What’s New in Title 24 Regulations

If you’ve done residential insulation work in California, you’re already familiar with Title 24, California’s Building Energy Efficiency Standard. Title 24 is designed to ensure that the state’s buildings are energy efficient, maintain good indoor environmental quality and further California’s greenhouse gas reduction goals. Standards are updated every three years, with the newest version going into effect Jan. 1, 2023.

There are a few notable changes in the 2022 Title 24 regulations, compared to the previous 2019 version. Since Title 24 is not just insulation specific, we’ve pulled together a few of the highlights and changes to Title 24 regarding insulation, and we’ve got some great resources linked below too.

One of the biggest changes to Title 24 is that single family and multi-family buildings now have their own separate requirements. While similar to requirements for single family homes, multi-family specifications are separated into its own chapter. Multi-family buildings with low-slope roofs have separate requirements, as do walls.

Mandatory minimum insulation in 2x6 framed walls is R-20, for multi-family homes. And Quality Insulation Installation (QII) is still required for all multi-family buildings of three stories or less but is not required over three stories. 

For single family homes, the mandatory minimum insulation in 2x6 framed walls is also R-20, and QII is still a prescriptive requirement. A key highlight for single family homes is that high performance attics and high-performance walls are now required in addition to PV solar. Previous versions of code allowed PV to be used as a limited trade-off.

Another notable change in 2022 Title 24 regulations relates to high performance attics and walls. If HVAC equipment or ducts are in the attic (not in conditioned spaces), the roof above an attic must be insulated to at least R-4 continuous or R-5 in the roof framing cavities. This is a new mandatory requirement for new single-family homes.

For these new requirements, plus all the others within Title 24, Johns Manville has a variety of products to help meet standards. Great options include Climate Pro® blown-in fiberglass, Formaldehyde-free™ fiberglass batts, spray polyurethane foam (open- or Gen IV closed-cell) and AP™ Foil polyiso sheathing.

Remember that while Title 24 applies only to California, other states such as Washington are instituting similar regulations or considering adoption of standards. Stay up to date with government policies and building codes where you are working. 

JM has a resource page with additional information and supporting documents related to Title 24, and we encourage you to check it out for more information.