Owner Operated | RESNET Certified | Serving Five Florida Counties
About Mario Barajas
I started Stellar Building Performance after years of doing this work across Southeast Florida, and I run it as an owner operator. When you book a test, I am the one who shows up, runs it, interprets the result and writes the report. There is no dispatcher, no rotating technician, and no handoff between the person who saw the house and the person who explains the number afterward. For most of the builders we work with, that is the whole reason they moved their testing here.
Get in Touch
we respond quickly. no waiting days for scheduling and reports.
What I Do
My work sits at the point where the energy code, building science and an actual construction schedule collide. That means blower door and duct leakage testing for code compliance, energy and load calculations, diagnostics when a house is not behaving the way it should, and quality assurance for builders and developers who want an independent verifier on their projects. The technical side is the easy part. The harder and more useful part is doing all of it without becoming one more thing standing in the way of your schedule.
Credentials
The certifications behind the work, and only the ones actually in hand.
Currently certified:
Behind the certificates: thousands of homes, townhomes and apartment units personally tested across Southeast Florida, and four years leading building performance and energy conservation work as the field expanded into this market. That experience is the part that does not fit on a certificate, and it is usually what a builder is actually paying for on the day a result comes back unexpected and somebody has to explain why.
How I Work
The short version of what it is like to have us on a project.
1.
You send the project
Plans, the energy calculation, the stage of construction, and the date you need it done by.
2.
I confirm the appointment
Confirmed, not requested. You get a time, and I show up at it.
3.
The Test Gets Run Properly
Set up correctly, run to the standard, and interpreted rather than just recorded. If something is off, you hear it from me on site rather than reading it in a report the next day.
4.
Report delivered by email
Electronic, to everyone on your team who needs it. Nothing gets left in a job box for someone to lose.
5.
You have somebody to call
When the code official has a question, or the number is not what anyone expected, you call me and get an answer from the person who was standing in the house.
Want to Talk Through a Project?
Why Builders Work With Us
Stellar Building Performance
No missed appointments or reschedules
We’re on the same team
Other Inspectors
You’re just another sale
Where We Work
Blower door testing, duct leakage testing, diagnostics and quality assurance throughout Brevard, Indian River, St. Lucie, Martin and Okeechobee Counties.
Recent Projects
A running record of the work, with real results from real houses across this service area.
Frequently asked questions about Stellar Building Performance
I do. Stellar is owner operated, so the person who runs your test is the person who owns the business, writes the report and answers the phone when you call about it two weeks later.
The work splits into three groups, and most builder relationships end up touching all three of them eventually.
Code compliance testing:
Diagnostics and quality assurance:
Brevard, Indian River, St. Lucie, Martin and Okeechobee Counties as standard. For larger multifamily, townhome or affordable housing projects we travel further when the economics justify it, so it is worth asking rather than assuming the answer is no.
Yes, general liability and errors and omissions, and we are used to being named as additional insured where a contract requires it. Send the requirement along with the proposal request and it gets handled before the first visit rather than on the morning of it.
Both. Some of our work is direct with builders, developers and owners. Some is performed in partnership with other energy code firms on their projects. Either way the person standing on your site is the same and the standard is the same.
It depends on the week, and I would rather tell you that than advertise a number I cannot always hit. Tell us the date you need and you will get a straight answer quickly, including when the answer is that the date does not work.
Code Reference
The Code We Work In
Most of what Stellar does traces back to a handful of code sections that decide what gets tested and what number it has to hit. These are the ones that come up on almost every project.
questions? give us a call, this is our specialty!
BIG CHANGES COMING IN 2026 FLORIDA BUILDING CODE UPDATES
Duct Leakage testing to be required on all homes with few exceptions, more stringent compliance targets, mechanical ventilation testing & more. Read our updates bulletin below.
2026 Florida Building Code Energy Conservation: What Builders Need to Know
The line behind most of what we do. Every new home in Florida gets an envelope leakage test, and the result has to reach the code official before the certificate of occupancy is issued.
R402.4.1.2 Testing.
The building or dwelling unit shall be tested and verified as having an air leakage rate not exceeding seven air changes per hour in Climate Zones 1 and 2, and three air changes per hour in Climate Zones 3 through 8. Dwelling units with an air leakage rate less than three air changes per hour shall be provided with whole-house mechanical ventilation in accordance with Section R403.6.1 of this code and Section M1507.3 of the Florida Building Code, Residential. Testing shall be conducted in accordance with ANSI/RESNET/ICC 380 and reported at a pressure of 0.2 inch w.g. (50 pascals). Testing shall be conducted by either individuals as defined in Section 553.993(5) or (7), Florida Statutes, or individuals licensed as set forth in Section 489.105(3)(f), (g) or (i) or an approved third party. A written report of the results of the test shall be signed by the party conducting the test and provided to the code official. Testing shall be performed at any time after creation of all penetrations of the building thermal envelope.
Exception: Testing is not required for additions, alterations, renovations or repairs of the building thermal envelope of existing buildings in which the new construction is less than 85 percent of the building thermal envelope.
During testing:
1.Exterior windows and doors, fireplace and stove doors shall be closed, but not sealed, beyond the intended weatherstripping or other infiltration control measures.
2.Dampers including exhaust, intake, makeup air, backdraft and flue dampers shall be closed, but not sealed beyond intended infiltration control measures.
3.Interior doors, if installed at the time of the test, shall be open.
4.Exterior doors for continuous ventilation systems and heat recovery ventilators shall be closed and sealed.
5.Heating and cooling systems, if installed at the time of the test, shall be turned off.
6.Supply and return registers, if installed at the time of the test, shall be fully open.
7.If an attic is both air sealed and insulated at the roof deck, interior access doors and hatches between the conditioned space volume and the attic shall be opened during the test and the volume of the attic shall be added to the conditioned space volume for purposes of reporting an infiltration volume and calculating the air leakage of the home.
Most Florida projects comply through the performance path, which means the air leakage target comes from the project’s own energy calculation rather than from the code minimum. Working out which number a house is actually being held to is half of what happens before we arrive.
R405.2.2 Building air leakage testing.
Building or dwelling air leakage testing shall be in accordance with Sections R402.4 through R402.4.1.2. If an air leakage rate below seven air changes per hour at a pressure of 0.2 inch w.g. (50 pascals) is specified for the proposed design, testing shall verify the air leakage rate does not exceed the air leakage rate of the proposed design instead of seven air changes per hour.
Duct leakage testing, at rough-in or at final depending on the project. The 2026 code removes the performance path exception, which means a great many projects that never carried duct testing are about to start.
R403.3.3 Duct testing (Mandatory).
Ducts shall be pressure tested to determine air leakage by one of the following methods:
1.Rough-in test: Total leakage shall be measured with a pressure differential of 0.1 inch w.g. (25 Pa) across the system, including the manufacturer’s air handler enclosure if installed at the time of the test. All registers shall be taped or otherwise sealed during the test.
2.Postconstruction test: Total leakage shall be measured with a pressure differential of 0.1 inch w.g. (25 Pa) across the entire system, including the manufacturer’s air handler enclosure. Registers shall be taped or otherwise sealed during the test.
Exceptions:
1.A duct air leakage test shall not be required where the ducts and air handlers are located entirely within the building thermal envelope.
2.Duct testing is not mandatory for buildings complying by Section R405 of this code. Duct leakage testing is required for Section R405 compliance where credit is taken for leakage, and a duct air leakage Qn to the outside of less than 0.080 (where Qn = duct leakage to the outside in cfm per 100 square feet of conditioned floor area tested at 25 Pascals) is indicated in the compliance report for the proposed design.
A written report of the results of the test shall be signed by the party conducting the test and provided to the code official.
R405.2.3 Duct air leakage testing.
In cases where duct air leakage lower than the default Qn to outside of 0.080 (where Qn = duct leakage to the outside in cfm per 100 square feet of conditioned floor area tested at 25 Pascals) is specified for the proposed design, testing in accordance with Section R403.3.2 shall verify a duct air leakage rate not exceeding the leakage rate of the proposed design. Otherwise, in accordance with Section R403.3.3, duct testing is not mandatory for buildings complying by Section R405.
Below 3.00 ACH50 a Florida home requires whole house mechanical ventilation. As envelopes have tightened across this market, that has gone from a rarity to something we see constantly.
R403.6.1 Whole-house mechanical ventilation system fan efficacy.
When installed to function as a whole-house mechanical ventilation system, fans shall meet the efficacy requirements of Table R403.6.1.
Exception: Where an air handler that is integral to tested and listed HVAC equipment is used to provide whole-house mechanical ventilation, the air handler shall be powered by an electronically commutated motor.
Review TABLE R403.6.1 WHOLE-HOUSE MECHANICAL VENTILATION SYSTEM FAN EFFICACY
R403.6.2 Ventilation air.
Residential buildings designed to be operated at a positive indoor pressure or for mechanical ventilation shall meet the following criteria:
1.The design air change per hour minimums for residential buildings in ASHRAE 62.2, Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor Air Quality, shall be the maximum rates allowed for residential applications.
2.No ventilation or air-conditioning system make-up air shall be provided to conditioned space from attics, crawlspaces, attached enclosed garages or outdoor spaces adjacent to swimming pools or spas.
3.If ventilation air is drawn from enclosed space(s), then the walls of the space(s) from which air is drawn shall be insulated to a minimum of R-11 and the ceiling shall be insulated to a minimum of R-19, space permitting, or R-10 otherwise.
Let’s Talk About Your Project
Where Most Projects Start
Stellar Building Performance specializes in energy code testing and building performance diagnostics.
Duct Leakage Testing
Verify duct system airtightness using professional duct leakage testing required for new construction inspections.
Blower Door Testing
Measure whole house air leakage against the Florida energy code threshold, and get the report the code official needs before your certificate of occupancy.
Helping Builders Stay on Schedule and Pass Inspections
Fast Scheduling
Builders get testing scheduled quickly to avoid delays.
accurate results
Professional equipment ensures reliable measurements.
immediate reports
Documentation provided immediately by email for inspection approvals.