Insulated concrete forms an efficient building alternative

Insulated concrete form manufacturers and marketers claim their lightweight, simply constructed product offers energy savings, durability and "green building" advantages.

Energy savings on buildings using the ICFs average between 38 percent and 47 percent a year, according to Scott Crawford, Fini Crawford and Ash Randall of Nu-Tech Systems in Colorado Springs, local distributors for more than one brand of ICF.

They attribute the cost savings, in part, to the use of thermal insulation provided by several inches of Styrofoam on each side of a poured concrete core.

Unlike traditional take-away forms used in construction, the ICF form remains in place. Once the concrete hardens, the wall system creates thermal insulation that's resistant to fire, pests, sound and wind, Crawford said.

Nationally, the Portland Cement Association says that 16 percent of all single family homes are built with concrete construction. In addition, 22 percent of today's ICF use is concentrated in commercial projects including schools, light construction, strip malls, agricultural projects, jails and prisons, and smaller public and private office buildings.

The organization's sustainability analysts say that a typical ICF home uses 15 to 35 percent less energy than conventionally framed construction. That efficiency is obtained through the concrete form's heavy-duty insulation and concrete's thermal mass. The combination helps even out temperature swings.

"The cost per cubic foot may be a little higher than tilt-up (concrete wall) construction for a commercial building, but any cost difference is recovered in the first year," Crawford said.

Randall, a former residential and current commercial builder sees most of today's mid-box or big-box commercial construction as ideal users of ICF interlocking block materials.

"We just use a different kind of Legos," he said.

Both men see increasing demand from owners and users for "built green" or even Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design- qualified projects. The product has also been approved by EnergyWise as a preferred material for use in wall construction.

On its Web site, the national mechanical engineering company responsible for certifying that built structures and their components meet "EnergyWise" standards, ICF tops the list of three products the firm recommends for wall construction.

Of ICF the company said: "This wall system, when installed properly, is unquestionably the most energy efficient and most structurally strong wall system on the market. It provides the best performance relative to infiltration, and it has excellent acoustic properties."

According to Crawford, using ICF in a commercial building qualifies it for up to 13 points toward a LEED certification.

"That means that simply by using insulated concrete walls, you have 50 percent of the total required 26 points in six categories," he said.

Local home builders and contractors have differing opinions of the product's application and value. Some see it better suited to residential construction and roofing systems, but others think it can work on commercial jobs.

Chuck Murphy of Murphy Constructors has used the material on both residential and warehouse projects.

"I think it's gaining popularity, and here's one reason why: in order to meet the energy code, a builder has to put some type of rigid insulation outside and inside the foundation," he said. "By using insulated concrete forms, you get your exterior insulation. And on the interior basement wall you don't have to apply additional quilted material to the concrete for insulation. The ICF handles both."

Other benefits upfront include the fact that the process used to pour concrete into the Styrofoam forms can be handled effectively by unskilled laborers rather than by higher dollar form setters. Once in place, ICF walls can also be stuccoed or covered with masonry.

On the back end, the energy savings in lower utility bills and likely federal tax or carbon credits make the material significant cost-effective. "That's what tips the scale for me," Murhpy said.

Another ICF advocate is Barry Mawson, senior project manager for the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. He recently oversaw construction of a 40,000-square-foot recreation center on campus that used insulated concrete for its exterior walls.

"More contractors will be using ICF in the future," he said. "Not only is it recommended for LEED projects, but it's also highly fire resistant, allowing fire fighters plenty of time to fight the fire. It's also energy efficient which is very important to a facility like ours that will include a vortex pool, four lanes of Olympic pool for lap swimming, a bubble pool and a spa," he said.

Other contractors who are less familiar with the material typically use more traditional alternatives such as concrete panels with Styrofoam sandwiched between," tilt-up and poured concrete. Dave Vanderham of Nunn Construction said so far, his company has not been asked to include insulated concrete on the job.