Two JA18-Certified Control Libraries Now on the CEC List — Both Carrier-Owned

Two JA18-certified control-sequence libraries are now verifiably on record with the California Energy Commission, about two months into the 2025 Title 24 code cycle: Carrier's i-Vu building automation system and Automated Logic's WebCTRL, both certified effective February 20, 2026. Notably, both belong to the same parent — Automated Logic is a subsidiary of Carrier Global Corporation (NYSE: CARR) — so the first certified libraries on California's list trace back to a single corporate owner.

The 2025 Energy Code took effect January 1, 2026, and the first JA18 certifications became effective February 20, 2026. That means by late April 2026 there is roughly two months of certified-library activity to look at — not enough of a track record to characterize compliance trends, and certainly not enough to declare a winner among compliance paths.

Carrier had submitted its i-Vu application libraries to the CEC on December 19, 2025, a filing widely read in the controls trade as an early move to lock in CEC-approved sequence libraries before competitors. Automated Logic's WebCTRL library cleared on the same February 20 effective date.

A Vocabulary Mismatch Worth Flagging

The phrase "pre-certified libraries" gets thrown around loosely in the field, and it pays to be precise. The relevant question is which libraries align with the sequences of operation in ASHRAE Guideline 36 — the way most controls integrators use the term — and have an actual CEC certification on file. By that standard, two are on the books today: Carrier i-Vu and Automated Logic WebCTRL. That's the count to use when comparing notes with a manufacturer.

Both certified libraries and custom sequences remain allowable compliance paths under the 2025 code, and with only two months of certified-library history it is far too early to forecast which approach will dominate California controls work.

The Contractor-vs-Manufacturer Split

The cleanest takeaway from the CEC response is one that's been muddied in trade-press coverage: JA18 requirements apply to manufacturers, not contractors. A contractor's job is narrower — install a JA18-certified control library, then complete the compliance form using a library version that appears in CEC's certified directory. The documentation burden of proving a library actually meets JA18 sits with the manufacturer that submits it.

That distinction has practical consequences when scoping a Title 24 commercial job. If your specified controls vendor doesn't have a certified library on file, you don't get to invent one in the field. You either pick a vendor that does, or you write a custom sequence and submit it for peer review.

Mateo Vasquez, who runs Long Beach Air Conditioning & Heating Repairs on Atlantic Avenue, said the manufacturer-side framing changes the conversation he's been having with general contractors on commercial bids.

"I've had GCs come to me last quarter asking if my guys are 'JA18 certified.' That's not a thing — there's no contractor stamp," Vasquez said. "What they actually want to know is whether I'm specifying a controls package that's already on the CEC list, because that's what gets the project closed out clean. Once you frame it that way, the vendor selection conversation happens at design, not at startup."

No Standard Timeframe, and the Practical Read

Asked how long it takes CEC to review a manufacturer-submitted library after it lands on the agency's desk, staff effectively said: it depends. Submittals vary by system architecture and by the completeness of the evidence package a manufacturer provides. A clean filing with airtight documentation can move through; a thin or sloppy one can sit through multiple rounds of clarification.

For a contractor watching the certified list to fill out, the absence of a published timeline is its own kind of signal. Vasquez put it bluntly: "Nobody's going to spec a vendor whose library is 'in review.' If you're a manufacturer and you're not certified by the time the design engineer is locking in equipment, you're already out of the running on that job. The lag matters more than the rule."

Early, Quiet, and Easy to Misread

With the first certified libraries only effective since late February 2026, there is little public evidence yet of recurring JA18 compliance problems — but that quiet is mostly an artifact of timing, not proof of a smooth rollout. The absence of complaints this early isn't the same as the absence of problems in the field. The kind of fights that produce formal complaints tend to surface during punch-list and final inspection — not during early submittals.

Vasquez agrees the quiet stretch is partly an artifact of where most jobs sit in the cycle. "Most of the projects starting up in Q1 were already designed before JA18 went live. The real test is the new builds that hit the design phase this year and start commissioning in late 2026 and 2027. Until those punch out, you're not going to see the friction points show up on anybody's desk."

We'll keep watching the certified list as more manufacturers clear review and the first round of JA18 commissioning reports comes through. For related coverage, see our pieces on Carrier's commercial vs. residential split in Q4 2025 and the 2026 EPA refrigerant transition.

Sources

• Automated Logic. "Automated Logic Receives Title 24 JA18 Control Certification from California Energy Commission." automatedlogic.com
• Carrier. "Carrier Expands i-Vu BAS with Title 24 Guideline 36 Sequences and JA18 Certification." carrier.com
• California Energy Commission. "Blueprint" newsletter — 2025 Energy Code and ASHRAE Guideline 36 / Reference Joint Appendix JA18 guidance. energy.ca.gov