REScheck & COMcheck Dennis MA - Quick Facts
Local energy code in Dennis
- New construction and major renovations in Dennis 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 Dennis is on the Stretch Code.
REScheck & COMcheck in Dennis
- REScheck documents the prescriptive residential path for Dennis 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 Dennis 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 Dennis MA
Need a REScheck or COMcheck in Dennis? We produce permit-ready energy code compliance reports for homes and commercial buildings across Barnstable County, matched precisely to your plans so your project clears plan review the first time.
What we deliver
A signed compliance report matched to your plans and ready to upload with your Dennis 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 Dennis project needs depends on whether the work is residential or commercial — here is how they differ.
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.
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.
Is a REScheck Right for Your Dennis Project?
REScheck is the simplest path for smaller residential projects in Dennis 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
- Additions, alterations, or renovations to a one- or two-family home
- Permit applications needing residential envelope documentation on the prescriptive or UA trade-off path
- Finished basements, attic conversions, and dormer additions on existing homes
COMcheck Projects in Dennis
COMcheck is required for commercial and larger projects in Dennis. Reach for a COMcheck when your project involves:
- Commercial buildings — offices, retail, restaurants, warehouses, and mixed-use
- New mechanical (HVAC) or service water heating systems in commercial spaces
- High-rise residential buildings of four stories or more
- Restaurant build-outs and retail white-box improvements
- Envelope work on commercial structures requiring IECC or ASHRAE 90.1 compliance
What We Deliver for Dennis 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.
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 Dennis.
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 Dennis and Barnstable County
Dennis sits in Barnstable 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 Barnstable County, matched to the code edition Dennis currently enforces.
What a REScheck or COMcheck Costs in Dennis
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 Dennis. Send your plans for an exact quote.
Trusted by Dennis Builders & Owners
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Which Energy Code Report Does a Dennis Project Need?
Dennis adopted the Massachusetts Stretch Code (225 CMR 22.00 and 23.00) effective July 1, 2019, according to the state's adoption list, and has not adopted the Specialized (Opt-In) Code. New homes and larger renovations in Dennis need a HERS rating; small additions and alterations can use REScheck.
| Your Dennis 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. Dennis is in Barnstable County, served from our Framingham (68 South St) office.
How We Prepare Your Dennis REScheck or COMcheck
Send your plans
Email the permit set for your Dennis 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 Dennis 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 Dennis Permits
Dennis is a Stretch Code town. The state's adoption list shows the Stretch Code in effect there since July 1, 2019, and the Building Department's own page confirms the town has adopted it. Dennis has not adopted the Specialized (Opt-In) Code.
The Building Department at 685 Route 134 in South Dennis moved its permitting to OpenGov on January 13, 2025. Its permit checklist asks for energy compliance documentation when applicable, and the department notes that all new residential and commercial buildings need a final as-built before a Certificate of Occupancy is issued.
Matching the document to the job
- Small additions and alterations: REScheck works where the prescriptive path is allowed, such as an addition up to 1,000 sq ft that is no more than 100% of the existing house.
- New homes: a HERS rating is required instead, with a target of HERS 42 for mixed-fuel or 45 for all-electric.
- Larger renovations: a HERS rating of 65 (mixed-fuel) or 70 (all-electric).
- Commercial buildings: COMcheck for the envelope, lighting and mechanical systems. Buildings over 20,000 sq ft need more than a COMcheck in a Stretch Code town.
Many Dennis projects also go through historic review. Everything north of Route 6 is in the Old King's Highway Regional District, and the permit checklist asks for signed elevations from the historic commission when they apply. Window choices made for historic approval affect the U-values we enter, so send the approved elevations with your plans.
Our Everett office at 371 Main St is the nearest HEEC location to Cape Cod, and we deliver reports as PDFs ready for the OpenGov portal.
REScheck & COMcheck Questions for Dennis Projects
Do I need a REScheck or a HERS rating in Dennis?
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 Dennis'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 Dennis?
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.
How do I file a permit with an energy report in Dennis?
Dennis switched its permitting system to OpenGov on January 13, 2025. The Building Department's checklist lists energy compliance documentation when it applies, so upload the REScheck, COMcheck or HERS report with your OpenGov application.
Does a Dennis project in the Old King's Highway district still need a REScheck?
Yes, if it is a small addition or alteration. Historic review covers appearance, while the energy code still applies. The Dennis permit checklist asks for signed elevations from the historic commission when applicable, and the energy report should reflect the windows and assemblies that were approved.
Related: HERS rating in Dennis · Blower door testing · COMcheck & REScheck reports
Need a REScheck or COMcheck in Dennis?
Send us your plans and we will tell you which report you need and get it back to you fast — ready for your Dennis permit.
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HERS Ratings in Dennis, Massachusetts
Home Energy Efficiency Consultants provides Dennis 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 Dennis project — Somerville, Framingham, Marlborough, or Everett — or call (617) 501-6788 to schedule a Dennis rating.
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