REScheck & COMcheck Adams MA - Quick Facts
Local energy code in Adams
- Adams is a Stretch Code community - the statewide baseline for new construction and major renovations. IECC Climate Zone 6A.
- Massachusetts has three energy-code levels - base (2021 IECC), Stretch, and Specialized (Opt-In) - and Adams is on the Stretch Code.
REScheck & COMcheck in Adams
- REScheck documents the prescriptive residential path for Adams 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 Adams permit application.
Mass Save rebates for Adams (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 Adams MA
Home Energy Efficiency Consultants prepares REScheck (residential) and COMcheck (commercial) compliance documentation for Adams 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 Adams building permit application.
Understanding REScheck and COMcheck
REScheck and COMcheck are DOE-developed programs that show a building meets the IECC energy code. Which one your Adams project needs depends on whether the work is residential or commercial — here is how they differ.
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?
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.
Is a REScheck Right for Your Adams Project?
REScheck is the simplest path for smaller residential projects in Adams 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
- Finished basements, attic conversions, and dormer additions on existing homes
- Multifamily buildings of three stories or fewer
- Additions, alterations, or renovations to a one- or two-family home
Commercial Work That Needs a COMcheck in Adams
COMcheck is required for commercial and larger projects in Adams. Reach for a COMcheck when your project involves:
- Tenant fit-outs and interior or exterior lighting alterations
- Commercial buildings — offices, retail, restaurants, warehouses, and mixed-use
- Warehouse, industrial, and light-manufacturing conditioned spaces
- Envelope work on commercial structures requiring IECC or ASHRAE 90.1 compliance
- Restaurant build-outs and retail white-box improvements
What We Deliver for Adams Projects
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 Adams.
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.
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.
Serving Adams and Berkshire County
Adams sits in Berkshire 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 Berkshire County, matched to the code edition Adams currently enforces.
REScheck & COMcheck Pricing in Adams
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 Adams. Send your plans for an exact quote.
Trusted by Adams Builders & Owners
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“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 Adams Project Need?
Adams is not one of the 60 Massachusetts communities on the Specialized Code, so projects follow the Massachusetts Stretch Code (225 CMR 22.00 and 23.00), which 242 communities have adopted. Adams adopted the Stretch Code effective January 1, 2016, and it has not adopted the Specialized (Opt-In) Code.
| Your Adams 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. Adams is in Berkshire County, served from our Marlborough (272 Lincoln St) office.
How We Prepare Your Adams REScheck or COMcheck
Send your plans
Email the permit set for your Adams 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 Adams 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 Adams Permits
Adams adopted the Stretch Code effective January 1, 2016, and it has not adopted the Specialized (Opt-In) Code. Permits are issued by the Building Commissioner's office (Housing and Building Inspection Services) at 8 Park Street. Since January 1, 2016, Adams has required online filing through the Berkshire County online permitting program (PermitEyes), and the town has posted notice that the system is moving to a new Berkshire Building Platform.
The town's 1-2 family project checklist asks for the exterior envelope energy requirements: U-values or R-values for walls, roof or ceiling, and floors. A REScheck is the cleanest way to show those numbers for a small job.
Matching an Adams project to the right report
Small additions and alterations: REScheck works where the prescriptive path is allowed, for an addition up to 1,000 sq ft and not more than 100% of the existing home.
New homes: a HERS rating of 42 mixed-fuel or 45 all-electric.
Larger additions and major renovations: a HERS rating of 65 mixed-fuel or 70 all-electric.
Commercial and mixed-use: COMcheck covers the envelope, lighting and mechanical systems. Commercial buildings over 20,000 sq ft need more than COMcheck under the Stretch Code.
Reuse of older buildings is a real part of the work in Adams. In 2024 the Selectmen authorized negotiations with a developer on an $11 million plan to turn the Memorial School building into roughly 20 workforce housing units and a restaurant. A mixed-use renovation like that typically needs COMcheck for the commercial space and a separate residential path for the apartments.
HEEC's Marlborough office at 272 Lincoln St C1 is our closest location to the Berkshires. We work from your drawings and send a PDF you can upload with your Adams permit application.
REScheck & COMcheck Questions for Adams Projects
Do I need a REScheck or a HERS rating in Adams?
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 Adams'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 Adams?
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.
What energy information does Adams ask for with a 1-2 family permit?
The Adams 1-2 family project checklist asks for exterior envelope energy requirements, meaning U-values or R-values for walls, roof or ceiling, and floors. A REScheck documents these for small additions, while new homes in Adams need a HERS rating under the Stretch Code.
How are building permits filed in Adams?
Adams has required online filing through the Berkshire County online permitting program (PermitEyes) since January 1, 2016. The town has said the system is moving to a new Berkshire Building Platform. The Building Commissioner's office is at 8 Park Street.
Related: HERS rating in Adams · Blower door testing · COMcheck & REScheck reports
Need a REScheck or COMcheck in Adams?
Send us your plans and we will tell you which report you need and get it back to you fast — ready for your Adams permit.
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HERS Ratings in Adams, Massachusetts
Home Energy Efficiency Consultants provides Adams 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 Adams project — Somerville, Framingham, Marlborough, or Everett — or call (617) 501-6788 to schedule a Adams rating.
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