Measure Overview
The proposed code change would add requirements as a new subsection to Section 120.6(f) of the California Building Energy Efficiency Standard’s mandatory requirements for elevators. The changes would add mandatory requirements for the power conversion system, which drives the elevator motor. Existing code requirements for elevator lighting and ventilation efficiency would not be affected. The existing exception for healthcare facilities would not be changed.
This would impact new elevators that meet the following criteria:
- Have a rise equal to or greater than 20 feet.
- Have a load capacity equal to or greater than 2,000 lbs.
- Have a rated speed equal to or greater than 150 feet per minute.
- Use counterweighted traction technology (hydraulic elevators are exempt)
The elevators meeting the above criteria would be required to have a regenerative drive that recovers potential energy and returns it to the building electrical system rather than dissipating the electricity in a resistor bank. The drive would have to meet or exceed a 90 percent total power factor.
Provide Feedback
This measure page will be updated as the 2028 code cycle progresses. For questions or suggestions, submit feedback to [email protected]. Please include the measure name in the subject line.
View the Energy Commission's proceedings and available proposed code language by visiting their CEC 2028 Proceedings Website page.
Scope of Proposed Code Change
| Building Type(s) | Construction Type(s) | Type of Change | Updates to Compliance Software | Third Party Verification |
| Nonresidential | New construction, additions, alterations | Mandatory | No updates | No changes to third party verification |
Justification for Proposed Change
Elevator operation accounts for 2-5 percent of electricity usage in modern buildings, and more than 1,000 commercial traction elevators are constructed in California each year. Requiring the use of regenerative drives would provide building owners with significant cost savings over the 30-year analysis period. Regenerative drives are already found on most high-rise traction elevators and some low-rise elevators. This proposal would expand the use of regeneration to all elevators serving a rise of 20 feet or more, approximately equivalent to a three-story building. The cost of adding a regenerative drive and enabling its use is small to negligible, and the lifecycle savings is high, leading to an overwhelming cost-effective efficiency improvement for building owners. Reduced energy use by the elevator system yields additional reductions in the cooling load of the building by reducing heat in the elevator machine room.
The Statewide CASE Team engaged stakeholders during the previous Title 24 2025 code cycle on this topic. Additional work is on-going in ASHRAE and International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) national model code efforts that align with this Title 24, 2028 traction elevator proposal.
The European Union commissioned an effort to establish a framework for setting efficiency requirements for elevators. The effort started in 2017 and lasted two years. The final report examined existing elevator standards and a feasibility and cost-effective analysis of approaches to elevator efficiency.
Relevant Documents
Round One Utility-Sponsored Stakeholder Meeting Materials
-
Use the form above to provide feedback on this measure.
Give Us Your Feedback
The Statewide CASE Team values input from all stakeholders engaged in the Title 24, Part 6 code change process. We encourage the open exchange of code change comments and concerns.