Question 1

What is a COMcheck?

Accepted Answer

COMcheck demonstrates that a commercial building meets the energy code across three systems — building envelope, interior lighting, and mechanical. Most jurisdictions require it as part of the commercial building permit package.

Question 2

When is it required?

Accepted Answer

For new commercial construction and for tenant improvements that touch the envelope, lighting, or mechanical systems. If your plan reviewer asks for commercial energy-code compliance, a COMcheck package generally satisfies it.

Question 3

How does tenant-improvement (TI) scoping work?

Accepted Answer

A TI usually only needs the systems within your scope of work — often interior lighting, sometimes mechanical, and envelope only where you alter it. Tell us your scope and we prepare the certificates that apply.

Question 4

What is the C406 additional efficiency package?

Accepted Answer

Recent codes require commercial projects to earn extra efficiency credits (Section C406) — e.g. reduced lighting power, better HVAC, or on-site renewables. We apply the C406 options your project already meets.

Question 5

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.

Question 6

Which COMcheck certificates do I need, and what do they cost?

Accepted Answer

COMcheck has four certificates: envelope, interior lighting, mechanical, and exterior lighting. Our $199 price covers envelope, interior lighting and mechanical, in any combination your project needs. The exterior lighting certificate (parking lots, building facades, canopies) is a $49 add-on. All four together: $248.

Question 7

Does my COMcheck need a PE or architect stamp?

Accepted Answer

COMcheck itself has no rule on who prepares or signs it (the US DOE says so), and the energy code leaves the signatory to state licensing law. Because commercial construction documents need a licensed architect or engineer in nearly every state, the certificates are usually submitted as part of that sealed set: the design professional of record signs them exactly as they sign the drawings, and we sign as preparer. That costs nothing extra from us. Jurisdictions that spell it out: New York City (energy analysis signed and sealed by a registered design professional, with TR8 progress inspections), New Jersey (signed and sealed by a design professional, or by the HVACR contractor on Class 3 buildings), Chicago (Form 408C completed by an Illinois-licensed architect or engineer). California uses Title 24 NRCC forms and Washington its own commercial tool, so COMcheck doesn’t apply there. Tell us the jurisdiction and we’ll check. If your jurisdiction requires the design professional of record to sign or seal it, we fill in their details so they can sign.

Question 8

Can you stamp it for me?

Accepted Answer

Yes, as an optional add-on on the order form: +$249 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 plan reviewer 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 9

Is COMcheck accepted in every state?

Accepted Answer

COMcheck is accepted in most states, wherever the IECC commercial provisions or ASHRAE 90.1 are the adopted energy code. California is the main exception: it uses Title 24 (NRCC) forms instead, and we prepare Title 24 compliance for commercial projects in California. Tell us your jurisdiction and we’ll confirm before you order.

Question 10

What drawings and information do you need to prepare a COMcheck?

Accepted Answer

Send us: the architectural plans with wall and roof sections showing insulation, plus window and storefront specs; the lighting plan and fixture schedule with wattages and controls; the mechanical equipment schedule with efficiencies, economizers and controls; and the project address, the scope (new build or tenant improvement) and the code edition if you know it.

Question 11

How are my plans handled?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 12

What counts as a ‘commercial building’ for the energy code (e.g., apartments of 4+ stories)?

Accepted Answer

For the energy code, a residential building is a one- or two-family home, a townhouse, or an R-2/R-4 residential building of three stories or fewer above grade. Everything else is commercial, including offices, retail, restaurants, warehouses and schools, and also apartment or condo buildings of four or more stories. Commercial buildings show compliance with COMcheck (or another commercial path), not REScheck.

Question 13

Does my project follow the IECC commercial provisions or ASHRAE 90.1 — and which version?

Accepted Answer

The IECC lets a commercial project comply with either its own commercial chapter or ASHRAE Standard 90.1. The edition is whatever your state or city has adopted; for example, the 2018 IECC references ASHRAE 90.1-2016 and the 2021 IECC references 90.1-2019. COMcheck supports both. We check your jurisdiction’s adopted edition and use whichever path works best for your design.

Question 14

Mixed-use building (residential over retail) — do I need REScheck, COMcheck or both?

Accepted Answer

It depends on the building height. At three stories or fewer above grade, the residential units follow the residential code (REScheck) and the retail space follows the commercial code (COMcheck), so you need both. At four or more stories, the whole building follows the commercial code and COMcheck covers everything. We prepare both reports and quote them together.

Question 15

How are lighting exemptions and allowances (display, decorative) shown?

Accepted Answer

Exempt lighting, such as emergency-only fixtures, specialty task or medical lighting and plant-growth lighting, is marked exempt in COMcheck and doesn’t count toward your lighting power. Retail display lighting and decorative lighting can earn additional allowance watts under the Space-by-Space method. They qualify only when they are shown on the lighting plan and controlled separately from the general lighting.

Question 16

Building Area method vs Space-by-Space method — which one should I use?

Accepted Answer

The Building Area method gives one lighting-power allowance for the whole building type (office, retail, warehouse and so on). It is simple and works well for single-use buildings. The Space-by-Space method gives each room or area its own allowance. It takes more work but usually allows more total watts, which helps mixed-use buildings and spaces with heavy lighting. We run both and use whichever gives your design more room.

Question 17

Does COMcheck check lighting controls such as occupancy sensors and daylight zones?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Lighting controls are mandatory requirements, not trade-offs. Occupancy sensors, time switches, daylight-zone controls, multilevel switching and exterior lighting controls appear on the compliance certificate and the inspection checklist. Your lighting plan must show them, and the inspector will check them on site.

Question 18

Does the mechanical COMcheck require load calculations (ASHRAE 183)?

Accepted Answer

The energy code requires commercial HVAC equipment to be sized from load calculations (ASHRAE 183 or an equivalent method). Most plan reviewers don’t ask for them with the COMcheck, so we include them only on request. If your reviewer wants them, we prepare commercial loads in Carrier HAP and quote them separately.

Question 19

Do walk-in coolers and refrigeration equipment need to be in the COMcheck?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Walk-in coolers and freezers have mandatory requirements, including panel insulation, automatic door closers, efficient evaporator and condenser fan motors and lighting limits, and they are listed in the mechanical section of the COMcheck. Send us the manufacturer’s spec sheets and we’ll include them.

Question 20

How do I enter windows or storefront that have no NFRC product ID?

Accepted Answer

Without an NFRC label or product ID, COMcheck falls back on the code’s default U-factor and SHGC tables. Those values are conservative and can make an otherwise good envelope fail. A better option is the manufacturer’s NFRC-rated or tested values for your storefront or window system. Send us the spec sheet: we enter whichever values let you pass and note the source on the inspection checklist.

Question 21

How are spandrel panels and translucent wall systems entered?

Accepted Answer

Spandrel panels, the opaque glass areas of a curtain wall, are entered as opaque wall assemblies with their own U-factor, not as windows. Translucent wall and skylight panels count as fenestration and are entered with the manufacturer’s U-factor and SHGC. Getting these categories right often makes the difference between passing and failing.

Question 22

My COMcheck shows ‘invalid U-value’ or ‘TBD’ — what does that mean?

Accepted Answer

TBD means a required input is missing. ‘Invalid U-value’ means a manually entered value is outside the range COMcheck accepts for that assembly type, which usually points to the wrong assembly choice. On alterations, a common cause is entering existing assemblies you aren’t touching, which usually shouldn’t be in the report at all. Send us your file or plans and we’ll fix it or rebuild it.

Question 23

My envelope fails the prescriptive path — what are my options?

Accepted Answer

First, use COMcheck’s trade-off: better glazing or extra roof insulation can make up for a weaker wall. Second, reduce the glazing area or choose glass with a lower SHGC. If that still isn’t enough, the performance path (a whole-building energy model) is an option, quoted separately. We show you the lowest-cost fix first and coordinate it with your architect.

Question 24

Why was my COMcheck rejected at pre-screen (signatures, checklist comments, sheet references)?

Accepted Answer

The four most common pre-screen rejections are: unsigned compliance statements; generic inspection-checklist comments such as ‘requirement will be met’ instead of sheet and detail references; the wrong code edition; and areas, assemblies or fixtures that don’t match the drawings. Our reports are built to avoid all four.

Question 25

What should I write in the inspection-checklist comments and plan-sheet references?

Accepted Answer

For each checklist item, name the exact drawing sheet and detail that shows compliance, for example ‘Roof insulation R-30 continuous, see A-501, detail 3’. Reviewers such as Houston’s reject generic statements like ‘requirement will be met’. When we prepare your COMcheck, we fill in these references from your drawings.

Question 26

Can I edit the COMcheck PDF after a rejection, or does it need to be regenerated?

Accepted Answer

No. Many plan reviewers reject a COMcheck PDF that has been edited by hand; the report must be regenerated from the COMcheck project file. We always deliver the project file (.cck) along with the PDF, so revisions are quick.

Question 27

What does the price include, and when is a custom quote needed?

Accepted Answer

$199 covers envelope, interior lighting and mechanical for most projects; exterior lighting is $49 extra. Projects larger than about 25,000 sq ft, or multi-tenant buildings, get a custom quote before work starts.

Assembly	Area	Cav R	Prop U	Budget U
Roof, insul. entirely above deck	14,200	30.0	0.032	0.039
Wall, steel-framed	3,860	13.0	0.064	0.064
Fenestration, fixed	1,240	—	0.380	0.400
Door, opaque	84	—	0.370	0.500

Space / area	Area	Allow W	Prop W
Open office	6,400	4,480	3,900
Corridor	1,150	759	690
Storage	2,300	1,380	1,150
Restrooms	460	437	360

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 COMcheck report. $199, delivered in 2–3 business days.

See a sample before you order

The four-part COMcheck package

Envelope

Interior Lighting

Mechanical

Inspection Checklist

How it works

Your project details

Plans & options

Card payment — last step

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

Scope

Inputs

Pass / fail

Plan review

Pricing

Ready for a permit-ready COMcheck package?

Order your report