Description:

Instantaneous Hot Water New Energy Star Construction. Extremely air tight construction with ACH@50PA of 1.25. In order to create an energy star home we had to control both the air infiltration and the thermal performance of a home. 30 Watkins Street has the following Energy Star & "Green" features: *Blown-in High density Cellulose Insulation in the walls and attic rafters for control of air flow and thermal resistance. Zip Wall and Roof system installed as wall and roof sheathing for control of air flow and a proper drainage plane. *Rigid Insulation around the entire house for air flow and thermal resistance. *Batt Insulation in the basement ceiling for thermal resistance with osb ply installed under insulation and all seams foamed for air resistance. *All windows & Doors are Energy Star rated and are properly sealed *Mechanicals (Heating / Air Conditioning systems/Ventilation Heat Recovery system) are in conditioned space so that they run more efficient. *Heating & Air Conditioning Systems are 95% Efficiency Systems. *The Hot Water Heater is Tankless and is 98% Efficient. *Dual Flush toilets in all bathrooms *The plumbing is a PEX plumbing system which offers these key "Green" benefits: -Faster hot-water delivery, resulting in reduced water waste , Less standby water within the tubing than in copper systems, reducing energy waste, Better-insulated tubing walls than with copper piping, so less heat loss to the atmosphere, No impact on water quality from chemical leaching, Superior freeze-resistance versus copper pipe or CPVC pipe, Quieter operation with no water hammer *Flooring on both floors is sustainable bamboo flooring *All Appliances including the LCD TV are Energy Star Energy Efficient appliances *All of the exhaust ducts are insulated *All the lighting in the home is Energy Efficient CFL or LED (Compact Fluorescent lighting) This home was certified by GDS Associates and receiving a HERS RATING INDEX of 46 which puts the home at 45%-50% more Energy Efficient than today's code requires. The Benefits to Owning an Energy Star Home? *Less money spent on heating and cooling the home *Home Owner can qualify for an EEM (Energy Efficient Mortgage) *Home's value appraises higher than an Non-energy efficient home (due to the decreased cost of operation). Detailed Energy Efficiency Features of 30 Watkins St Insulation: Entire house is wrapped with one inch of high insulation value rigid foam board. The foam board adds to the overall insulation value in the walls, and acts as a thermal break over the homes framing. The foam board is also foamed together at all seams and the top and bottom which acts as the homes first layer of defense against air infiltration. All roof slopes are insulated with high density cellulose insulation which acts as a complete air barrier at the top of the house and a very effective thermal barrier. The walls are insulated with a high density blown in cellulose system called a B-I-B system. The walls are covered with cloth blankets and stapled to the framing tightly, then the insulation is blown into the cavities. The small fibers fill every crack making sure there are no holes in the insulation around electrical boxes, wires, pipes, or framing. The fibers fit together tightly under the high density which creates a second air barrier for the house and makes it so that the insulation will not settle and lose effectiveness over time. The floor is foamed tightly around the entire perimeter of the home to prevent unwanted air leakage into the home. The floor joists are heavily insulated with conventional fiberglass batt insulation and the subfloor is glued and tongue and groove to create the air seal. All windows and doors are tightly foamed around to complete the homes air seal. All wire, pipe, and duct penetrations are fire foamed to prevent air leakage and a fire from spreading throughout the home. All windows and doors are Energy Efficient - insulated, sealed double pane glass with low-e filled with argon. Ventilation: Because the house is built so air tight to avoid energy loss, adequate ventilation must be brought in to maintain good indoor air quality. To accomplish this we used a heat recovery ventilator or (HRV). This device removes stale indoor air and replaces it with fresh air from outside. In the process it transfers heat from the outgoing indoor air stream to the incoming air stream. This allows us to ventilate the house without wasting the heat. Another benefit of this system is that it is remotely located in the mechanical room and very quiet. We used this system in place of conventional bathroom fans, so instead of a noisy bathroom fan, there is simply a port in the ceiling for the air to be moved out of the house with a control on the wall to turn the central unit up to high when needed in the bathroom. Mechanical: The heating and cooling system in the mechanical room is completely within conditioned space. For the hot water system we used a Tankless condensing gas hot water heater. This is the most efficient form of hot water heating available, and we opted for the most efficient model (98% efficiency). We also took into consideration one of the most common complaints of hot water systems (that it takes too long for the hot water to reach the tap). This is especially common with tankless systems. As such we chose a tankless model that actually has a small tank internal to it. The tank has its own circulation system so that when you call for hot water, the unit responds immediately and doesn't take 6-10 seconds to heat the water before there is actually hot water coming out of the unit. We also used a central manifold system with PEX plumbing. By doing this, there is no large diameter hot water main running down the center of the house that needs to be filled with hot water before hot water reaches the faucet. Instead there is a very short pipe from the water heater to the manifold and then the hot water travels over small diameter pipe to whichever faucet is calling for hot water. All this means less time to get hot water to the faucet which wastes less water and energy. Lighting: All lighting uses Energy Efficient compact fluorescent bulbs (CFL's). Overall Specs for 30 Watkins Street Walls total insulation value R-20, Floor total insulation value R-38, Ceiling total insulation value R-40 to R-70, Heating System 95% efficient, Hot Water System 98% efficient, Air tightness factor 1.25 ACH@50PA or 427cfm@50PA. This home is brand new construction & NEW FOUNDATION and includes. *Approx. 2000 sq ft of living space with an open floor plan *Large Grand Entry custom door w/side lights *3 Bedrooms with spacious closets *2.5 Baths - all Tiled and with dual flush toilets *1st Floor laundry set up *1st floor open floor plan including: *Large Living room/Family room overlooking Wollaston Beach *Large Dining room with chandelier *Large custom Kitchen featuring: Full Size Refrigerator, Full Size Freezer, Gas Range, Microwave, Dishwasher, Wine Fridge, LCD TV Master Bedroom with views of the Boston skyline and Wollaston Beach A third floor roof deck with dramatic panoramic views of Boston and Wollaston Beach.

Efficiency or Sustainability Improvements:

Energy Star Appliances, Energy Star rated, FSC Certified Wood, Local Materials, Super Insulated Walls/ Roof, Low E windows, Renewable Bamboo hardwood flooring, CFL & LED lighting throughout the home.

My Motivation:

We strive to build homes that are comforatable and Energy Efficient and save homeowners money.

Advice:

This home's features are too many to add in order to show the actual annual savings it offers being Energy Efficient so we just listed the tankless water heater. Between the Insulation, the Energy Efficient windows, doors, High Efficiency systems and other build features, we can confidently say the homeowners won't be spending much money on utility costs...And we stand by that statement thus offering to pay for 1 full year of utility costs or 5 years of heating costs to the buyer of this home!

Experience with Installer:

Braintree HVAC has been a pleasure to work with these past 6 years. They have worked on all of our properties since 2007 and we highly recommend them.

Additional Notes:

This home is in final stages of completion and the Builder is offering to pay for 1 years Utility bills (Electric & Heating) or 5 years of Heating...Buyers choice!

Open House Info:

This home will be in the Green Buildings Tour 2012 on Saturday, October 13, 2012 - and will be open from 9 am - 12 noon. This home is located a few streets off of Quincy Shore Drive /Wollaston Beach Quincy, MA. and is 10 miles from Boston.

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