- 6175841809
- hersratingcompany@gmail.com
- 12 Pond St Ashland, MA 01721 United States
- 573 Washington St Quincy, MA 02169 United States
HERS Ratings | Massachusetts
With over 30+ years of experience in the industry, our team of 9 RESNET Certified HERS Raters and 4 Rating Field Inspectors has the expertise needed to ensure your project complies with all energy codes. Click here to learn more about how we can help with energy code compliance and certification.
Massachusetts’ current Base Energy Code is the 10th Edition building code, based on IECC 2021 with Massachusetts amendments (780 CMR). It applies only in the 49 of 351 municipalities that have not adopted the Stretch Code, per the Mass.gov adoption list (updated June 2026):
Alford, Avon, Berkley, Boylston, Brookfield, Clinton, Danvers, East Brookfield, Essex, Fall River, Florida, Foxborough, Freetown, Groveland, Hampden, Hancock, Holbrook, Holden, Hull, Lee, Lynnfield, Marion, Mattapoisett, Middleton, Milford, Monroe, Montgomery, Mount Washington, New Ashford, New Marlborough, North Brookfield, North Reading, Oakham, Otis, Paxton, Phillipston, Raynham, Rochester, Russell, Savoy, Sheffield, Somerset, Sterling, Swansea, Taunton, Tyringham, Wales, West Bridgewater, and Wilmington.
Projects in Base Code towns may comply via the prescriptive path, performance path (simulated energy analysis), or an Energy Rating Index (HERS) analysis — the most common third-party option. A HERS Rating also unlocks Mass Save® new-construction incentives, which require verification by an approved HERS rating company in every town.
242 of 351 Massachusetts municipalities enforce the Stretch Energy Code as of June 2026 (about 86% of the state’s population lives in a Stretch or Specialized Code community). The Stretch Code is based on IECC 2021 with more stringent amendments; the residential code took effect January 1, 2023, commercial July 1, 2023, and DOER published its updated Technical Guidance in September 2025.
Maximum HERS Index for new homes (permits after 7/1/2024):
The HERS path also requires blower door testing (≤ 3.0 ACH50 in Climate Zone 5), duct leakage testing, balanced mechanical ventilation (ERV/HRV), EV-ready parking, and solar-ready provisions. ENERGY STAR® was dropped as a compliance path in the current Stretch Code — HERS and Passive House are the primary pathways.
The Municipal Opt-in Specialized Energy Code became available December 23, 2022. It layers net-zero-ready requirements on top of the Stretch Code: Passive House certification for multifamily over 12,000 sq ft, heat pumps for all-electric homes, electrification pre-wiring + rooftop solar for homes that keep fossil fuels, and net-zero (HERS 0) certification for fossil-fuel homes over 4,000 sq ft.
As of the June 2026 Mass.gov list, 60 municipalities have adopted the Specialized Code (grouped by effective date):
Specialized Energy Code Compliance: We help you navigate these requirements on projects large and small — value-engineering your building to meet the standard and capture every available incentive, from our offices in Quincy and Ashland.
Get in touch: Our RESNET-certified team is ready to help with energy code compliance anywhere in Massachusetts — request a free quote or call 617-584-1809.
More resources & service areas: South Shore HERS ratings · Building an ADU in Massachusetts · Blower door & duct testing packages · Find a certified HERS rater near you · Rhode Island: HERS ratings and blower door & duct testing.
At HERS Rating Company, we are committed to providing the highest quality energy consulting services to homebuilders, architects, and developers across Massachusetts.
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12 Pond St Ashland, MA 01721 United States
573 Washington St Quincy, MA 02169 United States
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