If it seems like the trend in home building during the last decade focused on maintenance free materials, there are many who would indicate that the next decade will focus on homes that are more and more energy efficient. Although many home owners have long been looking for kitchen appliances and HVAC systems that boast high efficiency ratings, today’s home owners are looking for even more energy efficiency standards.
Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF) are just one of the many building materials that are currently being implemented into today’s new constructions. These insulated concrete building blocks can help both commercial and residential builders make sure that they are offering their clients the latest in energy efficient materials. These materials has take offer property continuous benefits. Combined with the solid continuous concrete core and other new kinds of insulation, many home and business owners can see as much as 60% in energy savings on a yearly basis. In addition, superior strength and better R-value are other benefits. When you consider that many of these newest products also include, mold and sound resistance and other benefits it should come as no surprise that a growing number of people are looking to build new homes and office buildings.
The process of updating an older building to make it more energy efficient can be both extensive and expensive. With a new building, however, many business and home owners believe that they are able to create a more energy efficient building.
Consider some of these specific facts and figures about the energy efficiency properties of many of the latest home building materials:
- ICF decking weighs 40% less and has superior insulation when compared to traditional concrete flooring.
- End blocks are cut to fit to reduce waste, and only one row is constructed at a time when constructing ICF walls.
- 10 inches is the average width of an ICF block.
- Buildings constructed with ICF blocks and materials are six to nine times stronger than traditional buildings.
- Used in global construction for over 60 years, ICF systems can cut final costs on a property by an estimate of $0.75 per square foot.
- Because they are capable of withstanding 402 kph winds, ICF construction is capable of protecting properties from natural disasters.
There are many indicators that consumers who are building new homes today want to be known not only as decision makers who value maintenance free materials, but also as buyers who prioritize using energy efficient materials whenever possible.