2120 Milvia Street, 2nd Floor, Berkeley, CA 94704
TEL: (510) 981-7439, TDD: (510) 981-7474
Office Hours: Mon-  Fri 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., Email: Energy@ci.berkeley.ca.us

Commercial Energy Conservation Ordinance
(CECO)  Ordinance 6176-N.S.

Check here for the Residential Energy Conservation Ordinance (RECO )

Steps to CECO Compliance

When to Apply

You need to apply for CECO when you:

• plan to sell your commercial property

• submit plans for renovations of more than $50,000 or additions which will increase the conditioned area of your commercial property by more than 10%

How to Apply

• Complete CECO Form 1 "General Application" and mail application (or submit in person) along with a $16.50 filing fee to the Permit Service Center Building & Safety Division, 2120 Milvia Street, Berkeley, CA  94704.  Make check payable to:  City of Berkeley

• Call to request an Energy Audit.  Community Energy Services Corporation is the only authorized CECO Auditor.  Telephone: 510-981-7762.  Your call will be returned within one working day.

The audit will be completed and filed in the Building & Safety Division within ten working days of your call.  If you request an expedited CECO audit, your audit will be scheduled and forms processed within five working days.

Audit Fees:

• Class I Audit:  $180.00/audit for 30,000 sq. ft. or less; includes all energy systems except for hot water boilers or steam boilers, multi-zone HVAC systems, chillers or commercial refrigeration equipment.

• Class II Audit: $250/audit for 30,000 sq. ft. or less; includes ALL systems.

• Greater than 30,000 sq. ft.:

                   Class I Audit:  $0.01/square foot of total conditioned floor space

                   Class II Audit:  $0.02/square foot of total conditioned floor space

Please note that the expedited fee is double the regular audit fee.

The fee is due and payable to the auditor at the time of the audit.

The applicant will be charged $115.00 if they do not show at the appointed time or within 15 minutes of the appointed time.  An applicant may reschedule or cancel an appointment without charge if they call at least one working day before the appointment.

Please have someone familiar with the building and its mechanical systems available to unlock the doors, locate equipment. and operate the building system controls for the auditor.  If the auditor must make a second visit to the site to gather information that was not available on the first visit, or to access a part of the building that was inaccessible on the first visit, the applicant will be charged an additional $90.00.

You may also conduct a self-audit.  See "Performing a Self Audit for CECO" for more information (available at the Building & Safety Office, 2120 Milvia St., or through the Office of Energy & Sustainable Development, 2180 Milvia St, 2nd. fl.). This booklet provides detailed steps for checking all energy systems, equipment and appliances for CECO compliance.

How to Comply after the Audit is Completed

• Install the specified energy measures. As per the ordinance, you must comply with all the measures identified, up to the expenditure limit for your building.

• Call Codes and Inspections to make an appointment.  If you are renovating, the inspection fee is part of the valuation of the permit; otherwise the inspection fee will be $90.00.  Call 981-7444 to set up an inspection (this is a 24-hour phone line.)
           -- Have your Permit (Application) Number ready
           -- Give the address of the project to be inspected
           -- Indicate the type of inspection (What will the inspector be inspecting?)
           -- Give the day of the week and date of the inspection requested. (ex: Monday, June 1, 2007)
   NOTE:  Inspections are automatically scheduled for the next City of Berkeley business day if call is received before 5:00 pm and no specific date is requested.

• Receive Certification of Compliance.  When your building passes inspection, you will receive your copy of CECO Form 2 showing what measure(s) have been installed or complied with.

The following CECO forms are now available online as PDF files.  These should be printed on legal-sized paper (8 1/2" x 14").

For more information, see the printed brochure, "Information about the City of Berkeley's Commercial Energy Conservation Ordinance", or the actual Ordinance 6176-N.S. which is the controlling document, available at the Permit Service Center, 2120 Milvia Street at Center Street.

Updated October 9, 2007

Text-Only Sidebar / City of Berkeley Home / Departments / Housing Department Home / Energy and Sustainable Development