REScheck & COMcheck East Brookfield MA - Quick Facts
Local energy code in East Brookfield
- East Brookfield enforces the Massachusetts Stretch Energy Code 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 East Brookfield is on the Stretch Code.
REScheck & COMcheck in East Brookfield
- REScheck documents the prescriptive residential path for East Brookfield 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 East Brookfield permit application.
2026 Mass Save incentives in East Brookfield
- 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 East Brookfield MA
Need a REScheck or COMcheck in East Brookfield? We produce permit-ready energy code compliance reports for homes and commercial buildings across Worcester 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 East Brookfield building permit application.
What Is a REScheck and What Is a 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 East Brookfield can confirm compliance quickly.
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?
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 East Brookfield Project?
REScheck is the simplest path for smaller residential projects in East Brookfield 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
- Projects where insulation and window trade-offs are enough to demonstrate compliance
- Finished basements, attic conversions, and dormer additions on existing homes
- Detached accessory structures with conditioned space
Commercial Work That Needs a COMcheck in East Brookfield
COMcheck is required for commercial and larger projects in East Brookfield. Reach for a COMcheck when your project involves:
- Envelope work on commercial structures requiring IECC or ASHRAE 90.1 compliance
- Commercial buildings — offices, retail, restaurants, warehouses, and mixed-use
- Medical, dental, and professional office construction
- Tenant fit-outs and interior or exterior lighting alterations
- Restaurant build-outs and retail white-box improvements
What We Deliver for East Brookfield Projects
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 East Brookfield.
Serving East Brookfield and Worcester County
East Brookfield sits in Worcester 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 Worcester County, matched to the code edition East Brookfield currently enforces.
What a REScheck or COMcheck Costs in East Brookfield
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 East Brookfield. Send your plans for an exact quote.
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Which Energy Code Report Does a East Brookfield Project Need?
East Brookfield is on the base Massachusetts energy code, according to the state's adoption list; it has not adopted the Stretch Code or the Specialized (Opt-In) Code. The Stretch Code rows below would apply only if East Brookfield adopts the Stretch Code later. Today, small additions and alterations, and generally new homes too, can be documented with REScheck or the prescriptive path.
| Your East Brookfield 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. East Brookfield is in Worcester County, served from our Marlborough (272 Lincoln St) office.
How We Prepare Your East Brookfield REScheck or COMcheck
Send your plans
Email the permit set for your East Brookfield 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 East Brookfield 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 East Brookfield Permits
East Brookfield is one of the few Massachusetts towns still on the base energy code. The state's adoption list shows no Stretch Code or Specialized (Opt-In) Code date for the town, and that changes which report a project here needs.
What the base code means for homes
In Stretch and Specialized towns, a new home needs a HERS rating (HERS 42 mixed-fuel or 45 all-electric) and a larger renovation needs HERS 65 or 70. Those Stretch Code targets do not apply in East Brookfield today. A REScheck is still the usual document for a small residential addition or alteration 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, and the base code generally lets a new home use REScheck or the prescriptive path too. If a builder or lender wants a HERS rating anyway, we can provide one.
Filing with the Building Inspector
Permits go through the Building Inspector at the Memorial Town Complex, 122 Connie Mack Drive. The town's page does not list an online portal; it accepts mailed applications with a self-addressed stamped envelope and a check payable to the Town of East Brookfield. The inspector's office hours alternate between East Brookfield and North Brookfield, so plan ahead if you are dropping off plans. Put the REScheck or COMcheck PDF in with the application so it is reviewed with the drawings.
Commercial projects
COMcheck covers new commercial buildings, additions and fit-outs in East Brookfield, documenting the envelope, lighting and mechanical systems. The extra requirements for commercial buildings over 20,000 sq ft apply in Stretch and Specialized towns, not on the base code.
HEEC's Marlborough office at 272 Lincoln St, Suite C1, is the closest to East Brookfield. Email your plans and we will confirm which report you need before you mail the application.
REScheck & COMcheck Questions for East Brookfield Projects
Do I need a REScheck or a HERS rating in East Brookfield?
East Brookfield is on the base Massachusetts energy code, according to the state's adoption list, so the Stretch Code HERS requirement for new homes does not apply there. 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, and the base code generally allows it for new homes too. We confirm the path with the Building Inspector 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 East Brookfield?
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.
Is East Brookfield on the Stretch Code?
No. The state's energy code adoption list shows East Brookfield on the base Massachusetts energy code, with no Stretch Code or Specialized (Opt-In) Code adoption, so the Stretch Code HERS targets for new homes do not apply there today.
Can I mail a building permit application to East Brookfield?
Yes. The Building Inspector's page says applications can be mailed with a self-addressed stamped envelope and a check payable to the Town of East Brookfield. Include your REScheck or COMcheck report with the plans.
Related: HERS rating in East Brookfield · Blower door testing · COMcheck & REScheck reports
Need a REScheck or COMcheck in East Brookfield?
Send us your plans and we will tell you which report you need and get it back to you fast — ready for your East Brookfield permit.
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HERS Ratings in East Brookfield, Massachusetts
Home Energy Efficiency Consultants provides East Brookfield 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 East Brookfield project — Somerville, Framingham, Marlborough, or Everett — or call (617) 501-6788 to schedule a East Brookfield rating.
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