REScheck & COMcheck Winchester MA - Quick Facts
Local energy code in Winchester
- Winchester adopted the Massachusetts Specialized (Opt-In) Energy Code effective July 1, 2025; the Stretch Code applies as the baseline. 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 Winchester
- REScheck documents the prescriptive residential path for Winchester 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 Winchester permit application.
2026 Mass Save incentives in Winchester
- 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.
RESNET-certified · 15,000+ ratings completed · 5.0 stars across 136 Google reviews · (617) 501-6788
REScheck & COMcheck Winchester MA
From small additions to commercial fit-outs in Winchester, we deliver the REScheck and COMcheck reports your Middlesex County building department requires — accurate, signed, and turned around quickly.
What we deliver
A stamped, signed compliance report matched to your plans and ready to upload with your Winchester building permit application.
REScheck vs. COMcheck: What’s the Difference?
These are the two standard software tools plan reviewers accept for energy code compliance. Developed by the DOE, they let a Middlesex County project demonstrate that its envelope (and, for commercial, lighting and mechanical) meets the IECC.
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.
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 Winchester
REScheck is the simplest path for smaller residential projects in Winchester that do not trigger a full performance-path energy rating. It is typically the right tool when your project is:
- New residential construction or an addition under 1,200 square feet that does not require a HERS rating
- Projects where insulation and window trade-offs are enough to demonstrate compliance
- Multifamily buildings of three stories or fewer
- Finished basements, attic conversions, and dormer additions on existing homes
- Additions, alterations, or renovations to a one- or two-family home
When Do You Need a COMcheck in Winchester?
COMcheck is required for commercial and larger projects in Winchester. Reach for a COMcheck when your project involves:
- New mechanical (HVAC) or service water heating systems in commercial spaces
- Restaurant build-outs and retail white-box improvements
- Warehouse, industrial, and light-manufacturing conditioned spaces
- Tenant fit-outs and interior or exterior lighting alterations
- Envelope work on commercial structures requiring IECC or ASHRAE 90.1 compliance
Inside Your REScheck or COMcheck Report
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 Winchester.
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.
Serving Winchester and Middlesex County
Winchester 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 Winchester currently enforces.
What a REScheck or COMcheck Costs in Winchester
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 Winchester. Send your plans for an exact quote.
Trusted by Winchester Builders & Owners
Google Review
“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.”
Need a REScheck or COMcheck in Winchester?
Send us your plans and we will tell you which report you need and get it back to you fast — ready for your Winchester permit.
Email Energyconsultants01@gmail.com Call 617-501-6788HERS Ratings Across Winchester and Nearby Communities
Home Energy Efficiency Consultants rates new homes, additions, and major renovations throughout Winchester — including Winchester Center, Wedgemere, and Symmes Corner. Every Winchester project is filed with the Town of Winchester 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 Winchester, including Medford, Arlington, Woburn, Stoneham, and Lexington. Our Somerville office at 519 Broadway is the closest of our four Massachusetts locations — see our Somerville office or call (617) 501-6788 to get a Winchester rating on the schedule.
Winchester Specialized Energy Code — HERS Index Targets
Winchester 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 Winchester project up front so you know the exact target and the fastest path to hit it — call (617) 501-6788.
More Massachusetts Towns We Serve
Certified HERS ratings, blower door testing and energy code compliance across all 351 Massachusetts cities and towns.
