I CFs -

I nsul ati ng
Concrete
Forms
The payback on your
decision to use BuildBlock
ICFs begins the day you
move into your new home. It
sounds quieter. With your
solid concrete core and 2-
1/2" inner and outer layer of
EPS insulation, your walls
are sealed tight. When the
wind is blowing hard or a
heavy rain is pelting the
exterior, the only noise you
will hear is coming through your windows. You won't hear the creaking and groaning sounds of
wood construction. You may also notice a difference in the way TV and music sounds when
played in a room with an ICF exterior wall.
The second thing you will notice is the way the house feels. You don't have cold spots around
the exterior walls. The cold spots that are typically found along the exterior walls of wood frame
construction are not there because the concrete core absorbs energy (heat) from the sun and
from the heating system,
and proceeds to then
radiate the heat back
slowly.
The next thing you will
notice is how tight the
house is. There are no
drafts. A conventionally
built wood frame house can
be fairly airtight the day it is
completed. The problem is
that wood moves, shrinks,
seals between the
foundation top plate, floor and joints at floors, and roof and corners develop small air gaps over
time. A BuildBlock ICF home is solid concrete, reinforced with steel, from below the ground to
the roof. There are no corners to separate; no seams to open up where the basement top plate
meets the floor or where the floors meet the walls. There is also no outside air coming in
through electrical receptacles and switches because of poorly installed insulation. That is
because your switches and receptacles are separated from the outside by solid concrete and
several inches of rigid foam
insulation.
After your first month you
will begin to see the
financial payback of a
BuildBlock ICF home when
your first utility bill arrives.
Because your home is so
tight, and so well insulated
and because it has thermal
mass (concrete) in the
walls, it will cost
substantially less to keep
comfortable. The key to this
unconventional comfort is the concrete mass sandwiched between layers of 2-1/2" EPS
insulation. Concrete holds energy. What you end up with is a wall system with an R-Value of 21
that behaves like an R-35. See Footnote 1.
A massive building uses less energy than a similar low mass building due to the reduced heat
transfer through the massive elements. There are fewer spikes in the heating and cooling
requirements, since mass slows the response time and moderates indoor temperature
fluctuations.
In the winter during the day
the concrete absorbs the
heat from the sun and from
the mechanical heating
system. As outside
temperatures cool in the
evening, the concrete cools
down very slowly. In
conventional wood frame
construction, as soon as the temperature changes outside, the thermostat tells the heating
system to compensate almost immediately causing the heating unit to run more often and for
longer periods of time.
During the summer months, the concrete absorbs the cooler air from the air conditioning and
the evening outside air, and slowly releases the cold during the day as it slowly absorbs the
heat from the outside air.
Thermal mass can shift energy demand to off-peak time periods when utility rates are lower
creating additional savings.
The final payback comes
the day you sell your home.
Because your home is steel
reinforced concrete instead
of wood frame, it will
appraise at a higher value
and you will be in a position
to sell it for more than a
comparably appointed
wood frame home.
1.The ASHRAE Standard
90.1!Energy Standard
for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, the International Energy Conservation
Code, and most other
energy codes recognize the
benefits of thermal mass
and require less
insulation for mass walls.
Thermal resistance (R-
values) and thermal
transmittance (U-factors) do
not take into account the
effects of thermal mass,
and by themselves, are
inadequate in describing
the heat transfer properties
of construction assemblies with significant amounts of thermal mass. Only computer programs
such as DOE-2 and EnergyPlus that take into account hourly heat transfer on an annual basis
are adequate in determining energy loss in buildings with mass walls and roofs. The heat flow
through the wall is dependent on the materials' unit weight (density), thermal conductivity, and
specific heat.
Sti l l not sure whi ch product you need f or your
proj ect?
Call us today and speak with an expert foam associate at Universal Foam Products. We will
provide you with a FREE quote and answer any questions you have about selecting the proper
EPS or STYROFOAM Brand Foam product for your project.
Call (410) 825-8300 or send us an email at sales@univfoam.com.