California Energy Design Assistance Benefits

The California Energy Design Assistance (CEDA) program offers comprehensive benefits that support architects, engineers, developers, and building owners in designing cost-effective, energy-efficient, and all-electric new construction projects. Through financial incentives, energy modeling, and expert support, CEDA helps projects meet California’s ambitious decarbonization goals while reducing long-term energy costs.

CEDA provides energy modeling and cost-benefit analysis to identify energy-saving opportunities across mechanical, lighting, and envelope systems. Our team helps you evaluate options that reduce operational energy use and carbon emissions while maximizing long-term ROI.

• Reduce lifecycle energy use
• Achieve deeper energy savings through high-performance measures
• Align with California energy codes and decarbonization targets

CEDA provides financial incentives and other inducements to help offset the costs of implementing decarbonization strategies. These incentives support the implementation of energy-efficient and high-performance measures but are not intended to cover all incremental costs associated with those measures. Incentives available through the Heat Pump Initiative may differ from those offered through Standard CEDA.

Owner Incentives

CEDA provides owner incentives to help offset the cost of implementing energy-efficient and high-performance design strategies. These incentives support decarbonization efforts but are not intended to cover all cost increases associated with the measures.

Incentive amounts are based on the projected energy savings of your project. Additional incentives may be available for projects that go beyond code requirements by incorporating high-performance measures—such as electrification, advanced HVAC systems, or envelope upgrades. Incentives may also be increased when project teams share key insights at completion, such as cost details, metering data, or design challenges.

Your customized energy report, provided after the discovery call, will outline your estimated total incentive, including any enhancements based on your selected measures and utility partner offerings.

View a list of high-performance measures here: High Performance Measures – California Energy Design Assistance (CEDA)

Design Team Incentive

CEDA recognizes the time and budget constraints design teams face, which is why we offer a $4,000 incentive to support your team’s efforts in implementing decarbonization strategies. This incentive is paid out after bundle selection to encourage and reward innovative, energy-efficient designs.

All qualifying projects receive a complimentary decarbonization analysis tailored to project goals, timelines, and budget. The final report includes:

• Modeled comparisons of energy strategies
• Projected savings and emissions reduction
• Electrification and grid impact insights
• High-performance measure recommendations

This no-cost technical support helps your team identify which energy strategies provide the highest impact and ROI.

Review the program process or connect with our team to explore how CEDA can support your project.

View Program Process →