REScheck & COMcheck Buckland MA - Quick Facts
Local energy code in Buckland
- Buckland is a Stretch Code community - the statewide baseline for new construction and major renovations. IECC Climate Zone 6A.
- Massachusetts has three energy-code levels - base (2021 IECC), Stretch, and Specialized (Opt-In) - and Buckland is on the Stretch Code.
REScheck & COMcheck in Buckland
- REScheck documents the prescriptive residential path for Buckland additions, alterations and renovations (from $300); new-construction performance projects use a full HERS energy model instead.
- Commercial projects use COMcheck for the prescriptive path (from $600); larger new commercial buildings need third-party performance certification under the Stretch Code.
- 24-48 hour turnaround - documentation ready to upload with your Buckland permit application.
Mass Save rebates for Buckland (2026)
- All-electric renovations and additions can earn Mass Save incentives up to $20,000 (Level 1) or $30,000 (Level 2) for a single-family home, verified by a RESNET-certified HERS rater.
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REScheck & COMcheck Buckland MA
Home Energy Efficiency Consultants prepares REScheck (residential) and COMcheck (commercial) compliance documentation for Buckland projects. When your build does not trigger a full HERS rating, these DOE compliance reports are the fast, affordable path to your permit.
What we deliver
A signed compliance report matched to your plans and ready to upload with your Buckland building permit application.
What Is a REScheck and What Is a COMcheck?
REScheck and COMcheck are DOE-developed programs that show a building meets the IECC energy code. Which one your Buckland project needs depends on whether the work is residential or commercial — here is how they differ.
What is a COMcheck?
COMcheck is DOE software for commercial buildings and high-rise residential (four stories or more). It checks the building envelope, interior and exterior lighting, and mechanical systems against the IECC or ASHRAE Standard 90.1, and can trade off components across the design.
What is a REScheck?
For homes, REScheck is the go-to. This DOE program checks residential envelopes — detached houses and multifamily up to three stories — and allows insulation and fenestration trade-offs to show prescriptive or component-based IECC compliance.
When Do You Need a REScheck in Buckland?
REScheck is the simplest path for smaller residential projects in Buckland that do not need a HERS rating. It is typically the right tool for:
- Residential additions of 1,000 sq ft or less that are not more than 100% of the existing home
- Basement and attic conversions that do not change the footprint or roofline
- Renovations and alterations to existing homes that need envelope documentation
- Detached accessory structures with conditioned space, where Buckland's building department accepts REScheck
- New homes only in base-code towns; Stretch and Specialized Code towns require a HERS rating or Passive House for new homes
Commercial Work That Needs a COMcheck in Buckland
COMcheck is required for commercial and larger projects in Buckland. Reach for a COMcheck when your project involves:
- High-rise residential buildings of four stories or more
- Warehouse, industrial, and light-manufacturing conditioned spaces
- Commercial buildings — offices, retail, restaurants, warehouses, and mixed-use
- Medical, dental, and professional office construction
- Tenant fit-outs and interior or exterior lighting alterations
Inside Your REScheck or COMcheck Report
Fast, permit-ready turnaround
We deliver documentation ready to upload with your building permit application, and we answer plan-review questions if the department asks for revisions.
Plans matched to code
We enter your assemblies, fenestration, and (for commercial) lighting and mechanical details exactly as designed, so the report reflects what you are actually building in Buckland.
REScheck report
A signed REScheck compliance certificate matched to your plans, the inspection checklist, and the UA trade-off summary showing your insulation R-values and window U-factors meet the residential energy code.
COMcheck report
The COMcheck Envelope, Lighting, and Mechanical Compliance Certificates plus the Plan Review Checklist — the full package a commercial plan reviewer expects for permit submission.
Serving Buckland and Franklin County
Buckland sits in Franklin County, Massachusetts, in IECC climate zone 5A — the cold-climate zone that drives the insulation and air-sealing levels your REScheck or COMcheck must document. We prepare compliance reports for projects throughout Franklin County, matched to the code edition Buckland currently enforces.
REScheck & COMcheck Pricing in Buckland
Transparent starting prices. Final cost depends on project size, number of assemblies, and scope.
- REScheck (residential): starting at $300
- COMcheck (commercial): starting at $600
- Revisions to match plan-review comments are handled promptly
REScheck reports start at $300 and COMcheck reports start at $600 for projects in Buckland. Send your plans for an exact quote.
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Which Energy Code Report Does a Buckland Project Need?
Buckland adopted the Massachusetts Stretch Code effective January 1, 2012, according to the state's adoption list, and is not one of the 60 communities on the Specialized (Opt-In) Code. Projects in Buckland follow the Stretch Code (225 CMR 22.00 and 23.00). We confirm Buckland's current code status against the state list before we prepare any report.
| Your Buckland project | What the energy code paperwork usually is |
|---|---|
| New single-family home or low-rise residential building | In Stretch Code towns, a HERS rating (maximum HERS 42 mixed-fuel, 45 all-electric) or Passive House. REScheck is not accepted for new homes under the Stretch Code. |
| Residential addition of 1,000 sq ft or less (and not over 100% of the existing home) | REScheck (REScheck-Web, 2023 Massachusetts Stretch Code) or the prescriptive tables |
| Residential addition over 1,000 sq ft or over 100% of the existing home | A HERS rating of the whole house (HERS 65 or lower mixed-fuel, 70 or lower all-electric) |
| Basement or attic conversion with no change to footprint or roofline | No HERS rating required; REScheck or prescriptive documentation |
| Residential renovation or alteration | Prescriptive alteration rules; REScheck can document the envelope. Large "extensive" alterations over 1,000 sq ft may need a HERS rating. |
| New commercial building up to 20,000 sq ft | COMcheck: Envelope, Lighting and Mechanical certificates plus the Plan Review Inspection Checklist |
| New commercial building over 20,000 sq ft | COMcheck Lighting and Mechanical, with the envelope shown by backstop and thermal-bridge calculations, on a performance path (Targeted Performance/TEDI or ASHRAE 90.1 Appendix G) or Passive House |
| Commercial addition, alteration, or lighting/HVAC change | COMcheck for the altered systems |
| Multifamily building over 12,000 sq ft | Passive House or a HERS/performance path |
Based on 225 CMR 22.00 and 23.00 (Massachusetts energy code, 2025 edition). Building departments make the final call, so we confirm the path for your project before we start. Buckland is in Franklin County, served from our Marlborough (272 Lincoln St) office.
How We Prepare Your Buckland REScheck or COMcheck
Send your plans
Email the permit set for your Buckland project. We tell you the same day whether you need a REScheck, a COMcheck or a HERS rating.
We model the building
We enter every assembly, window, light fixture and HVAC unit as designed and flag anything that fails before the plan reviewer sees it.
Permit-ready report
You get the signed compliance certificates and checklists, ready to upload with your Buckland building permit application.
Plan review support
If the building department asks for changes, we revise the report and answer the reviewer's questions.
REScheck & COMcheck for Buckland Permits
Buckland was among the first Massachusetts towns to adopt the Stretch Code, with an effective date of January 1, 2012 on the state's adoption list. It has not adopted the Specialized (Opt-In) Code.
Building permits in Buckland are not handled by a town building department. Buckland is a member of the Franklin County Cooperative Inspection Program (FCCIP), based at 12 Olive Street in Greenfield, which provides building inspection for its member towns. FCCIP's applicant guide directs applicants to apply online through PermitEyes.
For a Buckland homeowner or builder
Planning an addition? If it is up to 1,000 sq ft, not more than 100% of the existing home, and the prescriptive path is allowed, a REScheck usually covers the energy code. Building a new house? REScheck will not do; the Stretch Code requires a HERS rating of 42 or lower (mixed-fuel) or 45 or lower (all-electric). Renovating extensively? Expect a whole-house HERS rating of 65 (mixed-fuel) or 70 (all-electric).
For shops, offices and other commercial space, COMcheck documents the envelope, lighting and mechanical design. Commercial buildings over 20,000 sq ft in a Stretch Code town need more than COMcheck, usually an energy model.
HEEC's Marlborough office at 272 Lincoln St C1 is our nearest location to Buckland. We deliver PDFs ready to upload with your FCCIP application.
To start, send floor plans, wall sections and the window and insulation specifications. For a new home, the HERS rating also includes blower door and duct leakage testing when construction is finished.
If the plans change during review, we revise the report so it matches what is built.
REScheck & COMcheck Questions for Buckland Projects
Do I need a REScheck or a HERS rating in Buckland?
Under the Massachusetts Stretch Code, new homes need a HERS rating (HERS 42 mixed-fuel or 45 all-electric) or Passive House. REScheck is used for additions of 1,000 sq ft or less that are not over 100% of the existing home, basement and attic conversions, and renovations. We confirm Buckland's code status before we start.
When is a COMcheck required in Massachusetts?
A COMcheck documents commercial energy code compliance for new commercial buildings up to 20,000 sq ft (envelope, lighting and mechanical), for lighting and mechanical on larger buildings, and for commercial additions and alterations such as fit-outs, lighting changes and HVAC replacements. Massachusetts commercial code is based on the 2021 IECC with state amendments in 225 CMR 23.00.
What does a COMcheck include?
The COMcheck Envelope Compliance Certificate, the Interior and Exterior Lighting Compliance Certificates, the Mechanical Compliance Certificate, and the Plan Review Inspection Checklist. Massachusetts 225 CMR 23.00 Section C103.2 lists these as the construction-document requirements for buildings up to 20,000 sq ft.
What does a REScheck include?
A REScheck compares your home's envelope (insulation R-values and window U-values) to the code using a total UA trade-off, so stronger performance in one assembly can offset another. The report includes the compliance certificate and inspection checklist. Mandatory items such as air sealing and duct sealing still apply.
What size addition needs a HERS rating instead of REScheck?
In Massachusetts, a residential addition over 1,000 sq ft, or over 100% of the existing conditioned floor area, needs a HERS rating of the whole house (225 CMR 22.00 R502.1.1). Converting an existing basement or attic without changing the footprint or roofline does not.
What information do you need to prepare a REScheck or COMcheck?
Plans with wall, roof and floor sections, insulation types and R-values, the window and door schedule with U-factors and SHGC, and for commercial work the lighting fixture schedule with wattages, lighting controls, and HVAC and water heating equipment schedules.
Which software version is used in Massachusetts?
REScheck-Web with the 2023 Massachusetts Stretch Code option for residential, and COMcheck-Web set to the 2021 IECC (or ASHRAE 90.1-2019) for commercial, matching the code Massachusetts enforces.
How much does a REScheck or COMcheck cost in Buckland?
REScheck reports start at $300 and COMcheck reports start at $600. The final price depends on the size of the project and how many assemblies and systems need to be entered. Send your plans for an exact quote.
Who issues building permits in Buckland?
Buckland is a member of the Franklin County Cooperative Inspection Program (FCCIP) in Greenfield, which handles building inspection for the town. FCCIP's applicant guide directs applicants to its online PermitEyes system.
Is Buckland on the Stretch Code?
Yes. The state's adoption list shows Buckland's Stretch Code effective January 1, 2012. It has not adopted the Specialized (Opt-In) Code, so a new home needs a HERS rating of 42 (mixed-fuel) or 45 (all-electric).
Related: HERS rating in Buckland · Blower door testing · COMcheck & REScheck reports
Need a REScheck or COMcheck in Buckland?
Send us your plans and we will tell you which report you need and get it back to you fast — ready for your Buckland permit.
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HERS Ratings in Buckland, Massachusetts
Home Energy Efficiency Consultants provides Buckland with certified HERS ratings, blower door and duct leakage testing, and Massachusetts energy-code compliance for new construction, additions, and major renovations — with same-day preliminary reports.
We rate homes across the Commonwealth from our four offices. Reach the one nearest your Buckland project — Somerville, Framingham, Marlborough, or Everett — or call (617) 501-6788 to schedule a Buckland rating.
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