Energy Efficiency, Durability and Resale Value Add Up to Big Savings
Savings That Add Up Year After Year
Buying a home is probably the single largest investment you'll ever make. Invest wisely. A beautiful concrete home will pay you back in terms of operating cost, resale value and quality of living. Over the long run, benefits such as energy efficiency, disaster and fire resistance and durability reduce the cost of owning a home. Reduced noise and steady temperatures mean quiet comfort that you can enjoy year round.
Lower Utility Bills
Concrete homes save energy in two ways. The mass of the concrete slows down the passage of heat or cold moving through walls. With the same insulation, a concrete home stays warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. Also, concrete walls are more air-tight than wood-frame walls. Since leaks account for a large percentage of energy loss in the home, concrete homes enjoy savings in energy consumption. That adds up to lower utility bills. A survey, conducted by Dr. Peter VanderWerf at Boston University, found that using insulating concrete forms (ICFs) reduces energy used for heating by about 44% and for cooling by about 32%.
Quiet Comfort
Concrete homes make the world go away. They’re a haven from traffic and the neighbor's leaf blower. The mass of a concrete wall makes it an effective barrier to sound. Although some sound will penetrate the windows, a concrete home is often two-thirds quieter than a wood-frame home.
The Quality Payback
A concrete home may currently cost slightly more than an ordinary wood frame home (about 1 to 5 percent more). On the other hand, it offers so much more than the traditional wood house, and the energy bills are lower. For a home built to Novoclimat standards, costs today are about equal for a wood house and a concrete house. It is also important to keep in mind that the new 2008 Building Code may require the Novoclimat standard for structural walls starting in 2008, which would completely eliminate the small cost difference that previously existed between concrete and wood construction. But the real benefit is in the quality and the intangible advantages of a house that is quieter, more comfortable and more durable, and has a better resale value.
For more information see: Energy Efficiency, Durability, and Resale Value Add Up to Big Savings