If you’ve applied for a building permit in Georgia and received a comment about “energy compliance documentation” or “COMcheck submittal required,” you’ve encountered one of the most widely misunderstood parts of the permit process. Here’s a plain-language explanation of what these reports are, when you need one, and what to look for when someone tells you they can prepare one for you.
Why Energy Compliance Is Required
Georgia follows the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC). When you pull a permit for new construction, an addition, or a significant renovation, the jurisdiction requires you to demonstrate your building meets the energy code before they issue the permit. COMcheck and REScheck are the DOE-developed tools that generate that demonstration.
COMcheck vs. REScheck
COMcheck — for commercial buildings
Covers building envelope, interior and exterior lighting, and mechanical systems for commercial buildings. Required for retail stores, restaurants, offices, medical spaces, tenant improvements, and multifamily buildings over three stories.
REScheck — for residential projects
Covers building envelope only for residential projects three stories or less. New construction, additions, and alterations all use the same flat-fee tier by conditioned floor area.
Important: COMcheck and REScheck reports are compliance documentation — not engineering design. The report shows the jurisdiction that what you proposed meets code. The engineering behind what goes into the report is a separate function that requires judgment, not just data entry.
Why Comments Happen — And How to Avoid Them
Permit comments on energy compliance reports are common when the report is treated as a data-entry task. The most frequent causes: envelope assembly inputs that don’t match the architectural drawings; mechanical equipment efficiency inputs that don’t match the equipment schedule; the wrong energy code version for the jurisdiction. A licensed Mechanical PE who designs these systems for a living understands the inputs at a level that a data-entry service does not.
Kiddio Engineering verifies inputs against the actual project drawings before generating the report. Standard turnaround: 3–5 business days. Flat-fee pricing: REScheck from $175. COMcheck from $149.