REScheck & COMcheck Dartmouth MA - Quick Facts
Local energy code in Dartmouth
- Dartmouth is a Stretch Code community - the statewide baseline for new construction and major renovations. IECC Climate Zone 5A.
- Massachusetts has three energy-code levels - base (2021 IECC), Stretch, and Specialized (Opt-In) - and Dartmouth is on the Stretch Code.
REScheck & COMcheck in Dartmouth
- REScheck documents the prescriptive residential path for Dartmouth 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 Dartmouth permit application.
Mass Save rebates for Dartmouth (2026)
- 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 Dartmouth MA
Need a REScheck or COMcheck in Dartmouth? We produce permit-ready energy code compliance reports for homes and commercial buildings across Bristol 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 Dartmouth 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 Dartmouth can confirm compliance quickly.
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.
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.
When Do You Need a REScheck in Dartmouth?
REScheck is the simplest path for smaller residential projects in Dartmouth 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 Dartmouth'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 Dartmouth
COMcheck is required for commercial and larger projects in Dartmouth. Reach for a COMcheck when your project involves:
- Tenant fit-outs and interior or exterior lighting alterations
- Envelope work on commercial structures requiring IECC or ASHRAE 90.1 compliance
- Medical, dental, and professional office construction
- Commercial buildings — offices, retail, restaurants, warehouses, and mixed-use
- High-rise residential buildings of four stories or more
Inside Your REScheck or COMcheck Report
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 Dartmouth.
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.
Serving Dartmouth and Bristol County
Dartmouth sits in Bristol 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 Bristol County, matched to the code edition Dartmouth currently enforces.
What a REScheck or COMcheck Costs in Dartmouth
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 Dartmouth. Send your plans for an exact quote.
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Which Energy Code Report Does a Dartmouth Project Need?
Dartmouth is not one of the 60 Massachusetts communities on the Specialized (Opt-In) 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 Dartmouth on the Stretch Code since January 1, 2017.
| Your Dartmouth 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. Dartmouth is in Bristol County, served from our Framingham (68 South St) office.
How We Prepare Your Dartmouth REScheck or COMcheck
Send your plans
Email the permit set for your Dartmouth 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 Dartmouth 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 Dartmouth Permits
Dartmouth is on the Massachusetts Stretch Code, effective January 1, 2017 on the state's adoption list, and has not adopted the Specialized (Opt-In) Code. Permits run through the town's Building Department (the Department of Inspectional Services), which refers applicants to its online permitting system.
Most Dartmouth residential projects fall into one of three groups:
- Small additions and alterations. REScheck works where the prescriptive path is allowed and the addition is up to 1,000 sq ft and not more than 100% of the existing home. A sunroom, a dormer or a modest family-room addition usually qualifies. Air sealing and duct sealing rules still apply.
- Larger additions and major renovations. Once an addition passes 1,000 sq ft or doubles the house, you need a whole-house HERS rating of 65 mixed-fuel or 70 all-electric.
- New homes. A new house needs a HERS rating of 42 mixed-fuel or 45 all-electric. REScheck is not accepted for new homes under the Stretch Code.
Commercial work along Route 6, Faunce Corner Road and Dartmouth's other business areas uses COMcheck for the envelope, lighting and mechanical systems, whether it is a new building or a fit-out. Under the Stretch Code, a commercial building over 20,000 sq ft needs more than COMcheck: a performance path with envelope and thermal-bridge calculations.
If you are not sure which group your plans fall into, send them over and we will tell you which report to file before you apply. Our Framingham office at 68 South St handles Dartmouth projects, and reports are delivered digitally, ready to upload with your application.
REScheck & COMcheck Questions for Dartmouth Projects
Do I need a REScheck or a HERS rating in Dartmouth?
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. Dartmouth 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 Dartmouth?
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.
Do I need a HERS rating for a new home in Dartmouth?
Yes. Dartmouth has been on the Massachusetts Stretch Code since January 1, 2017, so a new home needs a HERS rating of 42 mixed-fuel or 45 all-electric, or Passive House. REScheck is not accepted for new homes.
Can a Dartmouth sunroom or dormer addition use REScheck?
Usually. REScheck can be used in Dartmouth for additions up to 1,000 sq ft that are not more than 100% of the existing home, where the prescriptive path is allowed. Larger additions need a whole-house HERS rating of 65 mixed-fuel or 70 all-electric.
Related: HERS rating in Dartmouth · Blower door testing · COMcheck & REScheck reports
Need a REScheck or COMcheck in Dartmouth?
Send us your plans and we will tell you which report you need and get it back to you fast — ready for your Dartmouth permit.
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HERS Ratings Across Dartmouth and Nearby Communities
Home Energy Efficiency Consultants rates new homes, additions, and major renovations throughout Dartmouth — including North Dartmouth, South Dartmouth, Padanaram, and Bliss Corner. Every Dartmouth project is filed with the Town of Dartmouth 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 Dartmouth, including New Bedford, Westport, Fairhaven, Freetown, and Acushnet. 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 Dartmouth rating on the schedule.
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