REScheck & COMcheck Ashland MA - Quick Facts
Local energy code in Ashland
- Ashland adopted the Massachusetts Specialized (Opt-In) Energy Code effective January 1, 2025; the Stretch Code applies as the baseline. 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 Ashland
- REScheck documents the prescriptive residential path for Ashland 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 Ashland permit application.
2026 Mass Save incentives in Ashland
- 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 Ashland MA
Fast, accurate REScheck and COMcheck energy code compliance reports for residential and commercial projects in Ashland, Massachusetts. We prepare the documentation your building department needs to issue a permit — without the cost of a full performance-path energy rating when your project does not require one.
What we deliver
A signed compliance report matched to your plans and ready to upload with your Ashland building permit application.
REScheck vs. COMcheck: What’s the Difference?
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 Ashland can confirm compliance quickly.
What is a REScheck?
REScheck is DOE software for residential compliance — detached one- and two-family homes and multifamily buildings three stories or fewer. It runs a UA (insulation and window) trade-off calculation against the IECC, letting extra performance in one assembly offset another so the whole envelope still passes.
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.
When Do You Need a REScheck in Ashland?
REScheck is the simplest path for smaller residential projects in Ashland 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 Ashland'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
When Do You Need a COMcheck in Ashland?
COMcheck is required for commercial and larger projects in Ashland. Reach for a COMcheck when your project involves:
- New mechanical (HVAC) or service water heating systems in commercial spaces
- 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
- Warehouse, industrial, and light-manufacturing conditioned spaces
What Your Ashland 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 Ashland.
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.
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 Ashland and Middlesex County
Ashland sits in Middlesex 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 Middlesex County, matched to the code edition Ashland currently enforces.
REScheck & COMcheck Pricing in Ashland
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 Ashland. Send your plans for an exact quote.
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Which Energy Code Report Does a Ashland Project Need?
Ashland 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 Ashland 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. Ashland is in Middlesex County, served from our Somerville (519 Broadway) office.
How We Prepare Your Ashland REScheck or COMcheck
Send your plans
Email the permit set for your Ashland 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 Ashland 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 Ashland Permits
Ashland moved from the Stretch Code to the Specialized (Opt-In) Code on January 1, 2025, according to the state's adoption list. If you are building or renovating in Ashland, that date matters more than anything else on this page: it decides whether a REScheck is enough or whether the town will expect a HERS rating.
From plans to an Ashland permit
- Apply online. Ashland's Inspectional Services Department handles building permits through its OpenGov permit portal, and the department's page notes that all permitting now runs through OpenGov. Staff are on the second floor of Town Hall for questions.
- Pick the right energy document. A REScheck covers small residential additions and alterations where the prescriptive path is allowed (additions up to 1,000 sq ft and not more than 100% of the existing home). New homes need a HERS rating of HERS 42 mixed-fuel or 45 all-electric, and larger renovations need HERS 65 or 70.
- Use the town's checklists. The Inspectional Services page posts Mass Save's Residential Energy Rating Index Path document, a whole-house mechanical ventilation design sheet and an air barrier and insulation checklist. We line our HERS work up with those forms.
- Commercial projects. A COMcheck documents the envelope, lighting and mechanical systems. Commercial buildings over 20,000 sq ft need more than a COMcheck under the Stretch and Specialized Codes.
Our Framingham office at 68 South St is the nearest HEEC location to Ashland, so site visits for HERS testing are quick to schedule. Send your drawings and we will tell you which report your Ashland permit needs.
REScheck & COMcheck Questions for Ashland Projects
Do I need a REScheck or a HERS rating in Ashland?
For a new home in Ashland, you need a HERS rating or Passive House, because Ashland 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 Ashland?
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 apply for a building permit in Ashland?
Ashland's Inspectional Services Department takes building permit applications through its OpenGov permit portal. The department is on the second floor of Town Hall. We deliver REScheck, COMcheck and HERS documents as PDFs you can upload with the application.
When did Ashland adopt the Specialized Code?
The Massachusetts adoption list shows the Specialized (Opt-In) Code in effect in Ashland since January 1, 2025. Before that, Ashland was on the Stretch Code. New homes now need a HERS rating (HERS 42 mixed-fuel or 45 all-electric) or Passive House.
Related: HERS rating in Ashland · Blower door testing · COMcheck & REScheck reports
Need a REScheck or COMcheck in Ashland?
Send us your plans and we will tell you which report you need and get it back to you fast — ready for your Ashland permit.
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HERS Ratings Across Ashland and Nearby Communities
Home Energy Efficiency Consultants rates new homes, additions, and major renovations throughout Ashland — including Ashland Center, and Montenegro Heights. Every Ashland project is filed with the Town of Ashland 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 Ashland, including Framingham, Hopkinton, Holliston, Sherborn, and Southborough. Our Framingham office at 68 South St is the closest of our four Massachusetts locations — see our Framingham office or call (617) 501-6788 to get a Ashland rating on the schedule.
Ashland Specialized Energy Code — HERS Index Targets
Ashland 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 Ashland project up front so you know the exact target and the fastest path to hit it — call (617) 501-6788.
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