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Builders LondonA standard means test report by the Insulated Concrete Form Association states that four inches of polystyrene foam - 2 inches on each side of the cement wall encasing 5 inches of concrete has a rating well above R-17. If the walls are made thicker 6 8 this value could go over R-20. Cement, by its very nature, has a high thermal mass meaning that it takes a long time to heat up or cool down. With the insulating factor of the foam sheathing this advantage is increased. In standard wood-frame homes the settling of fiberglass insulation eventually makes way for small air leaks coming from the outside walls. These currents of air find their way into even the most airtight homes through fixtures and outlets. With a solid ICF wall there is none of this convection within wall as there are no cavities for it to get started. When you add up the advantages of high R-values, minimal air leakage and the high thermal mass this mean that ICF can give between 25% to 50% cut in energy consumption as compared with wood-framed homes. In addition, there is a huge saving in air conditioning costs. The Process of Building with ICF Building with insulated concrete forms starts much like any home with the footings. Before the cement cures in the footings vertical rebar is placed in intervals of 2 in the center of the footing to hold the walls onto the footings. The second course of block interlocks with the block next to the footing to provide the start to the sold wall. It is at this point that corrections are made for any uneven parts of the footings to make sure the wall goes up square. Rebar is now placed horizontally into the plastic webbing and the end pieces ar overlapped for strength. Cement can be poured at the 8 foot level but this requires special bracing scaffolding and wood strapping for support. If pouring at 4 feet the walls can be supported with strapping and lumber. The cement is now poured and settled with a vibrating rod. Special rebar is placed above the windows and doors for extra support the window and doors. When the wall is finished trusses can be placed on top and anchored with special fittings. For a two story home there is wider block that is placed at the top of the first level to brace the second one. The Cost From the records of a Nova Scotia builder who specializes in ICF the cost of building a house with this system was 10-15% more than a standard 2X6 wood frame home. However, with triple-pane, low E glass windows and infloor hydronic radiant heat the heating costs for this home were around 30-40% of a similar stick-built home with forced-air ductwork. So with energy costs rising might take almost 10-12 years to recoup the added cost. Another test was performed with a heat pump and the energy cost dropped even further allowing the homeowner a 7-8 year pay-back. Of course this study does not take into account the expected resale price which is always higher for an energy-efficient home 1. Gloria Taylor data: 10.04.08 Mother of Damilola Taylor who rose above her grief to campaign for the underprivileged. 2. Blast kills Sri Lankan minister data: 07.04.08 Sri Lankan Highways Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle is among 14 people killed in a suicide bombing, officials say. 3. Richard Hammond: Review: Hyundai i10 data: 19.03.08 Instant Korean Classic 4. 'Faulty genes pass on asthma' data: 10.04.08 Asthma is likely to be passed on from parents to children in faulty genes, scientists have discovered. 5. Study gets to grips with 'easy' cricket catches data: 10.04.08 Scientists believe they have worked out why even the most experienced cricketer cannot always take an apparently easy catch. 6. Clinton's chief strategist quits data: 07.04.08 Mark Penn, chief strategist for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, quits over a conflict of interest row. 7. Heather Mills and Paul McCartney divorce: A divorce lawyer's opinion data: 19.03.08 Mr Justice Bennett's judgment will make hard reading for Miss Mills. She was described as a "less than impressive witness" while her account of her contributions to the marriage was, on one occasion, depicted as "devoid of reality". 8. 5,000 children a month added to DNA database data: 07.04.08 One in four people being added to the DNA database is a child, it emerged yesterday. 9. European cargo ship docks at International Space Station data: 07.04.08 A new European cargo ship flew up to the International Space Station, successfully delivering food, water and clothes in its orbital debut. 10. Tears and tantrums data: 19.03.08 Spencer Livermore, the long-time aide to Gordon Brown who is leaving Number 10 to go to Saatchi & Saatchi and Fallon, has not been ousted by Stephen Carter, the... 11. John McCain makes second Shia slip data: 10.04.08 John McCain, the Republican presidential candidate who has based his White House campaign on his foreign policy expertise, has again been caught making a basic error. 12. Four prisoners executed in Japan data: 10.04.08 Four death row prisoners are hanged in Japan, two months after the last round of executions. 13. Burma releases constitution data: 10.04.08 A constitution drafted by Burma's military rulers goes on sale in government shops, ahead of a May referendum. 14. Payout for death of Olympic hopeful, 15 data: 07.04.08 The parents of a teenage diver tipped for Olympic glory have won undisclosed damages from the swimming club where he lost his life. 15. Microsoft/Yahoo data: 07.04.08 Is Microsoft finally getting ready to play hard? During the two months of phoney war since the software giant launched its unsolicited offer for Yahoo, it has avoided doing a Larry Ellison 16. Su last year data: 10.04.08 Sudoku has furrowed the brow of many a commuter, but will its popularity be usurped by new puzzle kenken? 17. MySpace highlights social networking's struggles data: 07.04.08 MySpace's struggle to meet advertising targets reflects industry-wide difficulties in turning immense social networking traffic into money รขยย but also the problems of predicting cashflows 18. Rite of spring celebrated with critical examination data: 10.04.08 An annual rite of spring is celebrated on Thursday with the publication of the 145th Wisden Cricketers Almanac at a critical point for the game it records and celebrates. 19. How to spend £35,000 a year on a child data: 19.03.08 Heather Mills says the £35,000 a year she'll get from Sir Paul McCartney to raise their daughter isn't enough. It may seem an absurd amount of money to average parents, but raising a child in more privileged circles can costs big bucks. 20. Sarkozy asks China to talk with Dalai Lama data: 27.03.08 The French president urged China to conduct a "true dialogue" with the spiritual leader of Tibet. 21. Nepal votes in landmark elections data: 10.04.08 Nepal begins voting in nationwide polls mired by violence that has claimed eight lives and prompted international calls for calm. 22. Bangladesh seeking consistency in Pakistan data: 07.04.08 Bangladesh coach Jamie Siddons is confident his side will benefit from their hastily arranged tour of Pakistan, where they will play five one-day internationals and a Twenty20 match. 23. Heather Mills and Sir Paul McCartney: data: 19.03.08 Heather Mills and Sir Paul McCartney met at an awards ceremony in May 1999, where he admitted he was immediately attracted to her. 24. Top Stories: Judge's damning verdict on liar and fantasist Heather Mills data: 19.03.08 Heather Mills is branded a fantasist liar living in a world of make believe as the truth behind Britain's most poisonous celebrity divorce is laid bare.<p> In a damning 58-page judgment Mr Justice Bennett brands the ex-model's testimony as "inaccurate" and "less than candid". 25. Boeing delays 787 deliveries again data: 10.04.08 The new delivery date of autumn 2009 puts the plane, known as the Dreamliner, more than a year behind its original schedule. 26. Anti-French fury in the Comoros Islands data: 07.04.08 Jonny Hogg visits the Comoros Islands where warmth turns to fury as people accuse the French of helping their rebel leader escape. 27. Father of soldier killed in Afghanistan 'will sue MoD for damages' data: 19.03.08 The father of a soldier killed in Afghanistan vowed last night to take legal action against the Ministry of Defence, demanding that it accepts liability for his son's death. 28. China doubts role in Greek weightlifting scandal data: 10.04.08 China on Wednesday expressed doubt over reports that a local factory was behind positive doping tests for 11 members of Greece's national weightlifting team, but said it had launched a probe into the matter. 29. Delia Smith's recipes 'have too much salt' data: 07.04.08 A number of Delia Smith's recipes in her How to Cheat at Cooking series contain more salt than the recommended daily intake, food campaigners warn today. 30. Obama grabs the spotlight in Europe, too data: 27.03.08 The fact that a black man may become the Democratic presidential candidate has intrigued Europeans at a time when such a prospect still seems far off in most countries on the Continent. |