The Performance Path of the 2023 Florida Building Energy Conservation code allows for construction with a variety of additional energy saving technologies. To claim the benefits of one of these systems for your home’s performance, the system has to be installed/modeled according to the requirements under section R405.7.
The performance path doesn’t require that the proposed home claim any of these credits (i.e. it’s not necessary that the home claims a minimum number of credits); the credits instead define how one of the following technologies should be installed/modeled if you want the home’s performance to benefit from their inclusion. For example, if the builder wishes to install a radiant barrier to improve the cooling consumption of the home, the radiant barrier has to comply with the criteria for such systems in R405.7.1.
We’ve outlined below which of these technologies are currently supported within Ekotrope RATER, and how to demonstrate compliance for these credit options within the model, so you can claim the improvements they offer for your home’s energy performance.
This credit may be claimed by selecting the ‘Has Radiant Barrier’ checkbox in a ceiling assembly. Only claim this credit if the radiant barrier installed in your home meets the requirements of R405.7.1; This must be documented outside of the app.
This credit can be claimed by selecting the ‘Florida 2023 Code Cool Roof Option’ checkbox in the Codes & Programs tab on a design. You may claim this credit if the installed roof has a tested solar reflectance of greater than 4%, i.e. an absorptance of less than 0.96.
If the checkbox is not checked the rated home will default to use the absorptance value of the reference home, which is 0.75. If the modeled absorptance is greater than 0.96, the value will remain unchanged if the checkbox is checked or unchecked.
This credit can be claimed by modeling an attic that is a ‘Vaulted Roof / Exposed Exterior’, or a ‘Sealed Attic’. See our article on roof location types for more information on the roof options.
This credit can be claimed by selecting the ‘Natural Ventilation’ checkbox in the Mechanical tab. The requirements for cross ventilation can’t be demonstrated within the software, so this will need to be documented outside of the app.
The cross ventilation option can’t be used at the same time as the ceiling fan option (R405.7.6); if the home is eligible for both options, whichever option provides greater savings will be used.
This credit can be claimed by modeling a Whole House Fan on the Mechanical tab which meets the “minimum of 20 air changes per hour for the entire house” requirement. Additional requirements regarding the turbine vents will need to be documented outside of the app.
This credit can be claimed by selecting the ‘Florida 2023 Code Ceiling Fan Option’ checkbox in the Codes & Programs tab. The modeled ceiling fan must be EnergyStar certified to comply with this requirement. This credit provides a 2% benefit for the home’s cooling normalized end use loads.
There is a QA check associated with this credit. Since the credit is optional, the QA check is automatically passing, but if you claim the Ceiling Fan option while the home doesn’t have a modeled ceiling fan, the QA check will fail.
Note: This credit cannot be claimed alongside the credit for Cross Ventilation. If the cooling savings with natural ventilation is greater than the savings gained with the 2% ceiling fan credit, then the 2% credit won’t be applied to the proposed home. If the 2% credit provides greater savings, then the proposed home will not use natural ventilation.
Ekotrope RATER does not support modeling with Heat Recovery Units at this time, so compliance with this credit would need to be demonstrated outside of the app.
This credit can be claimed by modeling a Heat Pump Water Heater (HPWH) on the Mechanical tab. In Ekotrope RATER, HPWHs are modeled as Residential Water Heaters, with efficiencies greater than 1. The energy savings of a HPWH in the RATER software is captured by the increased efficiency of the modeled Residential Water Heater.
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