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THERMAL STUDY PROVES AN INSULATING CONCRETE FORM WALL CAN ACHIEVE UP TO 60% ENERGY SAVINGS AND 58% GREATER R-VALUE/RSI FOR HOME AND BUILDING OWNERS The Insulating Concrete Forms Manufacturers Association (ICFMA) recently commissioned CLEB Laboratories (formerly known as Air-Ins Inc.) to conduct the first in a series of accredited whole wall thermal studies. This installment compared a 2” x 6” traditional insulated wood frame cavity wall to a standard 6 inch (150mm) core insulating concrete form (ICF) wall. The study was overwhelmingly revealing; confirming dramatically superior energy-efficiency performance and an overall better R-Value/RSI demonstrated by the ICF Wall assembly. Learn more here.

Owners of ICF - built homes or buildings are delighted with the quality of their structures. ICF homes and buildings are: Sustainable – ICF homes and buildings are incredibly energy-efficient. The continuous insulation, thermal mass of the concrete and air-tight envelope all combine to create superior energy-efficiency in warm and cold climates. Resilient – The steel reinforced concrete core in ICF buildings is resistant to fire, hurricanes, and tornadoes and can be engineered for all seismic conditions. For more information, watch our video on disaster resilient construction. Read more here.

Choosing to build with Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF) for your next project provides you with one of the most advanced building envelope products available in the construction industry. ICF’s can be used for a variety of building types, residential homes, commercial buildings, schools, hospitals and multi-story buildings. Insulated Concrete Forms provide a fast, easy, cost-effective and energy efficient solution for residential and commercial structures. ICFs combine 6 building steps into one easy building solution: Form system, air barrier, wall structure, vapor barrier, Insulation, Interior/exterior finish anchorage which replace wood studs. Compare that to wood where a multi-step construction process is needed, requiring multiple trades. ICF’s are a cost-effective alternative. Click here to read more.

Building a net-zero structure is an ambitious goal but designing to this caliber is not as complicated as it might sound. Constructing with energy efficiency in mind takes co-ordination between all the project team members and product research to determine the most long-lasting and cost-effective methods to achieve the necessary standards. While insulation is not the sole contributor to a net-zero building, insulated concrete form (ICF) technology, in combination with other energy-saving practices, can improve a building’s energy efficiency while easing the construction process. WHAT IS NET-ZERO First off, what does it mean for a building to be “net-zero”? This term, popularized in the early 2000s, refers to a structure that consumes and generates equal amounts of energy. Energy consumption includes heating, cooling, water use, lighting, and more. Creating clean, renewable energy and minimizing its use is feasible through an integrated approach of incorporating superior insulation between units and on the exterior building envelope, photovoltaics (PV) for electricity, water conversion and recycling, efficient fenestrations with low conductivity, and geothermal energy. Net-zero structures can be found in residential and commercial sectors, and are becoming more common in education, hospitality, and government projects. Using typical construction methods, energy costs can be particularly high for K-12 schools, apartment [...]