REScheck & COMcheck Fitchburg MA - Quick Facts
Local energy code in Fitchburg
- Fitchburg 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 Fitchburg is on the Stretch Code.
REScheck & COMcheck in Fitchburg
- REScheck documents the prescriptive residential path for Fitchburg 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 Fitchburg permit application.
2026 Mass Save incentives in Fitchburg
- 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 Fitchburg MA
Fast, accurate REScheck and COMcheck energy code compliance reports for residential and commercial projects in Fitchburg, 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 Fitchburg building permit application.
Understanding REScheck and 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 Fitchburg 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?
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.
Is a REScheck Right for Your Fitchburg Project?
REScheck is the simplest path for smaller residential projects in Fitchburg 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
- Additions, alterations, or renovations to a one- or two-family home
- Window and insulation upgrades that must be documented for a building permit
When Do You Need a COMcheck in Fitchburg?
COMcheck is required for commercial and larger projects in Fitchburg. Reach for a COMcheck when your project involves:
- High-rise residential buildings of four stories or more
- Commercial buildings — offices, retail, restaurants, warehouses, and mixed-use
- Tenant fit-outs and interior or exterior lighting alterations
- Medical, dental, and professional office construction
- New mechanical (HVAC) or service water heating systems in commercial spaces
What We Deliver for Fitchburg Projects
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 Fitchburg.
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.
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.
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 Fitchburg and Worcester County
Fitchburg 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 Fitchburg currently enforces.
What a REScheck or COMcheck Costs in Fitchburg
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 Fitchburg. Send your plans for an exact quote.
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Which Energy Code Report Does a Fitchburg Project Need?
Fitchburg 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 Fitchburg on the Stretch Code since January 1, 2017.
| Your Fitchburg 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. Fitchburg is in Worcester County, served from our Marlborough (272 Lincoln St) office.
How We Prepare Your Fitchburg REScheck or COMcheck
Send your plans
Email the permit set for your Fitchburg 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 Fitchburg 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 Fitchburg Permits
Fitchburg's Building & Zoning Department, in City Hall at 718 Main Street, takes building, plumbing and gas permit applications through the OpenGov permitting software, where you apply and pay online; paper applications can also be mailed in. If you file through OpenGov, your energy code report is simply one more PDF to upload with the plans.
On code tier, the state's adoption list shows Fitchburg on the Stretch Code since January 1, 2017. It is not a Specialized (Opt-In) Code city. Here is how that plays out for the projects we see most:
Additions and alterations. REScheck works for small residential projects where the prescriptive path is allowed: an addition up to 1,000 sq ft that is not more than 100% of the existing home, plus typical alterations. Air sealing and duct sealing rules still apply.
New homes and big renovations. REScheck is not enough. A new house needs a HERS rating of 42 or lower mixed-fuel (45 all-electric), and a larger addition or major renovation needs HERS 65 mixed-fuel or 70 all-electric.
Commercial and mixed-use. COMcheck documents the envelope, lighting and mechanical systems for commercial buildings and fit-outs. Under the Stretch Code, a commercial building over 20,000 sq ft needs more than COMcheck: a performance path plus envelope and thermal-bridge calculations. Fitchburg has a fair amount of adaptive reuse, such as the Fitchburg Arts Community, which turned the former BF Brown School and City Stables near the Fitchburg Art Museum into 68 affordable homes with artist preference. Conversions like that often mix residential and commercial energy paperwork.
Our Marlborough office at 272 Lincoln St, Suite C1, is the closest HEEC office to Fitchburg.
REScheck & COMcheck Questions for Fitchburg Projects
Do I need a REScheck or a HERS rating in Fitchburg?
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. Fitchburg 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 Fitchburg?
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 submit a REScheck or COMcheck with a Fitchburg building permit?
Fitchburg's Building & Zoning Department accepts building, plumbing and gas permit applications through its OpenGov permitting software, so the REScheck or COMcheck report is uploaded with your plans. The city also accepts paper applications by mail.
Is Fitchburg on the Stretch Code or the Specialized Code?
Fitchburg is on the Massachusetts Stretch Code, effective January 1, 2017, according to the state's municipal adoption list. It has not adopted the Specialized (Opt-In) Code, so new homes need a HERS rating of 42 mixed-fuel or 45 all-electric.
Related: HERS rating in Fitchburg · Blower door testing · COMcheck & REScheck reports
Need a REScheck or COMcheck in Fitchburg?
Send us your plans and we will tell you which report you need and get it back to you fast — ready for your Fitchburg permit.
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HERS Ratings Across Fitchburg and Nearby Communities
Home Energy Efficiency Consultants rates new homes, additions, and major renovations throughout Fitchburg — including Cleghorn, West Fitchburg, South Fitchburg, and Downtown Fitchburg. Every Fitchburg project is filed with the City of Fitchburg 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 Fitchburg, including Leominster, Lunenburg, Westminster, Ashby, and Gardner. 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 Fitchburg rating on the schedule.
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