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The CEPE exam has 70 questions and runs 3 hours 30 minutes.
These 10 free CEPE questions are organized by exam domain, so you can see how each part of the Commercial Energy Plans Examiner blueprint is tested. Reveal the answer and explanation under each question.
The envelope schedule for a new Group R-2 apartment building with five stories above grade plane uses the 2024 IECC commercial provisions but selects the 'All other' column because the building is classified as commercial for energy-code purposes. Which basis should govern this envelope review?
Correct answer: D - Retain the commercial provisions and use the Group R envelope column.
A Group B office in Climate Zone 5A uses the 2024 IECC simulated-building-performance route. Its applicable requirements are 71 energy-efficiency credits and 38 renewable-energy/load-management credits. The reference design's annual energy cost is $240,000; the proposed design's is $182,000. All mandatory provisions are satisfied. Using PAEC = 100 × (0.825 − ECr/1,000), which annual-cost finding belongs in the review?
Correct answer: C - It fails: the allowable annual energy cost is $180,960.
A new school in Climate Zone 5A records whole-building leakage of 0.40 cfm/ft² at 75 Pa, using total above- and below-grade envelope area. An approved third party completes pressurized smoke-tracer diagnostics and visual inspection, and all identified leaks that can be sealed without damage are sealed. A reviewer still demands removal of finished walls and another test. Under the 2024 IECC, what remains necessary for the applicable compliance route?
Correct answer: C - Obtain the corrective-action report for submission to the code official and building owner.
An outpatient clinic's 2024 IECC air-barrier detail includes the note: 'Apply adhesive caulk around every concealed sprinkler cover plate.' The ceiling is part of the air barrier, and the designer cites continuity at penetrations to justify the note. How should the detail reconcile airtightness with sprinkler operation?
Correct answer: D - Use the sprinkler manufacturer's sealing method; leave cover-plate gaps free of adhesive sealant.
Horizontal steel cladding-support rails bear continuously against the structure of a Climate Zone 5A commercial building. Exterior continuous insulation is cut to fit between the rails, and the air-barrier joints are sealed. The project uses the 2024 IECC prescriptive provisions without an alternative thermal-bridge design. What does the prescriptive detail require at these supports?
Correct answer: A - Offset the rails so continuous insulation passes behind them between fastening points.
A retail building's rooftop unit must provide integrated economizer operation under the 2024 IECC. Outdoor conditions permit economizer cooling, but outdoor air alone cannot satisfy the load. The outdoor-air damper is fully open and coil-leaving air is 58°F. The proposed sequence locks out the compressor whenever the economizer operates. To meet the remaining cooling demand, the controls should:
Correct answer: A - Permit mechanical cooling while retaining the fully open outdoor-air damper.
The designer omits demand-controlled ventilation (DCV) from a public library's 290-ft² meeting room in Climate Zone 4A because the room is small. A single-zone system with an air-side economizer provides ventilation in accordance with the 2024 IECC. The sequence maintains design outdoor airflow whenever the room is occupied; there is no energy recovery or applicable DCV exception. Which ventilation-control requirement applies?
Correct answer: B - Add demand-controlled ventilation under the single-zone economizer provision.
Select the heater replacement that satisfies both 2024 IECC high-input service-water-heating requirements. A new hospital proposes two qualifying high-capacity gas heaters on one system: 400,000 Btu/h input at 96% thermal efficiency and 1,200,000 Btu/h input at 89%. Each replacement retains the input capacity of the heater it replaces. No high-input-system exception applies. Which proposal meets both the capacity-weighted efficiency and high-efficiency input-share criteria?
Correct answer: D - Specify a 93%-efficient replacement for the larger heater; retain the smaller unit.
The 2024 IECC lighting drawings for a 360-ft² enclosed office show 90 W of general lighting in the primary sidelit zone. Occupancy controls provide 40% automatic-on, manual off and shutoff after 12 vacant minutes. The luminaires can dim continuously to 5% power, but the controls offer neither manual dimming nor daylight response. No special-application, high-end-trim or daylight exception applies. Which control functions are missing?
Correct answer: B - Add manual dimming and daylight-responsive control using the existing compatible luminaires.
An energy-monitoring submittal for an 18,000-ft² office lists: • Required end-use data: hourly. • Data retention: 30 months. • Incidental plug loads in the HVAC category: 3% of design load, but 12% of recorded consumption during low HVAC operation. All other 2024 IECC monitoring requirements are met. Which part of the submittal needs revision?
Correct answer: C - Extend the data-retention period; retain the proposed end-use metering arrangement.
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