FAQ
WHY SHOULD ANYONE BUILDING A NEW HOME USING ENERGY WISE BUILDERS’ INSULATED CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION METHOD
It is the quality that EWB puts into all its’ ICF homes. You can build beautiful concrete homes in any style with all the added benefits over a conventionally built homes like energy efficiency, safety, peace and quiet.
Concrete is simply a better way to build a better home. There are limitless possibilities as concrete can create any shape or size home you can imagine.
Also, because of the strength of concrete, it can be used to create large open spaces – offering total flexability in designing your home’s floor plan.
No matter what design you have for a home, insulated concrete homes are quiet, easy to maintain and safe from fire, tornadoes, wood rot, mold and mildew.
I HEAR THAT BUILDING WITH INSULATED CONCRETE COST WAY TOO MUCH. JUST HOW MUCH MORE WILL BUILDING A HOME USING INSULATED CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION IS OVER A CONVENTIONAL CONSTRUCTED HOME?
Insulated Concrete Homes deliver savings that add up year after year. Buying or building a home is probably the single largest investment you’ll ever make. You can expect to pay a little more for an insulated concrete home over a conventionally built custom wood frame home.
If comparing to a modular type home, the cost could be slightly more. However, a beautiful concrete home will pay you back in terms of operating cost, resale value, and quality of living.
Over the long run, benefits like energy efficiency, disaster and fire resistance, and durability reduce the cost of owning an insulated concrete home
Reduced noise and more even temperatures mean quiet comfort that you can enjoy year round.
The real payback is in quality…the intangible benefits of a quieter and more comfortable home.
WHAT ADVANTAGES ARE THERE TO BUILDING WITH ENERGY WISE BUILDERS AND INSULATED CONCRETE?
Energy Wise Builders does not just talk about our homes being energy efficient, quieter, stronger and safer, we actually deliver a home that will have lower utility bills, reduced insurance premiums, improved air quality, yet are quiet and comfortable to live in.
Because Energy Wise Builders’ homes are built with solid concrete walls, they are more air tight than any wood frame home.
The home owner will actually receive a certificate from the Focus on Energy program showing that their house meets or exceeds the standards of a energy efficient home in Wisconsin.
ENERGY WISE BUILDERS USE INSULATED CONCRETE FORMS TO BUILD THEIR HOMES. JUST WHAT IS AN INSULATED CONCRETE FORM AND HOW IS IT DIFFERENT FROM INSULATING A HOME WITH FIBERGLASS?
To really understand insulated concrete construction, you must understand what happens to fiberglass insulation which is the standard insulation for most homes. Most homes using fiberglass insulation are insulated to what is known as R-19. However, what most people don’t know is that this rating of R-19 is at an outside temperature approx. 70 degrees.
What happens as it gets colder outside, fiberglass looses some of its R value. That is because cold air is allowed to loop through the fiberglass insulation. That is the big difference between Fiberglass and Insulated Concrete forms. ICF maintains its R Value no matter what the outside temperature is.
We use a Logix form that has and R Value of R-24 and when combined with the thermal mass effect of the concrete, our homes can deliver a much higher R Value performance. They say this can be as high as an R50.
5. I SEE SOME THERMO IMAGES DISPLAYED, ONE IS VERY RED AND THE OTHER IS NOT. WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THESE PHOTO'S?
These images are of two houses across the street from each other in Alberta Canada. The one that is very Red is the image of a wood frame house. It shows that there is heat loss across the entire exterior surface of the structure with the wood studs allowing the greatest loss of heat.
That is because a 2 x 6 stud has an R Value of approx. R-7 while the cavity of the wall is an R-19. The other image is a home built out of the Logix ICF. It shows some heat loss out of the ceiling and windows but no across the exterior ICF surface.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words but in this case, a picture is worth money in your pocket if you build using ICF.
We had temperature monitors in the center of an ICF wall and R-19 wood framed house. The data we have collected is astonishing. In Jan of this year, the R-19 wall was below zero in the center for ½ the month and fluctuated consistent with the outside temperature change. On the other hand the temperature in the ICF stayed in the mid 40’s and took days to change just one degree as the outside temperatures fluctuated.
This is how ICF delivers comfort and energy efficiency. The heating system in an ICF home does not work hard to maintain a comfortable temperature even in extremely cold weather.
6. ARE THERE ANY LIMITS TO BUILDING WITH INSULATED CONCRETE FORMS?
Look at the photos of our finished homes. How can you tell what type of construction is behind the siding?
The walls in an unfinished garage or basement may give you a clue, but the benefits of solid concrete construction aren’t apparent at first glance. Concrete can create any shape or size home you can imagine. Because concrete takes any shape of form, it can create an unlimited variety of curves and angles.
Whether traditional of contemporary home design might be, concrete homes are quiet, easy to maintain and safe from fire, tornadoes, termites and wood rot.
The strength and flexibility of concrete can create a home that looks like the 21st century and with minimum maintenance, will hold its beauty and value throughout the next century.
I HEAR STORIES THAT ANY HOME OWNER CAN PURCHASE ICF AND BUILD THEIR OWN HOME. IS IT THAT SIMPLE?
Yes and No.
There is a right tool for every job and it is the case with ICF. ICF is advertised as Do-It-Yourself type product, yet there is the right alignment system for this product and there are numerous tricks of the trade.
We have built numerous ICF basement and ICF homes. We have invested in the right equipment for this type of construction and we do not cut corners.
We do not sub-contract out our ICF work to anyone and you will see the owners of the company on site and working on the ICF part of your home.
We would encourage anyone thinking of doing there own ICF work to really look into what it takes to put these walls up and keep the plum and straight.
There is also the issue of using the right ICF. There are numerous ICF companies out and we have done the research and we use the Logix ICF block that is the best block on the market. It has the strength, density and provides the best R Value of any block out there.
You can buy a cheaper block on the market but like anything else cheaper is not necessary the best. I would encourage any thinking of building with ICF to check out these two websites:
WHAT OTHER OPTIONS ARE THERE THAT ENERGY WISE BUILDERS OFFER TO THEIR CUSTOMERS?
We are a custom builder and we will work with a customer if they want to save money and do some of the work themselves. We can tailor our pricing to fit into out customers needs.
As a custom builder, we work closely through out the building process with the home owner keeping them informed and helping them with decision only they can determine like flooring, finished light & bath fixtures, cabinets selection, shingles to mention a few.
I JUST READ IN THE PAPER THAT ENERGY COSTS ARE GOING TO BE GOING UP THIS WINTER AGAIN, AS A HOME OWNER OF AN INSULATED CONCRETE CONSTRUCTED HOME, WHAT CAN I EXPECT IN SAVINGS?
The continuous layer of ridge insulation use in concrete construction provides a consistent thermal barrier unlike wood frame and batt insulation which had gaps in the insulation. This reduces drafts and cold spots inside our homes resulting in more comfortable living spaces throughout your home.
Our homes are in the process of being certified by the Wisconsin Focus on Energy program. The goals of this program are to encourage energy efficiency and use of renewable energy, enhance the environment, and ensure the future supply of energy for Wisconsin
It is not hard to understand why concrete homes are more energy efficient than wood framed homes.
The mass of concrete slows down the passage of heat moving through the walls. This means that, with the same insulation, a concrete home stays warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer.
Also, a concrete wall doesn’t have the air leaks as a wood-frame wall and air leakage accounts for a large percentage of energy loss in the home.
The actual savings will vary depending on the type of home, heating/cooling system installed and the quality of windows & doors installed, along with the number of occupants living in the home.
The savings advertise throughout the industry is 40-70 %. We have gathered some data from the local area straight from the Wisconsin Public Service website for several homes (owners allowed us to pull their energy data) and compared it to an ICF home we built.
We are finding right now that our homes are delivering over a 50% savings from a custom wood framed home and over 60% when compared to a modular type home based on the square footage being heated.
This adds up to some real savings with energy cost continually going up. We know they very seldom come down so your savings will add up and grow year after year.