Question 1

What is a REScheck?

Accepted Answer

REScheck demonstrates that a residential building meets the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), typically through UA trade-offs across the building envelope. Many jurisdictions require it as part of the building permit package.

Question 2

When is it required?

Accepted Answer

Usually for new residential construction, and often for additions and alterations that affect the thermal envelope. Requirements vary by jurisdiction — if your permit office asks for energy-code compliance, a REScheck generally satisfies it.

Question 3

Which IECC versions and state codes do you handle?

Accepted Answer

We prepare reports to the IECC version your jurisdiction has adopted, including state-amended codes. Tell us your jurisdiction and we match it.

Question 4

What do you need from me?

Accepted Answer

Your plans (PDF), the jobsite address, conditioned square footage, and any insulation or window specs you already have. If specs aren’t finalized, we can work from typical assemblies and adjust.

Question 5

Does my REScheck need a PE or architect stamp?

Accepted Answer

In most states, no. The energy code (IECC R103.1) leaves the signatory to state licensing law, and the US DOE sets no rule on who prepares a REScheck. For one- and two-family homes almost every state exempts the drawings from a licensed seal, so the builder, the contractor, the architect or whoever prepares the drawing set signs the report with the permit application, and we sign it as preparer. Where your drawings do need a seal, the architect or engineer who seals them can seal our report too, at no extra cost from us. Known exceptions: New York City (the energy analysis must be signed and sealed by a registered design professional), New York State (seal required unless the home is 1,500 sq ft or less, or the alteration is under the statutory cost threshold), New Jersey (signed and sealed by a design professional, or by the owner-occupant of a detached home), Chicago (compliance form completed by an Illinois-licensed architect or engineer), and California, Washington, Oregon and Massachusetts, which use their own forms rather than REScheck. Confirm with your permit office before ordering; tell us the jurisdiction and we’ll check too.

Question 6

Can you stamp it for me?

Accepted Answer

Yes, as an optional add-on on the order form: +$149 for a seal by a partner engineer licensed in your project’s state, added to the amount held at checkout. The sealed copy follows the draft by about 2 business days. We recommend it only when your permit office requires a seal and nobody on your project holds a licence there — it is not something we require. If no partner engineer is available for your state, we tell you before work starts and remove the add-on from your order.

Question 7

Is the REScheck the same as the energy certificate that gets posted in the electrical panel?

Accepted Answer

No. The IECC requires a permanent certificate posted on or near the electrical panel (code section R401.3), listing the home’s insulation R-values, window U-factors, HVAC and water-heater efficiencies, and test results. The builder (or the design professional of record) completes, signs and posts it before final inspection, using the values from the REScheck. The last page of our report is that certificate, left blank for the equipment actually installed; on request we can pre-fill it with the values from your report.

Question 8

When do I pay?

Accepted Answer

When you order, you enter your card on Stripe’s secure checkout and the price is put on hold — nothing is charged yet. We charge the card when your draft is delivered. Card holds last 7 days, so if a draft ever runs past day 6 we charge it then. If we can’t deliver, the hold is released and you pay nothing. Up to 3 free revisions until your permit office accepts it.

Question 9

Is REScheck accepted in every state?

Accepted Answer

REScheck is accepted in most states, wherever the IECC (or a state version of it) is the adopted energy code. California is the main exception: it uses its own Title 24 forms, and we don’t currently prepare residential Title 24. In Florida, the code allows a REScheck printout on the prescriptive path. If your Florida project needs a Form R405 performance report instead, contact us for a quote. Tell us your jurisdiction and we’ll confirm before you order.

Question 10

What do the mechanical and lighting sections add?

Accepted Answer

The base $79 report covers the building envelope: insulation, windows, doors and the UA trade-off. For $30 more ($109 total) we add the mechanical section (heating, cooling, water heating and ducts) and the lighting section, which some permit offices require. Not sure which you need? Send us your permit checklist.

Question 11

Can you prepare a REScheck from a hand sketch or an older set of plans?

Accepted Answer

Yes, as long as the sketch is dimensioned: we need wall lengths and heights, window and door sizes, and which way the house faces. Photos alone aren’t enough.

Question 12

Can the same REScheck be reused for the same house plan on another lot or facing a different direction?

Accepted Answer

Yes. If you build the same plan on another lot or facing a different direction, we re-issue the report for the new address and orientation for $39. If the re-issue also needs a seal, the same +$149 applies.

Question 13

How are my plans handled?

Accepted Answer

Your files are used only to prepare your report. We don’t publish or share them.

Question 14

Who decides whether REScheck is required — my city, county or state?

Accepted Answer

The state usually adopts the energy code and its edition (some states leave adoption to local governments). Your city or county building department enforces it and decides which compliance documents it accepts. The quickest way to know is the department’s permit checklist or the plan reviewer’s comment. Send it to us and we’ll match the report to it.

Question 15

What is the difference between REScheck, a HERS/ERI rating and the performance path — which should I use?

Accepted Answer

Use the compliance path your permit office asks for. Most cities accept REScheck, the prescriptive/total-UA path that compares your envelope with the code’s reference house. It is the fastest and lowest-cost option and suits most custom homes, additions and remodels. The performance path (IECC R405) is a whole-house energy simulation. It allows wider trade-offs, e.g. better HVAC or windows against less insulation, and is useful when a design fails REScheck. The ERI/HERS path (IECC R406) needs a certified HERS rater to model and test the house on site; production builders who already pay a rater often use it. We prepare REScheck reports; performance-path (R405) reports are quoted on request. Not sure which your city wants? Send us the permit checklist or the reviewer’s comment and we’ll match it.

Question 16

Do I need a REScheck for an ADU or a garage conversion?

Accepted Answer

Usually, yes. A new ADU, attached or detached, is new conditioned space, so the energy code applies just as it does to a new house or an addition. A garage conversion needs one whenever unconditioned space becomes conditioned: the converted walls, ceiling, slab and windows must meet the code for an addition, and only the converted area is modeled. Some cities treat unconditioned workshop or storage conversions differently, and California uses Title 24 instead of REScheck. Our price is based on the square footage of the new or converted area only.

Question 17

Do I need a REScheck if I am only replacing windows or re-roofing?

Accepted Answer

Usually not a full REScheck. Replacement windows only need to meet the code’s maximum U-factor (and SHGC in warmer climates), which is shown on the NFRC label. Re-roofing generally requires added insulation only where the roof deck or ceiling cavity is exposed. Some cities still ask for a REScheck covering the altered area. If yours does, we can prepare one for just that scope.

Question 18

Do I need a REScheck, a Manual J, or both?

Accepted Answer

They do different jobs, and many permits need both. REScheck shows the building envelope (insulation, windows, air sealing) meets the energy code, but it does not size your HVAC. Manual J calculates the home’s heating and cooling loads, and Manual S uses those loads to pick equipment of the right size, which tells you what system to buy. New homes and additions usually need both. An HVAC replacement often needs only Manual J/S, and envelope-only work often needs only REScheck. Order both together and save $50: the same plans cover both reports.

Question 19

How are basement walls, slab edges and crawlspaces handled in REScheck?

Accepted Answer

Each is entered separately with its own R-value and depth. Conditioned basement walls are entered with their insulation R-value and how far the insulation extends below grade. Slab-on-grade floors get slab-edge insulation (R-value and depth), which is required in colder climate zones. Crawlspaces are entered either as insulated crawlspace walls (unvented crawl) or as an insulated floor above the crawlspace (vented crawl). We take all of these from your wall sections and foundation plan.

Question 20

How are non-standard walls (ICF, SIP, steel frame, log) entered in REScheck?

Accepted Answer

REScheck has built-in assembly types for insulated concrete forms (ICF), structural insulated panels (SIP), steel-frame walls and log or other mass walls. Where an assembly doesn’t fit a standard type, we enter the manufacturer’s tested U-factor instead. Send us the product data sheet along with your plans.

Question 21

My REScheck says ‘does not comply’ — what are my options?

Accepted Answer

Check the inputs first: many failures come from the wrong climate zone or code year, default window U-factors used instead of the real NFRC values, or missing continuous insulation. REScheck is a total-UA calculation, so improving one component can make up for another, for example better windows or more attic insulation to offset a weaker wall. If the envelope still can’t pass, a performance (R405) or ERI report can give credit for efficient HVAC and water heating. When your report fails, we tell you the lowest-cost changes that would make it pass and work them out with you and your architect. We re-run the report free up to 3 times until the permit office accepts it.

Question 22

How does REScheck calculate a pass (the UA trade-off), and can I pass without adding insulation everywhere?

Accepted Answer

For each part of the envelope (walls, ceiling, windows, floor, doors), REScheck multiplies its U-factor by its area to get how much heat it loses. It adds these up for your house (the UA) and compares the total with the same house built exactly to code minimums. If your total is equal or lower, you pass; the result also shows as a percentage better or worse than code. That means you don’t need extra insulation everywhere: one better component can make up for a weaker one, such as high-performance windows or extra attic insulation offsetting 2x4 walls. Mandatory items can’t be traded away, including air sealing, duct insulation and sealing, and in some climate zones a maximum window U-factor.

Question 23

What are the residential lighting requirements under the energy code?

Accepted Answer

Under the 2021 IECC, every permanently installed light fixture must use high-efficacy lighting, which in practice means LED; some exterior lighting also needs automatic controls. Older code editions require 75% (2015) or 90% (2018) high-efficacy lamps. If your reviewer wants lighting documented, our +$30 option adds the mechanical and lighting sections to your REScheck report.

Question 24

Does passing REScheck mean I no longer need blower-door or duct-leakage testing?

Accepted Answer

No. REScheck shows the design meets the energy code on paper; testing proves how the finished house actually performs. Under the 2012 IECC and later, most new homes need a blower-door test to show air leakage is at or below the limit for your climate zone. Additions and alterations are often exempt, but your local office decides. Duct-leakage testing is required when ducts run outside the conditioned space, for example in an attic. A certified rater or tester (HERS rater, BPI or similar) does the testing on site, not us. The inspection checklist in our report lists the targets so your tester knows what to hit.

Question 25

What is the inspection checklist in the REScheck report, and what does my builder have to do with it?

Accepted Answer

The pages after the compliance certificate are the inspection checklist. They list every requirement the inspector will verify on site, such as insulation R-values, window labels, air sealing, duct sealing and insulation, and any required testing. Your builder installs to it and keeps a copy on site, and the inspector checks the items off at each inspection.

Question 26

Who signs the REScheck compliance certificate — you or me?

Accepted Answer

We sign the compliance certificate as the preparer. If your permit office also wants the builder’s or owner’s signature, there’s a space for it on the certificate.

Question 27

Will you revise the report if the plan reviewer asks for changes?

Accepted Answer

Yes. If your plan reviewer asks for changes, we revise the report free of charge, up to 3 times, until your permit office accepts it.

Question 28

DOE’s REScheck software is free — why pay someone to prepare it?

Accepted Answer

The software is free, but getting it right takes time and know-how. You need the right code year and climate zone, and every assembly entered correctly: wall and ceiling types, window U-factors, slab and basement details, continuous insulation. Wrong entries are the most common reason reports fail or get rejected, and each rejection can delay your permit by days or weeks. For $79, an engineer takes the numbers off your plans, sends a draft within 24 hours, suggests the lowest-cost fix if it fails, and makes up to 3 free revisions until your permit office accepts it. Do it yourself if you have the time; if you’d rather not lose a permit cycle to a data-entry mistake, that’s what we’re for.

Question 29

Do you offer builder or volume pricing for multiple plans?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Builders ordering several plans or ongoing volume get a quoted discount. Contact us with your expected volume.

Question 30

Can I bundle REScheck with a Manual J?

Accepted Answer

Need a Manual J too? Order REScheck together with Manual J/S/D from our sister site getmanualjsd.com and save $50.

Assembly	Cav R	Cont R	Prop U	Req U
Ceiling, flat	38.0	0.0	0.030	0.026
Wall, wood frame	21.0	5.0	0.057	0.060
Floor, slab	10.0	—	—	—
Window, vinyl	—	—	0.300	0.320

Section	Requirement	Status
402.1.1	Insulation R-values	✓
402.4	Air leakage / sealing	✓
403.1	Programmable thermostat	✓
403.3	Duct sealing & R-value	✓

State	Homes & ADUs	Multi-family & mixed-use	Office & commercial	Retail, food & hotels	Health, education & labs	Industrial & other	Projects
California	48	15	45	31	9	8	156
Texas	23	12	13	12	8	7	79
Florida	13	9	9				42
New York		13					15
Georgia							12
Colorado							9
Maryland							7
Pennsylvania							7
Washington							6
Michigan							5
New Jersey							5
Ohio							5
Massachusetts							4
Arizona							3
Connecticut							3
Missouri							3
New Mexico							2
North Carolina							2
South Carolina							2
Virginia							2
Alabama							1
Arkansas							1
Illinois							1
Indiana							1
Nevada							1
Tennessee							1
U.S. Virgin Islands							1
Utah							1
Washington DC							1
Wyoming							1

Permit-ready REScheck report. $79, delivered in 24 hours.

See a sample before you order

How it works

Your project details

Plans & options

Card payment — last step

Why builders choose Get REScheck

One flat price, no quote step

Delivered in 24 hours

Matched to your jurisdiction

3 free re-runs until accepted

One flat price

What clients say

Where our team has delivered

Where we have delivered

What we have delivered, where

Our guarantee & common questions

Basics

Code & state

Project type

Inputs

Pass / fail

Scope

Process

Pricing

Ready for a permit-ready REScheck?

Order your report