REScheck & COMcheck Alford MA - Quick Facts
Local energy code in Alford
- Alford 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 Alford is on the Stretch Code.
REScheck & COMcheck in Alford
- REScheck documents the prescriptive residential path for Alford 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 Alford permit application.
Mass Save rebates for Alford (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 Alford MA
Home Energy Efficiency Consultants prepares REScheck (residential) and COMcheck (commercial) compliance documentation for Alford 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 Alford building permit application.
Understanding REScheck and COMcheck
Both are free compliance software tools developed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to demonstrate that a building meets the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC). They document your envelope, and for commercial work your lighting and mechanical systems, so a plan reviewer in Alford can confirm compliance quickly.
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.
When Do You Need a REScheck in Alford?
REScheck is the simplest path for smaller residential projects in Alford 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 Alford'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
Commercial Work That Needs a COMcheck in Alford
COMcheck is required for commercial and larger projects in Alford. Reach for a COMcheck when your project involves:
- Envelope work on commercial structures requiring IECC or ASHRAE 90.1 compliance
- Restaurant build-outs and retail white-box improvements
- Medical, dental, and professional office construction
- Commercial buildings — offices, retail, restaurants, warehouses, and mixed-use
- High-rise residential buildings of four stories or more
What Your Alford Compliance Report Includes
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 Alford.
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.
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.
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.
Serving Alford and Berkshire County
Alford 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 Alford currently enforces.
What a REScheck or COMcheck Costs in Alford
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 Alford. Send your plans for an exact quote.
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Which Energy Code Report Does a Alford Project Need?
Alford has not adopted the Stretch Code (used by 242 Massachusetts communities) or the Specialized (Opt-In) Code (used by 60), so projects in Alford follow the Massachusetts base energy code. The Stretch Code's mandatory HERS targets for new homes do not apply here.
| Your Alford 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. Alford is in Berkshire County, served from our Marlborough (272 Lincoln St) office.
How We Prepare Your Alford REScheck or COMcheck
Send your plans
Email the permit set for your Alford 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 Alford 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 Alford Permits
Alford is one of the few Massachusetts towns still on the base energy code. According to the state's adoption list, it has not adopted the Stretch Code or the Specialized (Opt-In) Code. That changes the paperwork for a lot of Alford projects compared with neighboring towns.
Permits go to Alford's Building Inspector, who is available by appointment through Town Hall at 5 Alford Center Road. Applications are filed through the Berkshire Online Permitting Program (PermitEyes), which the town links from its building permits page.
What this means for an Alford project
- Additions and alterations: a REScheck is the standard document 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.
- New homes and larger renovations: the mandatory HERS targets that apply 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 in Alford. A new home here can often be documented on the prescriptive path, and a HERS rating remains an option.
- Commercial buildings: COMcheck covers 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 here.
If Alford votes to adopt the Stretch Code in the future, the rules for new homes would change, so we check the state list before every report.
HEEC's Marlborough office at 272 Lincoln St C1 is our closest location to southern Berkshire County. We prepare reports from your drawings and deliver them as PDFs ready to upload to PermitEyes.
REScheck & COMcheck Questions for Alford Projects
Do I need a REScheck or a HERS rating in Alford?
Alford 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 Alford'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 Alford?
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 Alford on the Stretch Code?
No. The state's adoption list shows Alford 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 Alford.
How do I file a building permit in Alford?
Alford building permits are filed through the Berkshire Online Permitting Program (PermitEyes). The Building Inspector is available by appointment through Town Hall at 5 Alford Center Road. We deliver REScheck and COMcheck reports as PDFs you can upload.
Related: HERS rating in Alford · Blower door testing · COMcheck & REScheck reports
Need a REScheck or COMcheck in Alford?
Send us your plans and we will tell you which report you need and get it back to you fast — ready for your Alford permit.
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HERS Ratings in Alford, Massachusetts
Home Energy Efficiency Consultants provides Alford 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 Alford project — Somerville, Framingham, Marlborough, or Everett — or call (617) 501-6788 to schedule a Alford rating.
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