REScheck & COMcheck Amherst MA - Quick Facts
Local energy code in Amherst
- Amherst has been an Opt-In (Specialized Code) community since July 1, 2024, layering electrification requirements on the Stretch Code; it sits in IECC Climate Zone 5A.
- Beyond the Stretch baseline, new mixed-fuel homes must be pre-wired for future electrification and add on-site solar where there is significant unshaded roof space.
- All-electric new homes must use heat pumps for space heating and hot water; fossil-fuel homes over 4,000 sq ft must reach net-zero (HERS 0), and new multifamily over 12,000 sq ft must meet Passive House.
REScheck & COMcheck in Amherst
- REScheck documents the prescriptive residential path for Amherst 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 Amherst 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 Amherst MA
Need a REScheck or COMcheck in Amherst? We produce permit-ready energy code compliance reports for homes and commercial buildings across Hampshire 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 Amherst building permit application.
What Is a REScheck and What Is a 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 Amherst can confirm compliance quickly.
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.
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.
Is a REScheck Right for Your Amherst Project?
REScheck is the simplest path for smaller residential projects in Amherst 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
- Projects where insulation and window trade-offs are enough to demonstrate compliance
- Additions, alterations, or renovations to a one- or two-family home
- Window and insulation upgrades that must be documented for a building permit
- Finished basements, attic conversions, and dormer additions on existing homes
Commercial Work That Needs a COMcheck in Amherst
COMcheck is required for commercial and larger projects in Amherst. 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
- Warehouse, industrial, and light-manufacturing conditioned spaces
What Your Amherst 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.
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 Amherst.
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 Amherst and Hampshire County
Amherst sits in Hampshire 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 Hampshire County, matched to the code edition Amherst currently enforces.
Transparent Pricing for Amherst 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 Amherst. Send your plans for an exact quote.
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Which Energy Code Report Does a Amherst Project Need?
Amherst 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 Amherst 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. Amherst is in Hampshire County, served from our Marlborough (272 Lincoln St) office.
How We Prepare Your Amherst REScheck or COMcheck
Send your plans
Email the permit set for your Amherst 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 Amherst 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 Amherst Permits
Amherst was an early Stretch Code adopter, effective January 1, 2012, and it moved to the Specialized (Opt-In) Code effective July 1, 2024. Permits are issued by Inspection Services at 4 Boltwood Ave, and applications are filed through the town's OpenGov online permitting portal. For commercial building permits, the portal checklist includes a "Massachusetts Energy Compliance Report," which is where a COMcheck fits.
Residential work in Amherst
Under the Specialized (Opt-In) Code, the line between a REScheck job and a HERS job is the same as in Stretch Code towns:
- A REScheck covers a small residential addition or alteration where the prescriptive path is allowed, meaning an addition up to 1,000 sq ft and not more than 100% of the existing home.
- A new home needs a HERS rating of 42 mixed-fuel or 45 all-electric. Under the Specialized (Opt-In) Code, a mixed-fuel home must also add on-site solar and electric pre-wiring.
- Larger additions and major renovations need HERS 65 mixed-fuel or HERS 70 all-electric.
Commercial and mixed-use work
COMcheck documents the envelope, lighting and mechanical systems of commercial space. In Amherst, commercial buildings over 20,000 sq ft need more than COMcheck. Mixed-use development near the university shows why this matters: in March 2025 the Planning Board approved a five-story building at the former Rafters site on Amity Street with 77 apartments and about 12,200 sq ft of ground-floor commercial space. A building like that needs both a commercial and a residential compliance path.
HEEC's Marlborough office at 272 Lincoln St C1 is our nearest location to the Pioneer Valley. We work from your plans and deliver a report you can upload to OpenGov with your Amherst application.
REScheck & COMcheck Questions for Amherst Projects
Do I need a REScheck or a HERS rating in Amherst?
For a new home in Amherst, you need a HERS rating or Passive House, because Amherst 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 Amherst?
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 report does an Amherst commercial building permit need?
The Amherst OpenGov checklist for commercial building permits includes a Massachusetts Energy Compliance Report. For most commercial projects that is a COMcheck. Amherst is on the Specialized (Opt-In) Code, so commercial buildings over 20,000 sq ft need more than COMcheck.
When did Amherst adopt the Specialized Code?
Amherst adopted the Specialized (Opt-In) Code effective July 1, 2024, after using the Stretch Code since January 1, 2012. A REScheck still works for small additions, but new homes and larger renovations in Amherst need a HERS rating.
Related: HERS rating in Amherst · Blower door testing · COMcheck & REScheck reports
Need a REScheck or COMcheck in Amherst?
Send us your plans and we will tell you which report you need and get it back to you fast — ready for your Amherst permit.
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HERS Ratings Across Amherst and Nearby Communities
Home Energy Efficiency Consultants rates new homes, additions, and major renovations throughout Amherst — including Amherst Center, North Amherst, South Amherst, and Cushman. Every Amherst project is filed with the Town of Amherst Building Division, 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 Amherst, including Hadley, Northampton, Pelham, Sunderland, and South Hadley. Our Marlborough office at 272 Lincoln St is the closest of our four Massachusetts locations — see our Marlborough office or call (617) 501-6788 to get a Amherst rating on the schedule.
Amherst Specialized Energy Code — HERS Index Targets
Amherst enforces the Massachusetts Specialized (Opt-In) Energy Code. The required HERS score depends on fuel type and project scope — a lower index is stricter.
| 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 Amherst project up front so you know the exact target and the fastest path to hit it — call (617) 501-6788.
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