Superior Energy Performance

CELBLOX^® Insulating Concrete Forms (ICF) can save you up to 50% on Heating and A/C bills.  This is critical at a time when energy costs are soaring and energy-efficiency is becoming a standard in the industry.  As such, many owners and developers are deciding it makes more sense to invest in a safer, longer lasting, and more energy-efficient building than to spend thousands more on monthly utility bills.  What’s more, CELBLOX allows you to downsize your HVAC equipment, lowering construction costs^1,2

CELBLOX  ICF outperforms wood frame walls due to its:

• 5” of continuous EPS foam
• Practically no air infiltration through its concrete walls
• Insulated thermal mass of concrete which restricts heat transfer

East Grand Middle School, CO3
2-story building 87,000 square feet 44’ walls high walls Heating bill $16,500 a year or $0.19 per square feet
Cornerstone Assembly of God, IL4
54,000 square feet total 36,000 square feet heated 30+ high walls Heating bill averaged $750 per month

Thermal Migration

CELBLOX ICF walls features a monolithic concrete slab covered on both sides with 2 ½” EPS insulation that is broken only by door and window openings.

Conventional wood framed or steel stud framed on the other hand is comprised of:

• Fiberglass Batt (R-13 to R-19), which once exposed to moisture (Hyperlink down to Mold), loses up to 75% of its insulation value. 
• Voids (R-0), due to the batting being compressed around pipes and electrical outlets.
• Wood Studs (R-4.38 for a 2x4), which leaves 25% of the exterior wall un-insulated due to thermal bridging between the wood studs³

The Infra Red Pictures below highlight the loss of heat though a conventional wood frame wall.

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Low Air Infiltration

Conventional wood framed or steel framed walls are porous, with a typical structure ranging from 0.45 to 1.05 Air Changes per Hour or in other words, ½ or more of the structure’s “conditioned” air is exchanged with outside air each hour.

CELBLOX ICF walls, however, range from 0.15 to 0.2 ACH.  Therefore, CELBLOX reduces unwanted air infiltration by more than 50%.⁴

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Thermal Mass

The thermal mass of a CELBLOX ICF wall acts much like a battery, except that is stores heat instead of electricity. Thermal mass stores and re-radiates heat as shown in the graph below. During the summer it absorbs and delays the transfer of outside heat, keeping a building cooler. In winter the same thermal mass delays the transfer of indoor heat, helping the building stay warm.  CELBLOX two layers of EPS insulation further restricts heat from flowing into or out of the building.

Thermal mass is particularly beneficial where there is a difference between day and night outdoor temperatures. Appropriate use of thermal mass moderates an internal temperature by averaging day and night extremes, which in turn improves comfort and reduces peak energy loads, thus downsizing your HVAC equipment needs⁵

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1.VanderWerf, Dr. Pieter.  “Energy Comparisons of Concrete Homes Versus Wood Frame Homes.” PCA:  RP119.
2.Gajda, John; Medgar Marceau, and Martha VanGeem. “HVAC Sizing Methodology for Insulated Concrete Homes.” US Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Policy Development and Research.  2004. 
3.Karas, Nancy.  “Personal Faxed Testimony.”  East Grand Middle School (Granby, CO): 2004. 
4.“Project Spotlight.” ICF Builder: August/September 2005, pg 16-18.
5.The ICF Effect”.  ICFA. . http://www.forms.org/images/cmsIT/fckeditorfile/ICFA%20Tech%20-%20ICF%20Effect(1).pdf