REScheck & COMcheck Salem MA - Quick Facts
Local energy code in Salem
- Salem has been an Opt-In (Specialized Code) community since July 1, 2024, layering electrification requirements on the Stretch Code; it sits in IECC Climate Zone 5A.
- Beyond the Stretch baseline, new mixed-fuel homes must be pre-wired for future electrification and add on-site solar where there is significant unshaded roof space.
- All-electric new homes must use heat pumps for space heating and hot water; fossil-fuel homes over 4,000 sq ft must reach net-zero (HERS 0), and new multifamily over 12,000 sq ft must meet Passive House.
REScheck & COMcheck in Salem
- REScheck documents the prescriptive residential path for Salem 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 Salem permit application.
What you can get back: 2026 Mass Save
- 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 Salem MA
Home Energy Efficiency Consultants prepares REScheck (residential) and COMcheck (commercial) compliance documentation for Salem projects. When your build does not trigger a full HERS rating, these DOE compliance reports are the fast, affordable path to your permit.
What we deliver
A signed compliance report matched to your plans and ready to upload with your Salem building permit application.
Understanding REScheck and COMcheck
REScheck and COMcheck are DOE-developed programs that show a building meets the IECC energy code. Which one your Salem project needs depends on whether the work is residential or commercial — here is how they differ.
What is a REScheck?
REScheck is the DOE’s residential compliance tool. It covers one- and two-family dwellings and low-rise multifamily (three stories or fewer), using a UA trade-off so a stronger wall or roof can make up for a weaker window while the overall envelope still meets the IECC.
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.
REScheck Projects in Salem
REScheck is the simplest path for smaller residential projects in Salem 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
- Additions, alterations, or renovations to a one- or two-family home
- Multifamily buildings of three stories or fewer
- Projects where insulation and window trade-offs are enough to demonstrate compliance
- Permit applications needing residential envelope documentation on the prescriptive or UA trade-off path
When Do You Need a COMcheck in Salem?
COMcheck is required for commercial and larger projects in Salem. Reach for a COMcheck when your project involves:
- New mechanical (HVAC) or service water heating systems in commercial spaces
- Medical, dental, and professional office construction
- Warehouse, industrial, and light-manufacturing conditioned spaces
- Restaurant build-outs and retail white-box improvements
- High-rise residential buildings of four stories or more
What Your Salem Compliance Report Includes
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.
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.
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 Salem.
Serving Salem and Essex County
Salem sits in Essex 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 Essex County, matched to the code edition Salem currently enforces.
Transparent Pricing for Salem 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 Salem. Send your plans for an exact quote.
Trusted by Salem Builders & Owners
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“Best decision I made was hiring Home Energy Efficiency Consultants LLC. Their attention to detail and willingness to answer all my questions made the process stress-free.”
Which Energy Code Report Does a Salem Project Need?
Salem has adopted the Massachusetts Specialized Code (the municipal opt-in code, 225 CMR 22.00 Appendix RC for homes and 225 CMR 23.00 Appendix CC for commercial and multifamily). New homes must be built to the net-zero-ready Specialized paths, new homes over 4,000 sq ft must use the all-electric or zero-energy path, and new multifamily buildings over 12,000 sq ft must be Passive House certified.
| Your Salem project | What the energy code paperwork usually is |
|---|---|
| New single-family home or low-rise residential building | A HERS rating or Passive House certification on a Specialized Code path. REScheck is not accepted for new homes. |
| 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 certification (Phius or PHI) |
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. Salem is in Essex County, served from our Everett (371 Main St) office.
How We Prepare Your Salem REScheck or COMcheck
Send your plans
Email the permit set for your Salem 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 Salem 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 Salem Permits
Salem moved onto the Specialized (Opt-In) Code on July 1, 2024. The city had already been on the Stretch Code since January 1, 2011, so builders here have worked with HERS ratings and third-party envelope testing for years; the Specialized Code adds more on top.
Residential
REScheck covers small additions and alterations where the prescriptive path is allowed: an addition up to 1,000 sq ft and not more than 100% of the existing home. Anything bigger moves to a HERS rating. New homes need HERS 42 mixed-fuel or 45 all-electric, and under the Specialized Code a mixed-fuel home also needs on-site solar and electric pre-wiring. Larger additions and major renovations need HERS 65 mixed-fuel or 70 all-electric.
Commercial and multifamily
COMcheck documents commercial envelope, lighting and mechanical work, from shop fit-outs to restaurant build-outs. A commercial building over 20,000 sq ft needs more than COMcheck, and new multifamily buildings over 12,000 sq ft must meet Passive House under the Specialized Code.
Salem's Inspectional Services (Building Department) now takes all applications online through the city's OpenGov permitting portal, so the energy documents are uploaded with the plans rather than dropped off.
The biggest residential project in the pipeline is Forest River Residences on Salem State University's former South Campus, where AvalonBay and Winn Development plan 340 apartments in the first phase and up to 475 in all. A project like that falls under the Specialized Code's multifamily rules rather than a simple COMcheck. HEEC serves Salem from our Everett office at 371 Main St.
REScheck & COMcheck Questions for Salem Projects
Do I need a REScheck or a HERS rating in Salem?
For a new home in Salem, you need a HERS rating or Passive House, because Salem is on the Specialized Code. REScheck is used for smaller additions (1,000 sq ft or less and not over 100% of the existing home), basement and attic conversions, and renovations.
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 Salem?
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.
What changed for Salem permits when the Specialized Code started?
Salem's Specialized (Opt-In) Code took effect on July 1, 2024. New homes still need a HERS rating, but a mixed-fuel home must also include on-site solar and electric pre-wiring, and homes over 4,000 sq ft must take the all-electric or zero-energy path. REScheck remains available for small additions and alterations.
Does Salem accept paper permit applications?
Salem says all applications are now submitted online through its OpenGov permitting portal. Upload your REScheck, COMcheck or HERS documentation with the rest of the application.
Related: HERS rating in Salem · Blower door testing · COMcheck & REScheck reports
Need a REScheck or COMcheck in Salem?
Send us your plans and we will tell you which report you need and get it back to you fast — ready for your Salem permit.
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HERS Ratings Across Salem and Nearby Communities
Home Energy Efficiency Consultants rates new homes, additions, and major renovations throughout Salem — from Downtown Salem, The Point, and South Salem to North Salem and Salem Willows. Every Salem project is filed with the City of Salem 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 Salem, including Beverly, Peabody, Marblehead, Danvers, and Swampscott. Our Everett office at 371 Main St is the closest of our four Massachusetts locations — see our Everett office or call (617) 501-6788 to get a Salem rating on the schedule.
Salem Specialized Energy Code — HERS Index Targets
Salem enforces the Massachusetts Specialized (Opt-In) Energy Code. The required HERS score depends on fuel type and project scope — a lower index is stricter.
| Project type | Mixed-fuel | Mixed-fuel + solar | All-electric | All-electric + solar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New construction | HERS 42 | 42 | 45 | 45 |
| New construction — embodied-carbon credit | 45 | 45 | 48 | 48 |
| Accessory dwelling unit (ADU) | 52 | 55 | 55 | 58 |
| Major alteration / renovation / change of use | 65 | 70 | 70 | 75 |
A HERS rating is triggered by new construction, additions over 1,000 sq ft (or more than 100% of the existing conditioned area), and Level 3 alterations over 1,000 sq ft affecting more than 50% of the home. New homes must also pass a blower-door test at 3.0 ACH50 and include electrification-ready wiring for heat pumps, EV charging, and solar. We model your Salem project up front so you know the exact target and the fastest path to hit it — call (617) 501-6788.
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