REScheck & COMcheck Chicopee MA - Quick Facts
Local energy code in Chicopee
- New construction and major renovations in Chicopee follow the Massachusetts Stretch Energy Code. IECC Climate Zone 5A.
- Massachusetts has three energy-code levels - base (2021 IECC), Stretch, and Specialized (Opt-In) - and Chicopee is on the Stretch Code.
REScheck & COMcheck in Chicopee
- REScheck documents the prescriptive residential path for Chicopee 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 Chicopee 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 Chicopee MA
From small additions to commercial fit-outs in Chicopee, 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 Chicopee building permit application.
What Is a REScheck and What Is a COMcheck?
These are the two standard software tools plan reviewers accept for energy code compliance. Developed by the DOE, they let a Hampden County project demonstrate that its envelope (and, for commercial, lighting and mechanical) meets the IECC.
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.
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.
REScheck Projects in Chicopee
REScheck is the simplest path for smaller residential projects in Chicopee 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
- Multifamily buildings of three stories or fewer
- Detached accessory structures with conditioned space
- Window and insulation upgrades that must be documented for a building permit
- Projects where insulation and window trade-offs are enough to demonstrate compliance
When Do You Need a COMcheck in Chicopee?
COMcheck is required for commercial and larger projects in Chicopee. Reach for a COMcheck when your project involves:
- Commercial buildings — offices, retail, restaurants, warehouses, and mixed-use
- Medical, dental, and professional office construction
- Restaurant build-outs and retail white-box improvements
- Warehouse, industrial, and light-manufacturing conditioned spaces
- Tenant fit-outs and interior or exterior lighting alterations
Inside Your REScheck or COMcheck Report
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.
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 Chicopee.
Serving Chicopee and Hampden County
Chicopee 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 Chicopee currently enforces.
What a REScheck or COMcheck Costs in Chicopee
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 Chicopee. Send your plans for an exact quote.
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Which Energy Code Report Does a Chicopee Project Need?
Chicopee is not one of the 60 Massachusetts communities on the Specialized Code, so projects follow the Massachusetts Stretch Code (225 CMR 22.00 and 23.00), which 242 communities have adopted. The state's adoption list shows Chicopee on the Stretch Code since January 1, 2017.
| Your Chicopee 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. Chicopee is in Hampden County, served from our Marlborough (272 Lincoln St) office.
How We Prepare Your Chicopee REScheck or COMcheck
Send your plans
Email the permit set for your Chicopee 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 Chicopee 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 Chicopee Permits
Chicopee has been a Stretch Code city since January 1, 2017 and is not on the Specialized (Opt-In) Code list. Before you upload anything, it helps to know which energy report your Chicopee project falls under:
- Small residential work. REScheck covers alterations and additions up to 1,000 sq ft that are not more than 100% of the existing home, where the prescriptive path is allowed. Typical examples are a family room addition, a dormer or a basement finish.
- New homes. A HERS rating of 42 mixed-fuel or 45 all-electric is required. REScheck is not accepted for a new house under the Stretch Code.
- Larger additions and major renovations. These need a whole-house HERS rating of 65 mixed-fuel or 70 all-electric.
- Commercial and industrial space. COMcheck covers the envelope, lighting and mechanical systems. A commercial building over 20,000 sq ft needs more than COMcheck, with a performance path and envelope calculations.
The Chicopee Building Department at 115 Baskin Drive (2nd floor) takes permits online through PermitEyes. Plans are uploaded as PDFs, and the city also asks for paper copies of the drawings, so print the energy report along with them.
Along the Chicopee River, the RiverMills redevelopment broke ground in October 2025 on a phase with more than 100 mixed-income homes, an indoor athletic complex and a brewery. That mix of uses usually means both residential and COMcheck documentation. HEEC's Marlborough office at 272 Lincoln St (Suite C1) is our closest to Chicopee, and reports are delivered digitally.
REScheck & COMcheck Questions for Chicopee Projects
Do I need a REScheck or a HERS rating in Chicopee?
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. Chicopee has been on the Stretch Code since January 1, 2017.
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 Chicopee?
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 did Chicopee adopt the Stretch Code?
The state's adoption list shows Chicopee on the Stretch Code since January 1, 2017. Chicopee has not adopted the Specialized (Opt-In) Code.
Does Chicopee accept building permits online?
Yes. Chicopee uses PermitEyes for online permits. Plans are uploaded as PDFs, and the department also asks for paper copies of the drawings.
Related: HERS rating in Chicopee · Blower door testing · COMcheck & REScheck reports
Need a REScheck or COMcheck in Chicopee?
Send us your plans and we will tell you which report you need and get it back to you fast — ready for your Chicopee permit.
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HERS Ratings Across Chicopee and Nearby Communities
Home Energy Efficiency Consultants rates new homes, additions, and major renovations throughout Chicopee — from Chicopee Center, Chicopee Falls, and Willimansett to Aldenville and Fairview. Every Chicopee project is filed with the City of Chicopee 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 Chicopee, including Springfield, Holyoke, West Springfield, Ludlow, 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 Chicopee rating on the schedule.
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