily building.
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There are five exceptions that exempt the project from having to complete the PV-Ready Checklist. And if any one of these is claimed, then the rater needs to retain documentation that it was used and have evidence that the exception does indeed apply. So first off, if there's already an onsite PV system that provides at least one watt per square foot, then the building is exempt. Secondly, if there's a legally binding long-term agreement for a community solar system to provide energy to the building, it doesn't need to meet the PV ready provisions. The agreement should have a duration of at least 15 years and be written to survive full or partial transfer of ownership of the property.
Third, if the roof area is shaded for more than 70% of the daylight hours annually, or more than three quarters of the roof is considered as steep, and it's not oriented between 110 and 270 degrees of true north (meaning oriented in that southerly direction), the building is exempt. And then finally, if there's too many rooftop obstructions, the building may be exempted. Obstructions include things like rooftop units, skylights, green roofs, patios, et cetera.
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Okay, the final readiness requirement and the last mandatory requirement for Multifamily V2 is electric vehicle readiness, EV readiness. To determine the number of EVSE, EV-Ready, and EV-Capable spaces for a project, first, calculate the number of spaces equal to 20% of the spaces provided for resident parking or 20% of the dwelling units, whichever's less. Round up to the nearest whole number – at least half of these spaces must be EVSE. The remaining spaces may be any combination of EVSE, EV-Ready, and/or EV-Capable.
For example, a parking lot shared by 70 dwelling units and providing 62 spaces for resident parking would require at least 7 EVSE spaces and 6 EVSE, EV-Capable, or EV-Ready spaces. 20% of 62 equals 12.4, rounded up to the nearest whole number, which is 13. And then at least half of 13 must be EVSE, which gives us 7. And then remaining number of spaces, 6, must be any combination of EVSE, EV-Ready, and EV-Capable. And of course, we have some exceptions to the requirements.
The first exception is a complete exemption from the EV-Ready requirement, and it applies if the builder simply doesn't provide any parking, or the energy use of the provided parking isn't the responsibility of the developer, builder, building owner, or property manager. The other two exceptions here aren't complete exceptions. Rather, they just would provide a reduction in the number of spaces that would need to be provided. So the first of these is if the local utility isn't able to provide enough distribution capacity within two years of the estimated certificate of occupancy date, then the required number of EVSE, Ready, and Capable spaces can be reduced based on the capacity that is available. Additionally, if the capacity increases required by these provisions would increase the utility side cost to the builder/developer by more than $450 per dwelling unit, then the same thing happens, the EVSE, Ready, and Capable spaces can be reduced based on the capacity that is available. And if either of these last two exceptions applies, then the rater needs to keep documentation from the utility and record the percentage of parking that is EVSE, Ready, or Capable in the as-built project.
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Here we'll describe exactly what each space type requires. There are provisions provided for systems either with or without an energy management system. So starting on the left, EV-Capable spaces must have a raceway or cable assembly running from the electrical distribution equipment (the panel board) to a box within 6 feet of the space. It needs to be sized for 6.2 kVA, and capacity needs to be reserved in the panel, but it doesn't need to be energized. If an energy management system is installed, then the raceway can be sized for 2.1 kVA and only 2.1 kVA of capacity needs to be available from the panel. And the breaker and box must be labeled, “For EVSE.”
Moving over, EV-Ready spaces are almost the same as EV-Capable, but instead of a raceway or cable assembly, an actual circuit does need to be installed, providing 6.2 kVA per space or 2.1 kVA per space with an energy management system. Capacity, again, needs to be reserved from the panel accordingly. This circuit doesn't need to be energized, but again, must be labeled as “For EVSE” at the enclosure or outlet and at the panel board.
Finally, EVSE spaces – that is, spaces provided with electric vehicle service equipment – must have chargers available that can provide 6.2 kVA per space, which is 30 Amps at 208/240 voltage, or 2.1 kVA per space, which is 10 Amps at 208/240 voltage. If there's an energy management system, the lower tier applies. The circuit and electrical distribution equipment must also be sized and rated appropriately to provide this capacity. EVSE spaces must be energized and ready to use.
There's also an alternative pathway for projects to comply with the EV ready requirements using low power level 2 charging without an energy management system. In this case, 20% of the spaces provided for residents must be EVSE, but no additional EV-Capable or Ready spaces are required. The low power level 2 spaces must provide no less than 3.3 kW to each space or 16 Amps at 208/240 voltage.
Sarah Santiago-Cok:
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Next, we'll go over some key program documents for Multifamily Version 2 that are available on the Efficient New Homes website.
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Each of the mandatory requirements that we went over are identified in the Multifamily Program's three rater checklists. The National Rater Checklist covers everything from the co-requisite certifications to the heat pump and heat pump water heater ready requirements, while the PV- and EV-Ready Checklists focus specifically on those two more complicated requirements, respectively. If you have questions or need clarification on any language you find in these program documents, please reach out to your HCO or MRO and they may provide interpretations. You're also welcome to reach out to the technical support team for the program at EfficientNewHomes@doe.gov.
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So this is the page on the Efficient New Homes website where you can find the Multifamily Version 2 documents. You go to the Program Requirements page, then click on “Multifamily Version 2,” and this page appears. The three checklists we mentioned earlier, the National Rater Checklist, PV Checklist, and EV Checklist, all appear here. The Policy Record can also be found here. One final verification document that all raters need to be able to use is the Multifamily Workbook. This Excel workbook is found on the ENERGY STAR website rather than the DOE Efficient New Homes website, where the other Efficient New Homes documents are published.
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The multifamily workbook must be filled out in its entirety for Prescriptive and ASHRE path projects and for ERI path projects on a case-by-case basis. Sometimes, ERI path projects will have common space elements that aren't represented in a typical unit-level ERI model, and these elements can be captured in the Multifamily Workbook, helping projects using a whole-building approach to meeting things like the envelope requirements to be verified appropriately.
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So, if you navigate to the Multifamily Program Requirements page of EnergyStar.gov and scroll down to Supporting Documents, you can download the Multifamily Workbook. This Excel-based workbook can serve as a central place to document various program requirements.
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For more details on how to use the workbook, there is a webinar on the DOE Efficient New Homes Education Hub.
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This concludes the first part of our Efficient New Homes Multifamily Version 2 training. Part 2 will cover the performance targets for the different compliance paths, as well as the certification process and additional information on program documents.
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Thank-you for watching this Efficient New Homes Program Multifamily Version 2 training. For more information, please visit the website to view program documents, frequently asked questions, technical resources, and more. You can also reach out to the Efficient New Homes team at EfficientNewHomes@doe.gov. We're happy to answer any technical questions regarding the DOE Efficient New Homes program. Thanks for tuning in!