The Beaton Residence, located in Shrewsbury Massachusetts, is the first certified Passive House in Massachusetts, and is well on its way to receiving Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification.
Beaton Construction has been focused on sustainable construction and energy efficiency, as both a means of “green” environmental stewardship and “gr$$n” savings through the substantial savings in energy bills. In 2009, Matt Beaton undertook the most rigorous of building energy efficient standards by constructing his family’s new home to be the first Certified Passive House in Massachusetts.
Passive House certification essentially lowers a home's heating demand up 90% and eliminates the need of installing a traditional heating and cooling system. As owner and builder, Matt Beaton originally planned the project to incorporate as many aspects of green design as possible. The overall goal of the project was to create a "green home" that sits comfortably on a lot where someone driving by would find the home aesthetically pleasing without knowing the "green" details of the home.
Beaton Construction partnered with Verdeco Designs to design and build the home. Energy efficiency was paramount to all other decisions made throughout both design and construction. Southern orientation, proper overhang design, super high performance windows and doors all help to maximize solar gain in the winter months. A continuous air barrier around the entire structure, 3-feet of recycled insulation in the attic and 21-inch walls filled with recycled newspaper insulation (recycled Boston Globes and Heralds) provide maximum thermal retention in the home. The floors throughout the 3,000 square foot house are wide plank flooring milled from seven trees taken down from the site at the start of the project.
All hardscapes, stairs, patios and wall veneer throughout the site are comprised of stones harvested from the site during excavation. Patented LED recessed lighting, manufactured down the road in Shrewsbury, was installed throughout the home. The home was smart wired, includes electricity 
usage monitoring, and contains solar panels for hot water generation. A number of other "green" concepts were included throughout the project including: the use of FSC lumber, commercially reclaimed foam board installed under the basement slab, a reclaimed "old world" brick wall that serves as a "heat battery" and a clover lawn, to name a few.
While understanding that there is not presently a huge market demand for constructing Passive Homes, Matt felt that by building his own home to the highest standard in energy efficiency it would serve as one end of the spectrum and showcase Beaton Construction’s knowledge and experience in using energy efficiency to offer client’s long-term energy savings. It also provided an opportunity to test current building science theory in a manner that Matt could live out and thereby adjust recommendations for clients based on his experiences.
The Passive House Standard is the most rigorous building energy standard in the world. On July 13th, 2011, following a rigorous process of design review and building performance measurement verification, the Beaton Passive House was certified by PHIUS, the Passive House Institute in the US, as the first Passive House in Massachusetts.
This project brings new light to the current traditional home construction and is intended to set a new trend in Massachusetts of how we need to start constructing our homes - with nature in mind in a fiscally responsible manner.