BENEFITS

The Most Energy Efficient
Building a concrete home with insulating concrete forms (ICFs) saves energy and money. The greater insulation, tighter construction, and temperature-smoothing mass of the walls conserve heating and cooling energy much better than conventional wood-frame walls. This reduces monthly fuel bills. It also allows use of smaller HVAC equipment, saving money in construction.

This combination of high R-values, low air infiltration, and high thermal mass is believed to account for the amazing 25% to 50% energy savings of ICF versus wood or steel-framed homes.

The Most Comfortable
The concrete walls of an ICF home have high thermal mass, which buffers the interior of a home from the extremes of outdoor temperature during every 24 hour cycle. This reduces both peak and total heating and cooling loads.

Air infiltration in an ICF Home is minimal due to the continuous air barriers provided by the foam insulation and the concrete. Likewise, there are no convection currents within wall cavities, no drafts.

The Strongest
The high-mass walls of an ICF home not only give it a remarkably solid feel, but they also make it safer for the family. And, the high-mass walls make your home a remarkably solid and secure investment, too. Concrete homes have a proven track record of withstanding the ravages of hurricanes, tornadoes and fires, when all the stick-built houses around them are in ruins.

With ICF homes, the equation is simple. No Rot = Less Repair and Maintenance. Neither polystyrene nor concrete will ever rot or rust. Concrete can even be exposed to the elements for centuries with few ill effects. Reinforcing steel, buried deep inside and protected by concrete's alkalinity, does not corrode.

The Quietest
An ICF home or building provides you the quietest, most comfortable environment because you have the highest possible insulation.    

Concrete walls built with insulating concrete forms effectively buffer a home’s interior from the outdoors. The thick ICF sandwich of a massive material (concrete) with a light one (foam) sharply cuts fluctuations in temperature, air infiltration, and noise. They keep the inside of a house more comfortable and quiet than ordinary wood frame walls.

In sound transmission tests, ICF walls allowed less than one-third as much sound to pass through as do ordinary frame walls filled with fiberglass. With double-glazed windows in ICF walls and beefed-up roof insulation, you will rarely hear street noises or airport traffic.

The Safest
ICF homes provide a healthy indoor environment for your family. Nothing held within or ordinarily emitted by an ICF wall is toxic. The measurement of the air contents of actual ICF houses shows an almost complete absence of any emissions.

Building with ICFs is also healthier for the environment because the number of different building products is minimized, so the amount of waste generated on the construction site is reduced. 

(All of the above copy based on ICFA web site)

The Green (Superior) Way to Build
ICF is the way to protect not only your family with stronger, quieter, safer construction but also our environment. ICF homes save approximately 8.5 trees and effectively preserve nature’s air filters. And, landfill construction waste is reduced to less than 1% with ICF construction.

Energy bills are reduced by up to 50%, which means a reduction in CO2 emissions by the same amount. (ICFhomes.com)

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