A CF1R is not just an energy-report cover sheet. It is the single-family Certificate of Compliance used to document the approved design and equipment at permit application, as explained on Energy Code Ace’s official 2025 residential forms page.

Reading it before construction helps the owner, contractor, installer, energy consultant, and rater work from the same scope. When the document lists field verification, Poppy Energy can coordinate the measures through its full-service ECC/HERS testing service.

Document Purpose and Version

Start with the form edition, project address, permit scope, compliance approach, and registration information. Permit applications submitted on or after January 1, 2026 must use approved 2025 compliance software, according to the CEC’s 2025 compliance-software page.

The form prefix tells you its stage. The CEC’s 2025 single-family forms library defines CF1R as Certificate of Compliance, CF2R as Certificate of Installation, and CF3R as Certificate of Verification. Those records serve different roles and should not be substituted for one another.

Confirm that you are reading the latest approved revision. If the mechanical design, envelope assembly, water heater, floor area, or other modeled input changed, ask the document author whether a revised compliance package is required rather than marking up an obsolete CF1R in the field.

Feature Summary: Your Verification Index

On a 2025-code performance report, find the ECC Feature Summary. The CEC says this is the renamed successor to the HERS Feature Summary and identifies measures requiring FV&DT in its ECC Program FAQ.

Read each row across. Capture the measure name, system or dwelling-unit identifier, quantity, and any linked form designation. Then compare that list with the current CF2R and CF3R catalog, which groups installation and verification forms by envelope, mechanical, plumbing, and other systems.

If the feature summary is blank or unclear, do not assume testing is waived. Verify that the correct certificate and all continuation pages were provided, then ask the energy consultant or authority having jurisdiction to resolve the discrepancy.

Responsible Parties

The design author prepares the compliance documentation, the installer documents installed work, the ECC-Rater performs applicable independent verification, and the enforcement agency reviews required compliance records. These stages are reflected in the CEC forms library’s CF1R, CF2R, and CF3R categories.

When ECC measures apply, forms flow through an approved provider registry. The CEC states that ECC-Providers train and certify ECC-Raters and operate residential data registries on its ECC-Provider page, while CHEERS describes its registry as a shared platform used by building professionals and building departments.

That division of responsibility matters: a passing field test does not correct an equipment mismatch in the design documents, and an installer signature does not replace a required CF3R verification.

Required Measures

Create a one-page handoff table from the feature summary:

CF1R item	Project identifier	Installer form	Rater form	Best field stage	Status
Copy the exact feature name	Copy the system/zone/unit ID	Record the listed CF2R	Record the listed CF3R	Confirm with rater	Open / ready / passed

Do not populate generic test names from memory. The Energy Code Ace 2025 forms page lists distinct documents for building leakage, QII framing and insulation stages, ducts, airflow, fan efficacy, refrigerant charge, ventilation, water heating, and other measures; applicability depends on the CF1R.

Poppy scheduling recommendation: place every listed measure on the construction schedule and ask the rater when the relevant work must be accessible. Do not infer timing from a form name alone. For example, 2025 Reference Residential Appendix RA3.1 provides different duct-leakage procedures for final and rough-in configurations, and RA3.5 contains the QII installation and inspection procedures.

Equipment Match

Compare the installed model numbers and system identifiers with the CF1R equipment schedule before requesting verification. The CF1R exists to document the project’s compliant design and equipment, and CF2Rs document the installation, according to Energy Code Ace’s form descriptions.

Check at least:

Indoor and outdoor HVAC unit identifiers and the system pairing
Heating and cooling type and fuel
Rated capacities and efficiencies shown on the approved schedule
Water-heater type, fuel, location, and distribution description
Duct location and whether existing or new ducts are in scope
Ventilation equipment and controls
Envelope assemblies or QII entries when listed

If the installed product differs, stop and coordinate with the contractor and energy consultant. Do not ask the rater to “approve” a substitute outside the approved documents; resolve whether the design must be revised first.

What to Send the Rater

Poppy scheduling recommendation: send a complete packet to reduce back-and-forth:

Full current CF1R, including the feature summary and continuation pages
Permit address, jurisdiction, permit number if issued, and code cycle
Approved equipment schedule and clear photos of manufacturer model labels
Count and identifiers for systems, dwelling units, zones, or measures
Duct scope and access conditions for HVAC work
Construction stage and any areas about to be concealed
Installer and site-contact information
Registry project details if already created

The CEC’s ECC guidance makes the certificate the source of required FV&DT, so sending only an invoice or permit card is not an equivalent handoff.

Common CF1R Reading Mistakes

Using the wrong revision. Compare dates, registration information, and approved plan-set references.
Reading only the first page. Feature summaries and equipment schedules may appear later in the package.
Treating “HERS” and “ECC” as different tests on the same code cycle. The CEC explains the terminology transition in its ECC Program FAQ.
Assuming every listed feature is verified at final. Use the matching procedure: Table RA3.1-2 of the 2025 Reference Appendices, for example, identifies both final and rough-in duct-leakage paths.
Ignoring system IDs. A multi-system project needs documents tied to the right equipment and location.
Confusing California compliance with a national RESNET HERS Index. The CEC separates ECC compliance testing from optional whole-house rating.
Ordering from a generic checklist. Start with the certificate; for the decision process, read when ECC/HERS testing is required in California.

The reliable method is to trace each CF1R feature to the responsible installer, the matching installation record, the matching verification record, and the point in the schedule when the work can actually be inspected or tested.

How to Read a CF1R and Find Required ECC Verifications