REScheck & COMcheck Boylston MA - Quick Facts
Local energy code in Boylston
- Boylston is a Stretch Code community - the statewide baseline for new construction and major renovations. IECC Climate Zone 5A.
- Massachusetts has three energy-code levels - base (2021 IECC), Stretch, and Specialized (Opt-In) - and Boylston is on the Stretch Code.
REScheck & COMcheck in Boylston
- REScheck documents the prescriptive residential path for Boylston 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 Boylston permit application.
Mass Save rebates for Boylston (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.
RESNET-certified · 15,000+ ratings completed · 5.0 stars across 136 Google reviews · (617) 501-6788
REScheck & COMcheck Boylston MA
Fast, accurate REScheck and COMcheck energy code compliance reports for residential and commercial projects in Boylston, 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 Boylston building permit application.
REScheck vs. COMcheck: What’s the Difference?
REScheck and COMcheck are DOE-developed programs that show a building meets the IECC energy code. Which one your Boylston project needs depends on whether the work is residential or commercial — here is how they differ.
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.
What is a COMcheck?
For commercial and four-plus-story residential buildings, COMcheck is required. It documents envelope, lighting, and mechanical compliance against the IECC or ASHRAE Standard 90.1 and produces the certificates a commercial plan reviewer expects.
When Do You Need a REScheck in Boylston?
REScheck is the simplest path for smaller residential projects in Boylston 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 Boylston'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 Boylston
COMcheck is required for commercial and larger projects in Boylston. 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
- Medical, dental, and professional office construction
- High-rise residential buildings of four stories or more
- Warehouse, industrial, and light-manufacturing conditioned spaces
What Your Boylston 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 Boylston.
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 Boylston and Worcester County
Boylston 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 Boylston currently enforces.
Transparent Pricing for Boylston 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 Boylston. Send your plans for an exact quote.
Trusted by Boylston 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 Boylston Project Need?
Boylston has not adopted the Stretch Code (used by 242 Massachusetts communities) or the Specialized (Opt-In) Code (used by 60), so projects in Boylston follow the Massachusetts base energy code. The Stretch Code's mandatory HERS targets for new homes do not apply here. We confirm Boylston's current code status against the state list before we prepare any report.
| Your Boylston 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. Boylston is in Worcester County, served from our Marlborough (272 Lincoln St) office.
How We Prepare Your Boylston REScheck or COMcheck
Send your plans
Email the permit set for your Boylston 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 Boylston 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 Boylston Permits
Unlike most of its neighbors, Boylston is still on the Massachusetts base energy code. The state's adoption list shows that Boylston has not adopted the Stretch Code or the Specialized (Opt-In) Code, so the energy paperwork for a Boylston project is often lighter than it would be one town over.
How the base code plays out in Boylston
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 REScheck is the usual document.
New homes and larger renovations are where Boylston differs. The HERS targets that are mandatory in Stretch and Specialized towns (HERS 42 mixed-fuel or 45 all-electric for new homes, HERS 65 or 70 for larger renovations) do not apply here. A new Boylston home can often be documented on the prescriptive path, and a HERS rating remains an option if you want the flexibility of the performance path.
Commercial buildings use COMcheck for the envelope, lighting and mechanical systems. The extra requirements that Stretch and Specialized towns place on commercial buildings over 20,000 sq ft do not apply in Boylston. If the town adopts the Stretch Code at a future Town Meeting, these rules would change, so we check the state list before each report.
Filing your permit
Permits go to the Boylston Building Department at Town Hall, 221 Main Street, and applications are filed online through PermitPro. HEEC's Marlborough office at 272 Lincoln St C1 is our nearest location, and reports come back as PDFs ready to attach in PermitPro.
REScheck & COMcheck Questions for Boylston Projects
Do I need a REScheck or a HERS rating in Boylston?
Boylston is on the Massachusetts base energy code, not the Stretch Code, so the Stretch Code's HERS targets for new homes (HERS 42 mixed-fuel or 45 all-electric) do not apply. 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 Boylston'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 Stretch and Specialized Code towns, 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). Boylston is on the base code, so we confirm the path with the Building Department. 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 Boylston?
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.
Is Boylston on the Stretch Code?
No. The state's adoption list shows Boylston on the Massachusetts base energy code. It has not adopted the Stretch Code or the Specialized (Opt-In) Code, so the Stretch Code's mandatory HERS targets for new homes do not apply in Boylston.
How do I apply for a building permit in Boylston?
The Boylston Building Department at Town Hall, 221 Main Street, takes applications through PermitPro. We deliver REScheck and COMcheck reports as PDFs you can attach to your PermitPro application.
Related: HERS rating in Boylston · Blower door testing · COMcheck & REScheck reports
Need a REScheck or COMcheck in Boylston?
Send us your plans and we will tell you which report you need and get it back to you fast — ready for your Boylston permit.
Email Energyconsultants01@gmail.com Call 617-501-6788
Mass Save®-Listed HERS Rater
U.S. DOE Efficient New HomeTrusted Partner — Verified
ENERGY STAR®Partner
Phius CertifiedPassive House Verifier
ICCMember★★★★★136 Google
Reviews
The Phius Certified Verifier logo is used under license from Phius.
Last updated · Home Energy Efficiency Consultants, RESNET-certified HERS raters
HERS Ratings in Boylston, Massachusetts
Home Energy Efficiency Consultants provides Boylston 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 Boylston project — Somerville, Framingham, Marlborough, or Everett — or call (617) 501-6788 to schedule a Boylston rating.
More Massachusetts Towns We Serve
Certified HERS ratings, blower door testing and energy code compliance across all 351 Massachusetts cities and towns.
