New Program, Same System: CHEERS and the 2025 ECC Program

Highlights from the CEC Blueprint Newsletter (Spring 2026)

California’s HERS Program for field verification and diagnostic testing has transitioned to the Energy Code Compliance (ECC) Program under the 2025 Energy Code, effective January 1, 2026, for all building projects.

The name has changed, but the work hasn’t stopped. CHEERS is an approved ECC Provider for newly constructed buildings, additions, and alterations, and ECC Raters certified through CHEERS can continue supporting applicable projects with the required field verification, diagnostic testing, and compliance documentation.

A quick note on scope: field verification and diagnostic testing requirements apply to single-family and low-rise multifamily buildings, specifically, multifamily buildings with three habitable stories or fewer. High-rise multifamily buildings (four stories or more) follow a different path: installing contractors handle the required testing and verification, with the exception of Indoor Air Quality.

The transition also brings some real changes behind the scenes, as outlined in the CEC Blueprint Newsletter (Spring 2026). ECC Raters now go through updated training requirements covering all FV&DT protocols, and the program has introduced new definitions for “ECC-Rater Company” and “Independent ECC-Rater” to clarify how oversight and credentialing work. Quality assurance has also expanded, with more structured on-site and data review audits. Project teams will additionally need to provide building owners with two new documents: a Consumer Information Form explaining the ECC Program and how to file complaints, and a Project/Building Owner Report summarizing the compliance work performed.

For a top-line overview of the program, including when field verification and diagnostic testing is required and how to locate a certified ECC Rater, see the California Energy Commission’s ECC Provider Counter Sheet. For the full rundown of what’s changed, read the CEC Blueprint Newsletter (Spring 2026).

View the 2025 Energy Code Compliance (ECC) Providers Counter Sheet

Read the CEC Blueprint Newsletter (Spring 2026)

Learn more about CHEERS and find a certified ECC Rater at cheers.org.