REScheck & COMcheck Newton MA - Quick Facts
Local energy code in Newton
- As of January 1, 2024, Newton enforces the Massachusetts Specialized (Opt-In) Energy Code on top of the Stretch Code baseline - IECC Climate Zone 5A.
- The Opt-In code goes further than the Stretch baseline: new fossil-fuel homes must be pre-wired for electrification and include on-site solar where roof space allows.
- New all-electric homes rely on heat pumps for heat and hot water; large fossil-fuel homes over 4,000 sq ft must hit net-zero (HERS 0), and multifamily over 12,000 sq ft must be Passive House.
- Newton also participates in the Massachusetts Municipal Fossil Fuel-Free Building Demonstration Program - new construction and major renovations must be built fossil-fuel-free (all-electric), a step beyond the Specialized Code.
REScheck & COMcheck in Newton
- REScheck documents the prescriptive residential path for Newton 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 Newton permit application.
Mass Save rebates for Newton (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 Newton MA
From small additions to commercial fit-outs in Newton, we deliver the REScheck and COMcheck reports your Middlesex County building department requires — accurate, signed, and turned around quickly.
What we deliver
A signed compliance report matched to your plans and ready to upload with your Newton 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 Newton 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?
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 Newton Project?
REScheck is the simplest path for smaller residential projects in Newton that do not need a HERS rating. It is typically the right tool for:
- A residential addition of 1,000 sq ft or less (and not more than 100% of the existing home); new homes in Newton need a HERS rating instead
- Additions, alterations, or renovations to a one- or two-family home
- Projects where insulation and window trade-offs are enough to demonstrate compliance
- Detached accessory structures with conditioned space
- Finished basements, attic conversions, and dormer additions on existing homes
When Do You Need a COMcheck in Newton?
COMcheck is required for commercial and larger projects in Newton. Reach for a COMcheck when your project involves:
- Medical, dental, and professional office construction
- Commercial buildings — offices, retail, restaurants, warehouses, and mixed-use
- New mechanical (HVAC) or service water heating systems in commercial spaces
- Restaurant build-outs and retail white-box improvements
- Envelope work on commercial structures requiring IECC or ASHRAE 90.1 compliance
What We Deliver for Newton Projects
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.
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.
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 Newton.
Serving Newton and Middlesex County
Newton sits in Middlesex 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 Middlesex County, matched to the code edition Newton currently enforces.
What a REScheck or COMcheck Costs in Newton
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 Newton. Send your plans for an exact quote.
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Which Energy Code Report Does a Newton Project Need?
Newton has adopted the Massachusetts Specialized Code (the municipal opt-in code, 225 CMR 22.00 Appendix RC for homes and 225 CMR 23.00 Appendix CC for commercial and multifamily). New homes must be built to the net-zero-ready Specialized paths, new homes over 4,000 sq ft must use the all-electric or zero-energy path, and new multifamily buildings over 12,000 sq ft must be Passive House certified.
| Your Newton project | What the energy code paperwork usually is |
|---|---|
| New single-family home or low-rise residential building | A HERS rating or Passive House certification on a Specialized Code path. REScheck is not accepted for new homes. |
| 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 certification (Phius or PHI) |
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. Newton is in Middlesex County, served from our Somerville (519 Broadway) office.
How We Prepare Your Newton REScheck or COMcheck
Send your plans
Email the permit set for your Newton 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 Newton 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 Newton Permits
Newton's City Council adopted the Specialized (Opt-In) Code on March 6, 2023, and it applies to complete building permit applications received after January 1, 2024. Newton was also the first municipality in Massachusetts to adopt the original Stretch Code, back in 2009.
On top of that, Newton's Fossil Fuel-Free Ordinance, in effect since January 1, 2025, requires all-electric systems for new construction and major renovations, with some exceptions. For a new home that usually means the all-electric HERS target of 45 (the mixed-fuel target is 42), and larger additions and renovations are rated at HERS 70 all-electric (65 mixed-fuel). REScheck still has a place: additions of up to 1,000 sq ft that are no more than 100% of the existing home, and alterations where the prescriptive path is allowed. A Newton kitchen remodel or basement finish with no new floor area is an alteration, so REScheck or prescriptive documentation usually covers it.
Newton's permit paperwork is explicit about energy. The Inspectional Services Department's Building Permit Application Checklist asks applicants to "Indicate Energy Code Compliance and/or Projected HERS Rating," and the residential final inspection checklist requires a final HERS rating. Applications are filed through the city's ViewPoint Cloud portal.
On the commercial side, COMcheck covers offices, retail and fit-outs, and commercial buildings over 20,000 sq ft need more than COMcheck: a performance path with envelope backstop and thermal-bridge calculations. Mixed-use projects such as Northland's Needham Street development, with 822 homes and about 90,000 sq ft of retail under construction, combine both tracks. Our Somerville office at 519 Broadway is the closest HEEC office to Newton.
REScheck & COMcheck Questions for Newton Projects
Do I need a REScheck or a HERS rating in Newton?
For a new home in Newton, you need a HERS rating or Passive House, because Newton is on the Specialized Code. REScheck is used for smaller additions (1,000 sq ft or less and not over 100% of the existing home), basement and attic conversions, and renovations.
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 Newton?
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.
Does Newton's permit application ask for energy code information?
Yes. Newton's Building Permit Application Checklist asks you to indicate energy code compliance and/or a projected HERS rating, and the residential final inspection checklist requires a final HERS rating. We prepare the REScheck, COMcheck or HERS documents for both.
Do new homes in Newton have to be all-electric?
In most cases, yes. Newton's Fossil Fuel-Free Ordinance, effective January 1, 2025, requires all-electric systems for new construction and major renovations, with some exceptions, and the Specialized (Opt-In) Code applies on top of it.
Related: HERS rating in Newton · Blower door testing · COMcheck & REScheck reports
Need a REScheck or COMcheck in Newton?
Send us your plans and we will tell you which report you need and get it back to you fast — ready for your Newton permit.
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HERS Ratings Across Newton and Nearby Communities
Home Energy Efficiency Consultants rates new homes, additions, and major renovations throughout Newton — from Newton Centre, Newtonville, and West Newton to Auburndale and Chestnut Hill. Every Newton project is filed with the City of Newton Inspectional Services 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 Newton, including Brookline, Watertown, Wellesley, Needham, and Waltham. Our Framingham office at 68 South St is the closest of our four Massachusetts locations — see our Framingham office or call (617) 501-6788 to get a Newton rating on the schedule.
Newton Specialized Energy Code — HERS Index Targets
Newton enforces the Massachusetts Specialized (Opt-In) Energy Code. The required HERS score depends on fuel type and project scope — a lower index is stricter. As a fossil-fuel-free community, new construction in Newton must be built all-electric, so the all-electric columns apply.
| Project type | Mixed-fuel | Mixed-fuel + solar | All-electric | All-electric + solar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New construction | HERS 42 | 42 | 45 | 45 |
| New construction — embodied-carbon credit | 45 | 45 | 48 | 48 |
| Accessory dwelling unit (ADU) | 52 | 55 | 55 | 58 |
| Major alteration / renovation / change of use | 65 | 70 | 70 | 75 |
A HERS rating is triggered by new construction, additions over 1,000 sq ft (or more than 100% of the existing conditioned area), and Level 3 alterations over 1,000 sq ft affecting more than 50% of the home. New homes must also pass a blower-door test at 3.0 ACH50 and include electrification-ready wiring for heat pumps, EV charging, and solar. We model your Newton project up front so you know the exact target and the fastest path to hit it — call (617) 501-6788.
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