What are the advantages of ICF?
ICF, or Insulated Concrete Forms, have a number of benefits. Today we’re going to talk about how ICF construction will keep your home warmer.
Advantage #1: ICF Construction = A Warmer Home
If you’ve ever struggled to stay warm in your home, or you’re tired of costly heating bills, you understand the importance of proper insulation.
In a traditional build, you will have minimal insulation. This can cause uncomfortable cold drafts in your home, especially in the winter months or in your basement.
Traditional builds:
- Lose heat at every stud (framing member)
- Can lose heat if the vapour-barrier is not sealed properly for air tightness.
- Can cause mold if the batt insulation gets compressed from an improper install and if it gets wet from condensation (resulting from warm air contacting cold air)
If you’re tired of the cold, it’s time to switch to ICF blocks.
With ICF blocks, you will have reliable insulation built directly into your walls.
An ICF wall provides an insulated form into which the concrete is poured.
An ICF wall:
- Provides the same solid concrete centre as a traditional build
- Provides a thicker and more solid layer of insulation on either side of the concrete, and
- Eliminates the need to frame a wood wall and vapour barrier
By building with ICF, you are ensuring the greatest temperature consistency in your home. ICF prevents cold air from entering your home as well as warm air from exiting your home.
Feeling cold in winter can be frustrating, but so can overheating in the summer. With ICF construction, the thermal mass of the ICF blocks will keep you cool in the hot months and warm in the cool months.
How? Due to their thickness, the inner walls of ICF blocks take several hours to heat up. By the time the sun heats up the ICF walls, the temperature outside drops and the stored heat in the ICF walls keeps the interior of your home at a pleasant temperature for hours afterward.
If you’re tired of cold-drafts and poor insulation in your home, it’s time to try ICF blocks and experience the comfort and peace of mind of warmth throughout the long winter months.
Still not sure about ICF? Let us share a few fun facts.
Building with ICF provides:
- 26% more effective insulation
- Less spending on heating bills (up to 50% savings)
- An insulated basement and flooring - warmer floors and feet
- Less thermal transfer between studs
January 27, 2023