REScheck & COMcheck Gardner MA - Quick Facts
Local energy code in Gardner
- New construction and major renovations in Gardner 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 Gardner is on the Stretch Code.
REScheck & COMcheck in Gardner
- REScheck documents the prescriptive residential path for Gardner 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 Gardner 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 Gardner MA
Fast, accurate REScheck and COMcheck energy code compliance reports for residential and commercial projects in Gardner, Massachusetts. We prepare the documentation your building department needs to issue a permit — without the cost of a full performance-path energy rating when your project does not require one.
What we deliver
A signed compliance report matched to your plans and ready to upload with your Gardner 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 Worcester County project demonstrate that its envelope (and, for commercial, lighting and mechanical) meets the IECC.
What is a REScheck?
REScheck is the DOE’s residential compliance tool. It covers one- and two-family dwellings and low-rise multifamily (three stories or fewer), using a UA trade-off so a stronger wall or roof can make up for a weaker window while the overall envelope still meets the IECC.
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.
When Do You Need a REScheck in Gardner?
REScheck is the simplest path for smaller residential projects in Gardner 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 Gardner'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
COMcheck Projects in Gardner
COMcheck is required for commercial and larger projects in Gardner. Reach for a COMcheck when your project involves:
- Tenant fit-outs and interior or exterior lighting alterations
- Restaurant build-outs and retail white-box improvements
- Envelope work on commercial structures requiring IECC or ASHRAE 90.1 compliance
- New mechanical (HVAC) or service water heating systems in commercial spaces
- High-rise residential buildings of four stories or more
What Your Gardner Compliance Report Includes
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.
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 Gardner.
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 Gardner and Worcester County
Gardner sits in Worcester 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 Worcester County, matched to the code edition Gardner currently enforces.
Transparent Pricing for Gardner Compliance Reports
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 Gardner. Send your plans for an exact quote.
Trusted by Gardner Builders & Owners
Google Review
“Best decision I made was hiring Home Energy Efficiency Consultants LLC. Their attention to detail and willingness to answer all my questions made the process stress-free.”
Which Energy Code Report Does a Gardner Project Need?
Gardner adopted the Massachusetts Stretch Code effective July 1, 2011 and has not adopted the Specialized (Opt-In) Code, so projects in Gardner follow the Stretch Code (225 CMR 22.00 and 23.00). We confirm Gardner's current code status against the state list before we prepare any report.
| Your Gardner 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. Gardner is in Worcester County, served from our Marlborough (272 Lincoln St) office.
How We Prepare Your Gardner REScheck or COMcheck
Send your plans
Email the permit set for your Gardner 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 Gardner 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 Gardner Permits
Gardner has been on the Massachusetts Stretch Code since July 1, 2011, so the Stretch Code rules have applied to Gardner projects for more than a decade. The city has not adopted the Specialized (Opt-In) Code, according to the state's municipal adoption list.
The Gardner Building Department, at 115 Pleasant Street, Room 101, takes permit applications online through the city's ViewPoint Cloud portal, where you can also track an application after it is filed.
Picking the right report in Gardner
- Is it a small addition or alteration? If the prescriptive path is allowed, a REScheck usually covers it. The typical case is an addition up to 1,000 sq ft that is not more than 100% of the existing home.
- Is it a new home or a larger renovation? Then the Stretch Code calls for a HERS rating instead: HERS 42 mixed-fuel or 45 all-electric for a new home, and HERS 65 or 70 for a renovation that triggers a rating.
- Is it commercial? COMcheck documents the envelope, lighting and mechanical systems. In Stretch towns like Gardner, a commercial building over 20,000 sq ft needs more than a COMcheck, so we look at the total floor area first.
We prepare every report from your drawings and send it as a PDF you can upload straight into ViewPoint Cloud. If a renovation is close to the HERS trigger, we will tell you before you spend money on the wrong document.
Our Marlborough office at 272 Lincoln St C1 is the closest HEEC location to Gardner, and we check the state adoption list before each report in case the city's status changes.
REScheck & COMcheck Questions for Gardner Projects
Do I need a REScheck or a HERS rating in Gardner?
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 Gardner'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 Gardner?
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.
Has Gardner adopted the Specialized (Opt-In) Code?
No. The state's adoption list shows Gardner on the Stretch Code, effective July 1, 2011, without the Specialized (Opt-In) Code. New homes need a HERS rating of 42 mixed-fuel or 45 all-electric, or Passive House.
How do I submit an energy code report for a Gardner permit?
Gardner's Building Department takes applications online through ViewPoint Cloud. We send your REScheck, COMcheck or HERS documentation as a PDF so you can upload it with the rest of the application.
Related: HERS rating in Gardner · Blower door testing · COMcheck & REScheck reports
Need a REScheck or COMcheck in Gardner?
Send us your plans and we will tell you which report you need and get it back to you fast — ready for your Gardner permit.
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HERS Ratings Across Gardner and Nearby Communities
Home Energy Efficiency Consultants rates new homes, additions, and major renovations throughout Gardner — including Downtown Gardner, South Gardner, and West Gardner. Every Gardner project is filed with the City of Gardner Building Department, and we handle the energy model, blower door and duct leakage testing, and the compliance paperwork from start to finish.
We also serve the communities right around Gardner, including Templeton, Westminster, Hubbardston, Winchendon, and Ashburnham. Our Marlborough office at 272 Lincoln St is the closest of our four Massachusetts locations — see our Marlborough office or call (617) 501-6788 to get a Gardner rating on the schedule.
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