REScheck & COMcheck Holyoke MA - Quick Facts
Local energy code in Holyoke
- Holyoke 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 Holyoke is on the Stretch Code.
REScheck & COMcheck in Holyoke
- REScheck documents the prescriptive residential path for Holyoke 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 Holyoke permit application.
Mass Save rebates for Holyoke (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 Holyoke MA
Need a REScheck or COMcheck in Holyoke? We produce permit-ready energy code compliance reports for homes and commercial buildings across Hampden 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 Holyoke building permit application.
What Is a REScheck and What Is a COMcheck?
REScheck and COMcheck are DOE-developed programs that show a building meets the IECC energy code. Which one your Holyoke project needs depends on whether the work is residential or commercial — here is how they differ.
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.
REScheck Projects in Holyoke
REScheck is the simplest path for smaller residential projects in Holyoke 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
- Permit applications needing residential envelope documentation on the prescriptive or UA trade-off path
- Window and insulation upgrades that must be documented for a building permit
- Multifamily buildings of three stories or fewer
- Detached accessory structures with conditioned space
Commercial Work That Needs a COMcheck in Holyoke
COMcheck is required for commercial and larger projects in Holyoke. Reach for a COMcheck when your project involves:
- Commercial buildings — offices, retail, restaurants, warehouses, and mixed-use
- Tenant fit-outs and interior or exterior lighting alterations
- Restaurant build-outs and retail white-box improvements
- Medical, dental, and professional office construction
- High-rise residential buildings of four stories or more
What We Deliver for Holyoke 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.
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 Holyoke.
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 Holyoke and Hampden County
Holyoke 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 Holyoke currently enforces.
Transparent Pricing for Holyoke 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 Holyoke. Send your plans for an exact quote.
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Which Energy Code Report Does a Holyoke Project Need?
Holyoke 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 Holyoke on the Stretch Code since January 1, 2011.
| Your Holyoke 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. Holyoke is in Hampden County, served from our Marlborough (272 Lincoln St) office.
How We Prepare Your Holyoke REScheck or COMcheck
Send your plans
Email the permit set for your Holyoke 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 Holyoke 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 Holyoke Permits
Holyoke was one of the first Massachusetts cities to adopt the Stretch Code. The state's adoption list puts its effective date at January 1, 2011, and Holyoke has not moved to the Specialized (Opt-In) Code. That long history means local builders are used to energy documentation, but the rules for which report applies have changed a lot since 2011.
Today the dividing lines look like this. REScheck is for small residential additions and alterations, an addition up to 1,000 sq ft that is not more than 100% of the existing home, where the prescriptive path is allowed. New homes are a HERS rating job: HERS 42 for mixed-fuel or 45 for all-electric. Larger additions and major renovations also need a HERS rating, at 65 mixed-fuel or 70 all-electric.
Commercial buildings use COMcheck for the envelope, lighting and mechanical systems, and under the Stretch Code a commercial building over 20,000 sq ft needs more than COMcheck, with a performance path and thermal-bridge calculations. Holyoke has several larger projects of that kind. The new Massachusetts Veterans Home at Holyoke, an eight-story long-term care building of about 350,000 sq ft, topped off in November 2024. Downtown, the Wrights Block redevelopment at 106-120 High Street broke ground in December 2025 with 19 mixed-income apartments and four storefronts, a mix that can call for both residential and commercial paperwork.
The Holyoke Building Department is in the City Hall Annex, Room 300, at 20 Korean Veterans Plaza. You can apply and pay online through City Squared, apply in person, or email the department, and the energy report goes in with your plans either way. Our Marlborough office at 272 Lincoln St, Suite C1, is the closest HEEC office to Holyoke.
REScheck & COMcheck Questions for Holyoke Projects
Do I need a REScheck or a HERS rating in Holyoke?
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. Holyoke has been on the Stretch Code since January 1, 2011.
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 Holyoke?
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 apply for a building permit in Holyoke?
The Holyoke Building Department, in the City Hall Annex at 20 Korean Veterans Plaza, Room 300, lets you apply and pay online through City Squared, apply in person, or email the department. Include your REScheck, COMcheck or HERS report with the plans.
Does a new Holyoke home need a HERS rating or can it use REScheck?
A new home in Holyoke needs a HERS rating, because Holyoke has been on the Massachusetts Stretch Code since January 1, 2011. The target is HERS 42 mixed-fuel or 45 all-electric. REScheck is limited to small additions and alterations.
Related: HERS rating in Holyoke · Blower door testing · COMcheck & REScheck reports
Need a REScheck or COMcheck in Holyoke?
Send us your plans and we will tell you which report you need and get it back to you fast — ready for your Holyoke permit.
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HERS Ratings Across Holyoke and Nearby Communities
Home Energy Efficiency Consultants rates new homes, additions, and major renovations throughout Holyoke — from Downtown Holyoke, The Flats, and Highlands to Elmwood and Springdale. Every Holyoke project is filed with the City of Holyoke 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 Holyoke, including Chicopee, South Hadley, West Springfield, Springfield, and Easthampton. 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 Holyoke rating on the schedule.
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