EDGEWATER ARCHITECTS LLC
AND SOUTH COUNTY POST AND BEAM, INC.
HAVE ACHIEVED A PLATINUM RATING
ON THE FIRST LEED RATED HOUSE
IN RHODE ISLAND

November 20, 2008  NARRAGANSETT, RI -  The first LEED. (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rated house in Rhode Island has received a Platinum rating. This is the highest rating under the United States Green Building Council’s (USGBC) LEED-H rating system. The LEED-H is a building rating system specifically geared toward homes, with the overall goal being to produce environmentally responsible healthy homes.

The house designed by Edgewater Architects LLC and built by South County Post & Beam, Inc. became the first of its kind for Rhode Island, marking a significant step forward in rethinking residential design and construction.  The house was designed to produce its own energy which will result in a near-zero carbon footprint.  Heating and cooling for the home are through a geothermal system, while the electrical needs of the home are provided by a large photovoltaic panel array.  The foundation utilizes insulated concrete forms (ICF’s), and all roof runoff is captured in a cistern for use in landscape irrigation.  In addition, the home uses Structural Insulated Panels (SIP) for all the exterior walls and the roof planes.  Structural Insulated Panels provide the interior finish, insulation and outside sheathing granting a firmly secured, economical and energy efficient enclosure system. 

The LEED for Homes Green Building Rating System is a consensus-based tool developed by the U.S. Green Building Council to assess and validate the 'greenness' of homes.

Framing ICF (Insulated Concrete Form)

Drainage Membrane

Structural Insulated Panel

Solar Panels on Roof