I'd wonder how much home insurance was that you'd want to jump through all these hoops just to lower it? Seems extreme.
By no means is this just for the long term savings in home insurance. What I put into the house and what I continue to put into my home isn't worth it for most folks.
This was my first home which I helped design and build. I wanted to do a lot of things I had only dreamed about and saw on TV.
I intend to live in this home forever: Knowing this, I decided to do things which in the big picture would save me a lot of money over the years. The ROI is way out there, assuming I even live that long to see the return on some facets of what I have done thus far.
Again, that wasn't the goal or objective in terms of return on investment in some area's I spent a lot of money on.
I will never see a return in my investment with the fire rated dry wall through out the entire home. If I do that's because my home is on fire !!
I have however seen a huge return on my investment with insulating my entire home with fire rated roxul insulation for all interior walls. My home remains warm / cool longer than any home in my area.
My heating costs are just a fraction of all my neighbors. Given my extreme climate (-25 to -45'C) for periods lasting as long as 9 months out of the year. My initial investment of $500.00 to insulate all of the interior walls has paid off the first year.
Dual flush toilets, low flow facets, shower heads, all energy star rated appliances, and high efficiency water / furnace have all played a huge role in the over all plan and design of the system and home.
can you explain this UL / CE rating for a house? I have never heard of this. (and what does CE have to do with anything?)
The UL / CE rating pertain to electrical security and sub systems in the home only. The other elements which the insurance co. take into consideration are the *risks* or in my case the lack thereof.
Because I have purposely designed, built, and installed devices, systems, and elements which reduce the *risk* they the insurance co is comfortable that the home is at such a low level that they pass along the saving to me.
As it was stated above: The entire house is dry walled with fire rated material this includes all of the insulation. The framing 75% is all metal to reduce fire propagation.
The home is split into fire zones: Key areas are all rated to contain a fire for more than 3 hours. Fire and control systems automatic (electronic) as well as independent fire suppression are installed through out the whole house.
Every room is fully equipped with smoke /co detectors which are hard wired and wireless to ensure redundancy and fail safe against electrical faults. They are of course monitored and supervised 24/7/365.
The entire home (save private areas) are video supervised and streamed 24/7/365 to three separate stations and all of the data is backed up to four independent on site / off site servers.
All water sources are monitored against leaks and the water lines are controlled by electronic shut off valves: washer, dishwasher, hot water tank. All of the toilets and sinks have water leak sensors which sounds out and then sends sms, e-mail, and IP alerts to me and the stations.
The sump pit is backed up with a independent system in case of a failure. All of the critical areas are monitored: Fire, water, low temp, electrical faults.
With respect to more of the required security UL: Some basic requirements are as follows.
All sensors must be wired with EOL resistors which must indicate a open, short, or a failure to communicate. The system must not have a delay arming sequence longer than 30 seconds.
The siren duration for breach must not be less than 5 minutes, a fire condition must keep the siren sounding for the entire duration with no time limit, a fire zone can not have a delay sequence, all electrical grounds must be bonded with 12 gauge solid conductor to ground strap this includes all panel box's and covers which must have a ground strap connected to the box,
The list is endless with respect to the security / electrical systems but because the elements are designed as a commercial building design the systems are wired, installed, and deployed in the same fashion.
Most people don't have access readers in their homes, nor are they challenged each and every time to enter a password along with a swipe card.
Other areas require biometrics to enter, while some area are *man trapped* to ensure one door must be closed before another will open.
These elements insure fire, theft, and heat / energy loss. Just some insight for those curious as to why, if, but . . . Lots more but most of you get the idea that this is part hobby, part life style, and part *because I can do it*
It saves me about 45% on my home insurance . . .
There are so many options. Could you just put up a surface mount box? You can get your normal outlets in vertical. Your only limit is the size of surface box you can find.
Could you please provide me with a link for those box's . . . Those look exactly what I am looking for! Thank you very much !!
The reason I need this is that I will have aprox 5-10 outlets in rows of two which the transformers are being plugged into.
