REScheck & COMcheck Brimfield MA - Quick Facts
Local energy code in Brimfield
- New construction and major renovations in Brimfield follow the Massachusetts Stretch Energy Code. IECC Climate Zone 5A.
- Massachusetts has three energy-code levels - base (2021 IECC), Stretch, and Specialized (Opt-In) - and Brimfield is on the Stretch Code.
REScheck & COMcheck in Brimfield
- REScheck documents the prescriptive residential path for Brimfield 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 Brimfield permit application.
What you can get back: 2026 Mass Save
- 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 Brimfield MA
Home Energy Efficiency Consultants prepares REScheck (residential) and COMcheck (commercial) compliance documentation for Brimfield 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 Brimfield building permit application.
Understanding REScheck and COMcheck
These are the two standard software tools plan reviewers accept for energy code compliance. Developed by the DOE, they let a Hampden County project demonstrate that its envelope (and, for commercial, lighting and mechanical) meets the IECC.
What is a REScheck?
REScheck is DOE software for residential compliance — detached one- and two-family homes and multifamily buildings three stories or fewer. It runs a UA (insulation and window) trade-off calculation against the IECC, letting extra performance in one assembly offset another so the whole envelope still passes.
What is a COMcheck?
COMcheck handles commercial work and high-rise residential of four stories or more. The DOE tool evaluates envelope, lighting (interior and exterior), and mechanical systems against either the IECC or ASHRAE 90.1, with trade-offs allowed across components.
Is a REScheck Right for Your Brimfield Project?
REScheck is the simplest path for smaller residential projects in Brimfield that do not need a HERS rating. It is typically the right tool for:
- New residential construction or an addition of 1,000 sq ft or less that does not require a HERS rating
- Window and insulation upgrades that must be documented for a building permit
- Detached accessory structures with conditioned space
- Multifamily buildings of three stories or fewer
- Permit applications needing residential envelope documentation on the prescriptive or UA trade-off path
When Do You Need a COMcheck in Brimfield?
COMcheck is required for commercial and larger projects in Brimfield. Reach for a COMcheck when your project involves:
- Envelope work on commercial structures requiring IECC or ASHRAE 90.1 compliance
- Tenant fit-outs and interior or exterior lighting alterations
- High-rise residential buildings of four stories or more
- New mechanical (HVAC) or service water heating systems in commercial spaces
- Commercial buildings — offices, retail, restaurants, warehouses, and mixed-use
What We Deliver for Brimfield Projects
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.
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 Brimfield.
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.
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 Brimfield and Hampden County
Brimfield sits in Hampden 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 Hampden County, matched to the code edition Brimfield currently enforces.
REScheck & COMcheck Pricing in Brimfield
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 Brimfield. Send your plans for an exact quote.
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Which Energy Code Report Does a Brimfield Project Need?
Brimfield adopted the Massachusetts Stretch Code effective July 1, 2017, according to the state's adoption list, and is not one of the 60 communities on the Specialized (Opt-In) Code. Projects in Brimfield follow the Stretch Code (225 CMR 22.00 and 23.00). We confirm Brimfield's current code status against the state list before we prepare any report.
| Your Brimfield 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. Brimfield is in Hampden County, served from our Marlborough (272 Lincoln St) office.
How We Prepare Your Brimfield REScheck or COMcheck
Send your plans
Email the permit set for your Brimfield 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 Brimfield 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 Brimfield Permits
Brimfield's Building Department still works on paper. The department, at 23 Main Street, does not accept permit applications or documents by software or email. Hard copies go by mail or into the drop box on the east side of the Brimfield Annex Building, and plan review is by appointment, so your energy code documents should be printed and included in the packet.
On the energy code side, Brimfield has been a Stretch Code town since July 1, 2017, according to the state's adoption list. It has not adopted the Specialized (Opt-In) Code.
What a Brimfield project usually needs
- A REScheck for a small residential addition or alteration where the prescriptive path is allowed, such as an addition up to 1,000 sq ft that is not more than 100% of the existing home.
- A HERS rating for a new home: HERS 42 or lower mixed-fuel, or 45 or lower all-electric. REScheck is not accepted for new homes under the Stretch Code.
- A whole-house HERS rating for larger additions and major renovations: 65 or lower mixed-fuel, 70 or lower all-electric.
- A COMcheck for commercial buildings and fit-outs. Under the Stretch Code, commercial buildings over 20,000 sq ft need more than COMcheck, typically an energy model.
HEEC's Marlborough office at 272 Lincoln St C1 is our nearest location to Brimfield. We send print-ready PDFs you can include with your paper application.
Because Brimfield reviews plans by appointment, it helps to have the energy documents finished before you book. To start, we need floor plans, wall sections and window specifications.
REScheck & COMcheck Questions for Brimfield Projects
Do I need a REScheck or a HERS rating in Brimfield?
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 Brimfield'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 Brimfield?
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.
Can I email my building permit application in Brimfield?
No. Brimfield's Building Department says it does not accept permit applications or documents by software or email. Submit hard copies by mail or in the drop box at the Brimfield Annex Building, with your printed REScheck, COMcheck or HERS documents included.
Is Brimfield on the Stretch Code?
Yes. The state's adoption list shows Brimfield's Stretch Code effective July 1, 2017. It is not on the Specialized (Opt-In) Code, so new homes need a HERS rating of 42 (mixed-fuel) or 45 (all-electric).
Related: HERS rating in Brimfield · Blower door testing · COMcheck & REScheck reports
Need a REScheck or COMcheck in Brimfield?
Send us your plans and we will tell you which report you need and get it back to you fast — ready for your Brimfield permit.
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HERS Ratings in Brimfield, Massachusetts
Home Energy Efficiency Consultants provides Brimfield 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 Brimfield project — Somerville, Framingham, Marlborough, or Everett — or call (617) 501-6788 to schedule a Brimfield rating.
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