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What is Insulated
Concrete Form (ICF) construction? |
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How does HCI's
ICF system differ from other CFI systems? |
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Why is the
ICF construction stronger than convention building methods? |
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What are
hurricane straps and how do they work? |
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How quiet are
ICF homes? |
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Can I expect
lower utility bills? |
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Are CFI homes
safer than wood frame homes? |
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What
are Low-E Windows? |
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What
is Radiant Barrier Roof Decking? |
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How Does a Radiant Barrier Work? |
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What does "R-Value" mean? |
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Are
ICF homes termite resistant?
Are ICF homes mildew and mold resitant? |
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What is
EPS (Expanded Polystyrene) |
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What
are "Tankless" or "On-Demand" water heaters and are they more efficient |
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Insulated
Concreted Form (ICF) Construction |
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Insulated Concrete Form of
construction is a method developed in the early 20th Century in Europe
especially for cold climates. It incorporates the use of Expanded
Polystyrene (EPS) in block form that could be used first as a form to pour
some type of concrete structure between the middle of these blocks. Once
the concrete is poured the EPS hen becomes insulation. The resulting
structure is stronger than wood construction plus has a much higher
insulation value that wood build and is much tighter home resulting in lower
utility bills.
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Home Corporation
Intl's - (HCI) ICF System |
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HCI's patented system is a post and beam method where
there are 6 inch steel and concrete columns on 24 inch centers around the
perimeter of the house. Additionally, the resulting structure has more EPS
serving as insulation, so the R-values for HCI's system are R-45 for the
walls and R-50 for its roof system, whereas the other types of systems are
generally in the R-16 to R-25 range. |
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| ICF
construction is stronger than convention building methods |
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With ICF's you obtain generally a monolithic connection of
the foundation to the roof with concrete and steel and being tightly
constructed, the wind resistance is much higher. |
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Hurricane Straps |
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Metal
hurricane straps or clips provide the proper measure of strength and safety
for the roof-to-wall connection. The common practice of toe nailing the
trusses or rafters to the top plate, often is not sufficient to hold a roof
in place in high winds. |
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ICF Homes are Quieter |
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An ICF wall has a sound
transmission classification of approximately STC 50, which is twice as high
as a typical wood-framed wall. Loud noises outside a ICF building will be
reduced to a whisper inside the building. *** |
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Lower Utility Bills |
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Based on research performed by Building Works, Inc, houses built with ICF
exterior walls require an estimated 44% less energy to heat and 32% less
energy to cool than comparable wood-frame houses. A typical 2000 square foot
home in the center of the U.S. will save approximately $200 in heating costs
each year and $65 in air conditioning each year. The bigger the house the
bigger the savings. In colder areas of the U.S. and Canada, heating savings
will be more and cooling savings less. In hotter areas, heating savings will
be less and cooling savings more. The energy efficient performance comes in
large part from the polystyrene foam on the interior and exterior of ICF
walls, which range from R-16 to R-45 (HCI's range), compared to wood frame’s
R-9 to R-15 walls. Also, ICF walls are tighter, reducing infiltration (air
leakage) by 50% over wood-frame homes. ***
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| ICF Homes are Safer than Wood Frame
Homes |
| ICF buildings are up to 8.5 times stronger than wood
framed buildings. As a result, ICF walls are more able to withstand
severe weather such as hurricanes and tornadoes. Most ICF walls have a
2-hour fire rating as opposed to 15 minutes for a comparable wood framed
wall. *** |
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Low E Windows |
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Low-Emmisivity (Low-E) Glass Low-E glass is
manufactured by depositing a microscopically thin, transparent metal or
metallic oxide layer on the glass. Low-E coatings reduce radiant heat loss,
and can reduce the passage of UV rays. Use of heat-resistant (or absorbing)
glass began in the 1950s, as did the use of reflective (or mirror) glass.
They also have two panes of glass separated by an air space which impedes a
heat loss or gain through the windows. |
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Radiant Barrier |
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Radiant barriers are materials that are
installed in buildings to reduce summer heat gain and winter heat loss, and
hence to reduce building heating and cooling energy usage. The potential
benefit of attic radiant barriers is primarily in reducing air-conditioning
cooling loads in warm or hot climates. Radiant barriers usually consist of a
thin sheet or coating of a highly reflective material, usually aluminum,
applied to one or both sides of a number of substrate materials. * |
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How
Radiant Barriers Work |
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Radiant barriers work by reducing heat transfer by
thermal radiation across the air space between the roof deck and the attic
floor, where conventional insulation is usually placed. All materials give
off, or emit, energy by thermal radiation as a result of their temperature.
The amount of energy emitted depends on the surface temperature and a
property called the "emissivity" (also called the "emittance"). The
emissivity is a number between zero (0) and one (1). The higher the
emissivity, the greater the emitted radiation. *
HCI homes do not have attics so superheated attic spaces are not an
issue. |
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What are
"R-Values" |
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R-value:
A measure of a material's resistance to heat flow in units of Fahrenheit
degrees x hours x square feet per Btu. The higher the R-value of a material,
the greater its insulating capability. The R-value of some insulating
materials is 3.7 per inch for fiberglass and cellulose,2.5 per inch for
vermiculite, and more than 4 per inch for foam. All building materials have
some R-value. For example, a 4-inch brick has an R-value of 0.8, and
half-inch plywood has an R-value of 0.6. The below table converts the most
common "R" values to inches. For other "R" values, divide the "R" value by 3
to get the number of inches. *
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Inches
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3
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1
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11
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3.5
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19
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6
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52
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18
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Termite Resistance
of ICF Homes |
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EPS is biologically
neutral and therefore does not attract termites. Another advantage is the
termites cannot affect the structural integrity of the exterior walls. |
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Mold and Mildew
Resistant |
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Because HCI's homes have an a solid exterior wall
structure, moisture condensation is eliminated within the wall cavity. This
prevents any mildew or mold from developing in the exterior walls.
EPS is also not a food source for mildew or mold to
grow upon. Additionally HCI applies an anti-fungal treatment to the
interior studs. |
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Expanded
Polystyrene (EPS) |
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Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) is a polystyrene that has been
block molded using steam and pressure to form large blocks of polystyrene in
large commercial forms. These blocks are then custom cut into shapes to be
used in packaging, construction, refrigeration and many other uses. Styrene
beads are placed in the molding machine and the pressure and steam is
increased which expands the beads to the density requirements for a
particular application. In the HCII method densities of 1.5 to 2.0 pounds
per square inch are used. |
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Tankless or On-Demand Hot Water Heaters |
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Demand (tankless or instantaneous) water heaters provide
hot water only as it is needed. They don't produce the standby energy losses
associated with storage water heaters, which can save you money.
Demand water heaters heat water directly without the use of a storage tank.
Therefore, they avoid the standby heat losses associated with
storage water heaters. When a hot water tap is turned on, cold water
travels through a pipe into the unit. Either a gas burner or an electric
element heats the water. As a result, demand water heaters deliver a
constant supply of hot water. You don't need to wait for a storage tank to
fill up with enough hot water. However, a demand water heater's output
limits the flow rate.
Typically, demand water heaters provide hot water at a rate of 2 to 9.4
gallons per minute. Gas-fired demand water heaters produce higher flow rates
than electric ones. * * * *
HCI Currently uses the Rinnai tankless water heater.
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Credits and Referrences |
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*
Dept. Of
Energy - Asst. Secretary - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
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Energy Information
Administration
***
Insulated Concrete Form Association
* * * *
US Department of Energy |
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