Measure Overview
Title 24 Part 6 sets requirements for pool heating systems. The current requirements are triggered when a new pool is built with a heating system or when an existing pool adds a heating system for the first time. The code requires the use of one of the following compliance options:
- solar thermal systems for pool and spa heating (excluding portable electric spas)
- heat pump pool heaters (HPPH) meeting specified coefficient of performance (COP), sizing, and controls criteria
- on-site renewable energy or site-recovered energy systems
- a combination of a solar pool heating system and heat pump pool heater without any additional supplementary heater
- or a pool heating system determined by the California Energy Commission (CEC) Executive Director to use no more energy than the previous system.
The proposed code change would expand the scope of the swimming pool and spa heating requirements to include existing nonresidential pools that are replacing an existing pool heating system. Single-family residential pools, multifamily pools, and hotel/motel pools with an existing pool heater, however, would remain exempt from these requirements and may replace their heating system with the same technology.
The proposal would add pools to Exception 5, which currently applies only to permanent spas with inadequate solar access roof area (SARA). The proposal would not require specific pool heating requirements for pools where there is inadequate solar area roof access to accommodate solar heating.
The proposal would leave the remaining exceptions unchanged.
Share your input today
(and receive a gift card or donation to your
local United Way!)
The Statewide Utility Codes and Standards Team is conducting a survey to inform nonresidential code change proposals for the 2028 California Building Efficiency Standards (Title 24, Part 6).
In appreciation, we will send you a $20 Tango gift card or donate this amount to your local United Way upon completion of the survey.
Take the SurveyScope of Proposed Code Change
| Building Type(s) | Construction Type(s) | Type of Change | Updates to Compliance Software | Third Party Verification |
| Nonresidential | Additions, alterations | Mandatory | No updates | No changes to third party verification |
Justification for Proposed Change
California is home to one of the largest pool markets in the nation, and pool heating represents a major energy use—especially in nonresidential and multifamily settings where pools are often heated year-round. Expanding heating source system requirements to include alterations where the pool heater must be replaced at existing commercial pools would save pool owners significant costs and support California’s long-term decarbonization goals.
The existing code provides flexibility through compliance pathways that include solar thermal systems, heat pump pool heaters and on-site renewable energy or energy recovery. Solar thermal systems are a commercially available and reliable technology. The installation of solar thermal collectors in existing buildings with pools or spas can become the primary source of heating while enabling existing heating systems to serve as backup sources only when necessary. The proposed measure would build on the foundational work from the 2025 code cycle and would take a strategic step toward transforming the market. Prior analysis by the Statewide CASE Team found the measure to be cost-effective.
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.