The triple-glazed windows were not only quieter, they were a lot more energy efficient. The improved insulation and air-sealing we were planning for acoustical reasons also increased the efficiency of the house. The 25-year-old oil boiler and radiant heating system was starting to fail, which — coupled with the greater efficiency of the building enclosure — presented us the chance to replace it with state-of-the-art heat pumps. Incandescent recessed lights throughout the house, which had been considered high design in 1993, were changed over to much more versatile, attractive, and efficient LED lighting throughout. Finally, we capped the home off with a 12.4 kW solar PV array.
All Projects Lexington, MA
Quiet, Comfortable, and Low Carbon
Interiors
Whole House
This Lexington home was 40 years old, and Byggmeister was 10 years old, when in 1993 we first completed a major renovation of this home. Twenty-five years and a few smaller intervening projects later, the homeowners asked us to help them address noise problems they were experiencing from traffic on Routes 2 and 128, which had grown increasingly busy over the years.
Jump to GalleryWhat to do...
That plan included both triple-glazed replacement windows and additional air-sealing to deaden the low pitches of truck engines and the high frequencies of tires on pavement.
The final result...
Our initial energy modeling, which we will track closely against actual usage, indicated an annual energy savings and carbon reduction of close to 75% compared to baseline. Plus, the house looks and feels great — well-lit, comfortable, and serenely quiet.