Insulated concrete forms also offer protection from many other concerns, such as: Storms, Tornadoes and HurricanesĪ quick google search of “ICF hurricane proof” or “ICF tornado resistant” will yield dozens of images of ICF homes left intact in area where the surrounding homes have been leveled. With six to eight inches of concrete, most standard ammunition will be stopped. The truck was a complete loss the home only had a few hundred dollars of minor damage. When they went outside to have a look, they found a truck had run into their home. One night while they were sleeping, they heard a thud outside their bedroom. In floor radiant heating eliminates this in cooler weather.Īnother reason we chose ICF construction is the durability. When we were building, I read a story about a Florida couple who had built an ICF home for hurricane protection. During extremely humid weather, we do have some minor condensation/mildew in the basement if I don’t keep the air moving. The HRV could also be fitted with specialized filters to address toxic air problems outside the home. An HRV brings outdoor air inside and preheats it with stale indoor air before it enters the home – fresh air in, stale air out. The house is exceptionally airtight, so we also installed a Fantech HRV ( Heat Recovery Ventilator). Windows are placed to maximize cross ventilation when weather permits. We replaced the Combi-Cor water heater with a boiler system because it has a longer estimated lifespan. (Combi-Cor heater is a water heater with built in heat exchanger for space heating.) In 2013 our Combi-Cor died. of living space with a 46 gallon Combi-Cor water heater. We were able to provide all our hot water and heat over 3000 sq.ft. My best estimate is that in an average year we get 10% of our heat from passive solar, 40% from wood and 50% from propane via our in floor radiant heating system. These are my own rough estimates based on utility bills and wood use. When I ran the numbers on our home, our energy use rates (heating, AC and electricity) placed us in the top 5% of homes in the US is terms of efficiency for square footage. and Canada.” Our Experience with Heating and Cooling Windows at the east and west ends of the home allow us to take advantage of winds off Lake Michigan to flush warm air out of the home.Ĭ states, “Homes built with ICF walls require about 44% less energy to heat and 32% less energy to cool than a comparable wood-frame house, based on a study of 58 single-family homes located throughout the U.S. Fill the house with cool night air in the summer and close it up during the day, and it stays cool. Heat it up, and it stays warm – you don’t lose heat to the surroundings. This means that is holds temperature very well. The amount of concrete used in the structure gives the home high thermal mass. Thermal images courtesy of Reward Wall Systems. Infrared photo of stick built (conventional) home – note the bright orange indicating heat loss all over the front of the home Because the ICF blocks fit together virtually seamlessly, there is very little air infiltration, increasing the effective insulation value. The forms are insulated on the inside and the outside, providing high level of wall insulation uncommon in standard home construction. During construction, the ICF blocks are fitted together, laced with rebar, and filled with concrete. These sheets are connected with plastic framework. The outside of the form is flat sheets of foam insulation. ICF (Insulated Concrete Forms) are premade forms that fit together like legos or large interlocking blocks.
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