diff --git a/src/lib/template/dom-bind.html b/src/lib/template/dom-bind.html
index 10dc8bf40c..d710c98a31 100644
--- a/src/lib/template/dom-bind.html
+++ b/src/lib/template/dom-bind.html
@@ -168,7 +168,9 @@
         this._children = Polymer.TreeApi.arrayCopyChildNodes(this.root);
       }
       this._insertChildren();
-      this.fire('dom-change');
+      if (!Polymer.Settings.suppressTemplateNotifications) {
+        this.fire('dom-change');
+      }
     }
 
   });
diff --git a/src/lib/template/dom-if.html b/src/lib/template/dom-if.html
index cfe4731430..dc018ba579 100644
--- a/src/lib/template/dom-if.html
+++ b/src/lib/template/dom-if.html
@@ -60,6 +60,15 @@
         type: Boolean,
         value: false,
         observer: '_queueRender'
+      },
+
+      /**
+       * When the global `Polymer.Settings.suppressDomChange` setting is used,
+       * setting `notifyDomChange: true` will enable firing `dom-change` events
+       * on this element.
+       */
+      notifyDomChange: {
+        type: Boolean
       }
 
     },
@@ -114,7 +123,9 @@
         this._showHideChildren();
       }
       if (this.if != this._lastIf) {
-        this.fire('dom-change');
+        if (!Polymer.Settings.suppressTemplateNotifications || this.notifyDomChange) {
+          this.fire('dom-change');
+        }
         this._lastIf = this.if;
       }
     },
diff --git a/src/lib/template/dom-repeat.html b/src/lib/template/dom-repeat.html
index 6272eeceb8..07f56d9c2d 100644
--- a/src/lib/template/dom-repeat.html
+++ b/src/lib/template/dom-repeat.html
@@ -211,7 +211,7 @@
        */
       renderedItemCount: {
         type: Number,
-        notify: true,
+        notify: !Polymer.Settings.suppressTemplateNotifications,
         readOnly: true
       },
 
@@ -240,6 +240,15 @@
         value: 20
       },
 
+      /**
+       * When the global `Polymer.Settings.suppressDomChange` setting is used,
+       * setting `notifyDomChange: true` will enable firing `dom-change` events
+       * on this element.
+       */
+      notifyDomChange: {
+        type: Boolean
+      },
+
       _targetFrameTime: {
         type: Number,
         computed: '_computeFrameTime(targetFramerate)'
@@ -470,7 +479,9 @@
       // Set rendered item count
       this._setRenderedItemCount(this._instances.length);
       // Notify users
-      this.fire('dom-change');
+      if (!Polymer.Settings.suppressTemplateNotifications || this.notifyDomChange) {
+        this.fire('dom-change');
+      }
       // Check to see if we need to render more items
       this._tryRenderChunk();
     },
diff --git a/src/lib/template/templatizer.html b/src/lib/template/templatizer.html
index 0cbdee5dbd..5faa556b76 100644
--- a/src/lib/template/templatizer.html
+++ b/src/lib/template/templatizer.html
@@ -254,6 +254,8 @@
               effect: {event:
                 Polymer.CaseMap.camelToDashCase(parentProp) + '-changed'}
             }];
+            proto._propertyEffects = proto._propertyEffects || {};
+            proto._propertyEffects[parentProp] = effects;
             Polymer.Bind._createAccessors(proto, parentProp, effects);
           }
         }
@@ -282,7 +284,7 @@
     _createHostPropEffector: function(prop) {
       var prefix = this._parentPropPrefix;
       return function(source, value) {
-        this.dataHost._templatized[prefix + prop] = value;
+        this.dataHost._templatized.__setProperty(prefix + prop, value);
       };
     },
 
@@ -305,10 +307,16 @@
       }
       for (var i=0, n; (i<n$.length) && (n=n$[i]); i++) {
         var val = template[n];
-        var pd = Object.getOwnPropertyDescriptor(proto, n);
-        Object.defineProperty(template, n, pd);
-        if (val !== undefined) {
-          template._propertySetter(n, val);
+        if (val && n == '_propertyEffects') {
+          // Merge property effects in
+          var pe = Polymer.Base.mixin({}, val);
+          template._propertyEffects = Polymer.Base.mixin(pe, proto._propertyEffects);
+        } else {
+          var pd = Object.getOwnPropertyDescriptor(proto, n);
+          Object.defineProperty(template, n, pd);
+          if (val !== undefined) {
+            template._propertySetter(n, val);
+          }   
         }
       }
     },
diff --git a/src/standard/effectBuilder.html b/src/standard/effectBuilder.html
index 87b17b8a03..c5d680c1a0 100644
--- a/src/standard/effectBuilder.html
+++ b/src/standard/effectBuilder.html
@@ -332,10 +332,11 @@
         if (pinfo && pinfo.readOnly) {
           return;
         }
-        // Ideally we would call setProperty using fromAbove: true to avoid
-        // spinning the wheel needlessly, but we found that users were listening
-        // for change events outside of bindings
-        this.__setProperty(property, value, false, node);
+        // Downward data-flow via bindings uses `fromAbove: true` if the
+        // global `suppressBindingNotifications` opt-in flag is set as a
+        // perf optimization to avoid needless event dispatch cost
+        this.__setProperty(property, value,
+          Polymer.Settings.suppressBindingNotifications, node);
       }
     },
 
diff --git a/test/runner.html b/test/runner.html
index 7cc715e7bc..69366eacad 100644
--- a/test/runner.html
+++ b/test/runner.html
@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@
       'unit/polymer-dom-observeNodes.html?dom=shadow',
       'unit/debounce.html',
       'unit/bind.html',
+      'unit/bind.html?suppressBindingNotifications&suppressTemplateNotifications',
       'unit/bind.html?dom=shadow',
       'unit/notify-path.html',
       'unit/path.html',
@@ -83,7 +84,9 @@
       'unit/templatizer.html',
       'unit/template-preserve-content.html',
       'unit/dom-repeat.html',
+      'unit/dom-repeat.html?suppressBindingNotifications&suppressTemplateNotifications',
       'unit/dom-if.html',
+      'unit/dom-if.html?suppressBindingNotifications&suppressTemplateNotifications',
       'unit/dom-template.html',
       'unit/dom-bind.html',
       'unit/dom-bind-yield.html',
diff --git a/test/unit/bind.html b/test/unit/bind.html
index f8b9168014..0129a07256 100644
--- a/test/unit/bind.html
+++ b/test/unit/bind.html
@@ -505,14 +505,16 @@
     assert.equal(el.boundreadonlyvalue, 46, 'property bound to read-only property should change from change to bound value');
   });
 
-  test('listener for value-changed fires when value changed from host', function() {
-    var listener = sinon.spy();
-    el.$.basic1.addEventListener('notifyingvalue-changed', listener);
-    el.boundnotifyingvalue = 678;
-    assert.equal(el.$.basic1.notifyingvalue, 678);
-    assert.isTrue(listener.calledOnce);
-    assert.equal(listener.getCalls()[0].args[0].detail.value, 678);
-  });
+  if (!Polymer.Settings.suppressBindingNotifications) {
+    test('listener for value-changed fires when value changed from host', function() {
+      var listener = sinon.spy();
+      el.$.basic1.addEventListener('notifyingvalue-changed', listener);
+      el.boundnotifyingvalue = 678;
+      assert.equal(el.$.basic1.notifyingvalue, 678);
+      assert.isTrue(listener.calledOnce);
+      assert.equal(listener.getCalls()[0].args[0].detail.value, 678);
+    });    
+  }
 
   test('negated binding update negates value for parent', function() {
     assert.equal(el.negatedValue, false);
diff --git a/test/unit/dom-if.html b/test/unit/dom-if.html
index 584ac3b813..64b3ed564c 100644
--- a/test/unit/dom-if.html
+++ b/test/unit/dom-if.html
@@ -337,7 +337,8 @@
         var stamped = Polymer.dom(unconfigured1.root).querySelectorAll('*:not(template):not(span)');
         assert.equal(stamped.length, 3, 'total stamped count incorrect');
         stamped[0].prop = 'outer';
-        assert.equal(unconfigured1.domUpdateHandlerCount, 1);
+        assert.equal(unconfigured1.domUpdateHandlerCount, 
+          Polymer.Settings.suppressTemplateNotifications ? 0 : 1);
       });
 
       test('if=false, restamp=false: everything hidden', function() {
@@ -351,7 +352,8 @@
         stamped.forEach(function(n) {
           assert.equal(getComputedStyle(n).display, 'none', 'node was not hidden but should have been');
         });
-        assert.equal(unconfigured1.domUpdateHandlerCount, 1);
+        assert.equal(unconfigured1.domUpdateHandlerCount, 
+          Polymer.Settings.suppressTemplateNotifications ? 0 : 1);
       });
 
       test('if=true, restamp=true, everything rendered and visible', function() {
@@ -366,7 +368,8 @@
         stamped.forEach(function(n) {
           assert.equal(getComputedStyle(n).display, 'inline', 'node was hidden but should not have been');
         });
-        assert.equal(unconfigured1.domUpdateHandlerCount, 1);
+        assert.equal(unconfigured1.domUpdateHandlerCount, 
+          Polymer.Settings.suppressTemplateNotifications ? 0 : 1);
       });
 
       test('if=false, restamp=true, everything gone', function() {
@@ -377,9 +380,11 @@
         CustomElements.takeRecords();
         CustomElements.takeRecords();
         var stamped = Polymer.dom(unconfigured1.root).querySelectorAll('*:not(template)');
-        assert.equal(unconfigured1.domUpdateHandlerCount, 1);
+        assert.equal(unconfigured1.domUpdateHandlerCount, 
+          Polymer.Settings.suppressTemplateNotifications ? 0 : 1);
         assert.equal(stamped.length, 0, 'total stamped count incorrect');
-        assert.equal(unconfigured1.domUpdateHandlerCount, 1);
+        assert.equal(unconfigured1.domUpdateHandlerCount, 
+          Polymer.Settings.suppressTemplateNotifications ? 0 : 1);
       });
 
       // repeat, just to get everything rendered again...
@@ -393,7 +398,8 @@
         var stamped = Polymer.dom(unconfigured1.root).querySelectorAll('*:not(template):not(span)');
         assert.equal(stamped.length, 3, 'total stamped count incorrect');
         stamped[0].prop = 'outer';
-        assert.equal(unconfigured1.domUpdateHandlerCount, 1);
+        assert.equal(unconfigured1.domUpdateHandlerCount, 
+          Polymer.Settings.suppressTemplateNotifications ? 0 : 1);
       });
 
       test('parent scope binding', function() {
@@ -689,6 +695,22 @@
 
     });
 
+    suite('notification suppression', function() {
+
+      test('re-enable dom-change', function() {
+        if (Polymer.Settings.suppressTemplateNotifications) {
+          test('enable dom-change on instance', function() {
+            unconfigured1.$['if-1'].setAttribute('notify-dom-change', '');
+            unconfigured1.domUpdateHandlerCount = 0;
+            unconfigured.shouldStamp = false;
+            setTimeout(function() {
+              assert.equal(unconfigured1.domUpdateHandlerCount, 1);
+            });
+          });        
+        }
+      });
+
+    });
 
   </script>
 
diff --git a/test/unit/dom-repeat.html b/test/unit/dom-repeat.html
index be42bb7d19..46eefa5e4c 100644
--- a/test/unit/dom-repeat.html
+++ b/test/unit/dom-repeat.html
@@ -830,7 +830,8 @@ <h4>x-repeat-chunked</h4>
           assert.equal(stamped2[39].itemaProp, 'new-1');
           assert.equal(stamped2[40].itemaProp, 'new-2');
           assert.equal(stamped2[41], undefined);
-          assert.equal(unconfigured1.domUpdateHandlerCount, 1);
+          assert.equal(unconfigured1.domUpdateHandlerCount, 
+            Polymer.Settings.suppressTemplateNotifications ? 0 : 1);
           done();
         });
       });
@@ -853,7 +854,8 @@ <h4>x-repeat-chunked</h4>
           assert.equal(stamped2[38].indexb, 2);
           assert.equal(stamped2[38].indexc, 2);
           assert.equal(stamped2[39], undefined);
-          assert.equal(unconfigured1.domUpdateHandlerCount, 1);
+          assert.equal(unconfigured1.domUpdateHandlerCount, 
+            Polymer.Settings.suppressTemplateNotifications ? 0 : 1);
           done();
         });
       });
@@ -3250,6 +3252,7 @@ <h4>x-repeat-chunked</h4>
           });
         });
       });
+
     });
 
     suite('repeater API', function() {
@@ -3867,6 +3870,23 @@ <h4>x-repeat-chunked</h4>
 
       });
 
+      suite('notification suppression', function() {
+
+        test('re-enable dom-change', function() {
+          if (Polymer.Settings.suppressTemplateNotifications) {
+            test('enable dom-change on instance', function() {
+              unconfigured1.$.repeater.setAttribute('notify-dom-change', '');
+              unconfigured1.domUpdateHandlerCount = 0;
+              unconfigured.items = unconfigured.items.slice();
+              setTimeout(function() {
+                assert.equal(unconfigured1.domUpdateHandlerCount, 1);
+              });
+            });        
+          }
+        });
+
+      });
+
     }
 
   </script>