REScheck & COMcheck Chester MA - Quick Facts
Local energy code in Chester
- New construction and major renovations in Chester follow the Massachusetts Stretch Energy Code. IECC Climate Zone 6A.
- Massachusetts has three energy-code levels - base (2021 IECC), Stretch, and Specialized (Opt-In) - and Chester is on the Stretch Code.
REScheck & COMcheck in Chester
- REScheck documents the prescriptive residential path for Chester 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 Chester 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 Chester MA
From small additions to commercial fit-outs in Chester, we deliver the REScheck and COMcheck reports your Hampden County building department requires — accurate, signed, and turned around quickly.
What we deliver
A signed compliance report matched to your plans and ready to upload with your Chester building permit application.
REScheck vs. COMcheck: What’s the Difference?
REScheck and COMcheck are DOE-developed programs that show a building meets the IECC energy code. Which one your Chester project needs depends on whether the work is residential or commercial — here is how they differ.
What is a COMcheck?
COMcheck is DOE software for commercial buildings and high-rise residential (four stories or more). It checks the building envelope, interior and exterior lighting, and mechanical systems against the IECC or ASHRAE Standard 90.1, and can trade off components across the design.
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.
When Do You Need a REScheck in Chester?
REScheck is the simplest path for smaller residential projects in Chester 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 Chester'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 Chester
COMcheck is required for commercial and larger projects in Chester. Reach for a COMcheck when your project involves:
- Medical, dental, and professional office construction
- High-rise residential buildings of four stories or more
- Envelope work on commercial structures requiring IECC or ASHRAE 90.1 compliance
- New mechanical (HVAC) or service water heating systems in commercial spaces
- Warehouse, industrial, and light-manufacturing conditioned spaces
What We Deliver for Chester Projects
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 Chester.
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.
Serving Chester and Hampden County
Chester sits in Hampden 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 Hampden County, matched to the code edition Chester currently enforces.
Transparent Pricing for Chester 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 Chester. Send your plans for an exact quote.
Trusted by Chester 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 Chester Project Need?
Chester is not one of the 60 Massachusetts communities on the Specialized Code, and the state's adoption list shows Chester on the Massachusetts Stretch Code (225 CMR 22.00 and 23.00) since January 1, 2018, so projects here follow the Stretch Code. We confirm Chester's current code status against the state list before we prepare any report.
| Your Chester 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. Chester is in Hampden County, served from our Marlborough (272 Lincoln St) office.
How We Prepare Your Chester REScheck or COMcheck
Send your plans
Email the permit set for your Chester 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 Chester 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 Chester Permits
Chester has been on the Massachusetts Stretch Code since January 1, 2018, according to the state's adoption list, and has not adopted the Specialized (Opt-In) Code. Permits go to the town's Building Inspector at Town Hall, who keeps evening office hours on the second and fourth Monday of the month, 6 to 8 pm.
Applications can be filed online through a regional PermitEyes portal: you log in, select Chester and the permit type, and pay online. Paper application forms are also posted on the town website. Either way, your energy code report goes in with the application, so it helps to have it ready before you upload or visit.
REScheck, HERS or COMcheck?
REScheck fits a small residential addition or alteration where the prescriptive path is allowed: an addition up to 1,000 sq ft that is not more than 100% of the existing home. HERS ratings take over for anything bigger. A new home in Chester needs HERS 42 or lower (mixed-fuel) or 45 or lower (all-electric), and a larger addition or renovation needs a whole-house rating of HERS 65 or 70. COMcheck is the commercial document, covering the envelope, lighting and mechanical systems; under the Stretch Code a new commercial building over 20,000 sq ft needs more than a COMcheck.
If you are converting a barn or outbuilding to conditioned space, talk to us early: whether REScheck applies depends on the size of the new conditioned area and how the work is classified.
Our Marlborough office at 272 Lincoln St C1 is the closest HEEC location to Chester. Reports arrive as PDFs ready to upload or print.
REScheck & COMcheck Questions for Chester Projects
Do I need a REScheck or a HERS rating in Chester?
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 Chester'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 Chester?
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.
When can I reach the Chester Building Inspector?
The Building Inspector keeps office hours at Town Hall on the second and fourth Monday of each month, from 6 to 8 pm. Applications can also be filed online through PermitEyes by selecting Chester.
Does Chester follow the Stretch Code?
Yes. The state's adoption list shows Chester adopting the Stretch Code effective January 1, 2018. It has not adopted the Specialized (Opt-In) Code.
Related: HERS rating in Chester · Blower door testing · COMcheck & REScheck reports
Need a REScheck or COMcheck in Chester?
Send us your plans and we will tell you which report you need and get it back to you fast — ready for your Chester permit.
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HERS Ratings in Chester, Massachusetts
Home Energy Efficiency Consultants provides Chester 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 Chester project — Somerville, Framingham, Marlborough, or Everett — or call (617) 501-6788 to schedule a Chester rating.
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