REScheck & COMcheck Marlborough MA - Quick Facts
Local energy code in Marlborough
- Marlborough 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 Marlborough is on the Stretch Code.
REScheck & COMcheck in Marlborough
- REScheck documents the prescriptive residential path for Marlborough 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 Marlborough permit application.
2026 Mass Save incentives in Marlborough
- 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 Marlborough MA
Need a REScheck or COMcheck in Marlborough? We produce permit-ready energy code compliance reports for homes and commercial buildings across Middlesex 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 Marlborough 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 Marlborough can confirm compliance quickly.
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?
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.
Is a REScheck Right for Your Marlborough Project?
REScheck is the simplest path for smaller residential projects in Marlborough 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
- Window and insulation upgrades that must be documented for a building permit
- Finished basements, attic conversions, and dormer additions on existing homes
- Permit applications needing residential envelope documentation on the prescriptive or UA trade-off path
- Projects where insulation and window trade-offs are enough to demonstrate compliance
COMcheck Projects in Marlborough
COMcheck is required for commercial and larger projects in Marlborough. 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
- High-rise residential buildings of four stories or more
- Medical, dental, and professional office construction
- Warehouse, industrial, and light-manufacturing conditioned spaces
Inside Your REScheck or COMcheck Report
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.
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 Marlborough.
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 Marlborough and Middlesex County
Marlborough sits in Middlesex 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 Middlesex County, matched to the code edition Marlborough currently enforces.
Transparent Pricing for Marlborough 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 Marlborough. Send your plans for an exact quote.
Trusted by Marlborough Builders & Owners
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Which Energy Code Report Does a Marlborough Project Need?
Marlborough 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 Marlborough on the Stretch Code since January 1, 2012.
| Your Marlborough 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. Marlborough is in Middlesex County, served from our Marlborough (272 Lincoln St) office.
How We Prepare Your Marlborough REScheck or COMcheck
Send your plans
Email the permit set for your Marlborough 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 Marlborough 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 Marlborough Permits
Marlborough is home to one of our four offices, at 272 Lincoln St, Suite C1, so city projects are close to us. On code tier, the state's adoption list shows Marlborough on the Stretch Code since January 1, 2012, and the city is not a Specialized (Opt-In) Code community.
When REScheck works
Small residential additions and alterations where the prescriptive path is allowed: an addition up to 1,000 sq ft that is not more than 100% of the existing home, a finished basement, or an attic conversion.
When you need a HERS rating
New homes (HERS 42 mixed-fuel or 45 all-electric) and larger additions or major renovations (HERS 65 mixed-fuel or 70 all-electric).
COMcheck covers commercial buildings, tenant fit-outs and lighting or HVAC changes. Under the Stretch Code, a commercial building over 20,000 sq ft needs more than COMcheck, with a performance path and envelope calculations. Marlborough has seen a run of large multifamily and mixed-use work. Alta French Hill at 303 Lincoln Street brought 276 apartments, and the city's development projects list includes Taj Estates at 163-175 Main Street, a seven-story mixed-use building with 67 units over street-level commercial space.
Permits go through Inspectional Services (the Building Department) at City Hall, 140 Main Street, using the city's OpenGov online portal. Upload your REScheck, COMcheck or HERS documentation with the plans so the reviewer has everything at once. If the plans change during review, we update the report and send it back quickly, since we are a short drive from City Hall.
REScheck & COMcheck Questions for Marlborough Projects
Do I need a REScheck or a HERS rating in Marlborough?
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. Marlborough has been on the Stretch Code since January 1, 2012.
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 Marlborough?
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.
Where do I file a building permit in Marlborough?
Marlborough building permits are handled by Inspectional Services (the Building Department) at City Hall, 140 Main Street, through the city's OpenGov online portal. Energy code reports such as REScheck, COMcheck or a HERS rating are uploaded with the plans.
Is there a HEEC office in Marlborough?
Yes. Our Marlborough office is at 272 Lincoln St, Suite C1. It prepares REScheck, COMcheck and HERS reports for Marlborough projects, which follow the Massachusetts Stretch Code (in effect in Marlborough since January 1, 2012).
Related: HERS rating in Marlborough · Blower door testing · COMcheck & REScheck reports
Need a REScheck or COMcheck in Marlborough?
Send us your plans and we will tell you which report you need and get it back to you fast — ready for your Marlborough permit.
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HERS Ratings Across Marlborough and Nearby Communities
Home Energy Efficiency Consultants rates new homes, additions, and major renovations throughout Marlborough — including Downtown Marlborough, French Hill, and East Marlborough. Every Marlborough project is filed with the City of Marlborough 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 Marlborough, including Hudson, Northborough, Southborough, Westborough, and Berlin. 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 Marlborough rating on the schedule.
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