REScheck & COMcheck Ashfield MA - Quick Facts
Local energy code in Ashfield
- Ashfield adopted the Massachusetts Specialized (Opt-In) Energy Code effective January 1, 2025; the Stretch Code applies as the baseline. IECC Climate Zone 6A.
- 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 Ashfield
- REScheck documents the prescriptive residential path for Ashfield 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 Ashfield permit application.
2026 Mass Save incentives in Ashfield
- 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 Ashfield MA
Need a REScheck or COMcheck in Ashfield? We produce permit-ready energy code compliance reports for homes and commercial buildings across Franklin 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 Ashfield 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 Ashfield 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?
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 Ashfield Project?
REScheck is the simplest path for smaller residential projects in Ashfield 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
- Detached accessory structures with conditioned space
- Projects where insulation and window trade-offs are enough to demonstrate compliance
- Multifamily buildings of three stories or fewer
- Finished basements, attic conversions, and dormer additions on existing homes
Commercial Work That Needs a COMcheck in Ashfield
COMcheck is required for commercial and larger projects in Ashfield. Reach for a COMcheck when your project involves:
- High-rise residential buildings of four stories or more
- Medical, dental, and professional office construction
- Envelope work on commercial structures requiring IECC or ASHRAE 90.1 compliance
- Warehouse, industrial, and light-manufacturing conditioned spaces
- New mechanical (HVAC) or service water heating systems in commercial spaces
What Your Ashfield Compliance Report Includes
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.
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.
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 Ashfield.
Serving Ashfield and Franklin County
Ashfield sits in Franklin 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 Franklin County, matched to the code edition Ashfield currently enforces.
What a REScheck or COMcheck Costs in Ashfield
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 Ashfield. Send your plans for an exact quote.
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Which Energy Code Report Does a Ashfield Project Need?
Ashfield 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 Ashfield 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. Ashfield is in Franklin County, served from our Marlborough (272 Lincoln St) office.
How We Prepare Your Ashfield REScheck or COMcheck
Send your plans
Email the permit set for your Ashfield 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 Ashfield 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 Ashfield Permits
Ashfield is one of the 60 Massachusetts communities on the Specialized (Opt-In) Code. The state's adoption list shows the Specialized Code in effect in Ashfield since January 1, 2025, after the town had been on the Stretch Code since 2012. That makes Ashfield one of the few small hill towns where new homes are held to the strictest energy code in the state.
Who reviews an Ashfield permit
Ashfield is a member of the Franklin County Cooperative Inspection Program (FCCIP), the shared building department run by the Franklin Regional Council of Governments (FRCOG). Building permit applications are filed online through PermitEyes, which applicants reach from the FCCIP website. Your REScheck, COMcheck or HERS paperwork is uploaded there with the rest of the application.
Which report fits your Ashfield project
- Small additions and alterations: REScheck works 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: REScheck is not enough. A new house needs a HERS rating (HERS 42 mixed-fuel or 45 all-electric) or a Passive House path under the Specialized Code.
- Larger renovations and additions: these move to a HERS rating as well, with targets of HERS 65 mixed-fuel or 70 all-electric.
- Commercial buildings: COMcheck covers the envelope, lighting and mechanical systems. A commercial building over 20,000 sq ft needs more than a COMcheck under the Stretch and Specialized Codes.
Not sure which side of the line your project falls on? Send us the plans first. Our Marlborough office at 272 Lincoln St C1 is the closest HEEC location to Ashfield, and we deliver reports as PDFs ready to upload to PermitEyes.
REScheck & COMcheck Questions for Ashfield Projects
Do I need a REScheck or a HERS rating in Ashfield?
For a new home in Ashfield, you need a HERS rating or Passive House, because Ashfield 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 Ashfield?
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.
Who issues building permits in Ashfield?
Ashfield is a member of the Franklin County Cooperative Inspection Program (FCCIP), run by the Franklin Regional Council of Governments. Building permits are applied for online through PermitEyes, linked from the FCCIP website, and energy code reports are uploaded with the application.
Is Ashfield on the Specialized Code?
Yes. The Massachusetts adoption list shows Ashfield on the Specialized (Opt-In) Code, effective January 1, 2025. New homes need a HERS rating (HERS 42 mixed-fuel or 45 all-electric) or Passive House, while REScheck still works for small additions and alterations.
Related: HERS rating in Ashfield · Blower door testing · COMcheck & REScheck reports
Need a REScheck or COMcheck in Ashfield?
Send us your plans and we will tell you which report you need and get it back to you fast — ready for your Ashfield permit.
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HERS Ratings Across Ashfield and Nearby Communities
Home Energy Efficiency Consultants rates new homes, additions, and major renovations throughout Ashfield — including Ashfield Center, and South Ashfield. Every Ashfield project is filed with the Town of Ashfield Building 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 Ashfield, including Conway, Buckland, Goshen, Plainfield, and Cummington. 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 Ashfield rating on the schedule.
Ashfield Specialized Energy Code — HERS Index Targets
Ashfield 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 Ashfield project up front so you know the exact target and the fastest path to hit it — call (617) 501-6788.
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