News & Events

CELBLOX Wall Stands Through 4 Hours of Fire
CELBLOX 8" wall passes the 4 Hour Fire Endurance Test. ASTM E119

Energy Rate Hike Sends Shock Waves
"Some residents have seen their energy bills spike by as much as 300%..." click here for the full story.

Energy Policy Act of 2005
President George W. Bush signed the United States Energy Policy Act of 2005 into law at Sandia National Laboratory in Albuquerque, New Mexico August 8, 2005. The legislation, the first comprehensive energy policy in over a decade, will provide several financial incentives to commercial building owners and contractors that build energy efficient buildings and homes.

An Important Distinction
There is an important difference between a tax deduction and a tax credit. A tax deduction is subtracted from income before total tax liability is computed. On the other hand, a tax credit is subtracted directly from the total tax liability. This means that a deduction and a credit have different values, with a credit being 25%-50% more financially advantageous to the taxpayer than the deduction. For example, a tax credit of $1,000 for someone in the 35% tax bracket is equivalent to a tax deduction of $1,538.

Commercial Buildings
This provision offers business taxpayers a deduction of $1.80 per square foot for commercial buildings that achieve a 50% reduction in annual energy cost to the user, compared to a base building defined by the industry standard ASHRAE/IESNA 90.1-2001. Energy costs refer only to heating, cooling, lighting and water heating, since only these uses are within the scope of the ASHRAE standard and within the control of the building designer.

Each of the three energy-using systems of the building — the envelope, the heating, cooling and water heating system, and lighting system — is eligible for one third of the incentive if it meets its share of the whole-building savings goal. Explicit interim compliance procedures are provided for lighting.

Eligible buildings include commercial buildings such as: offices, retail buildings, warehouses, etc., rental housing of four stories or more, and publicly-owned buildings. For publicly-owned buildings, there is an interesting provision allowing the credit to pass through to the "person primarily responsible for designing the building."

New construction in an existing building is also eligible for the tax deduction, with one third of the deduction amount for new construction that affects the new energy-using system (such as lighting or heating, cooling and water heating).

Compliance is determined by third party inspectors who review the plans and the actual in-place construction. Energy savings are determined by software that must be certified by the Department of Energy as meeting criteria of consistency and accuracy, following the successful experience of California’s performance-based energy code enforcement.

The incentives apply to buildings or systems placed in service during 2006-2007, although extenders increasing the eligibility through 2009 or 2010 are a distinct possibility.

New Homes
The Energy Bill offers Contractors a tax credit of $2,000 for homes that reduce energy use for heating and cooling only by 50% based on the 2003 International Energy Conservation Code, with 1/5 of the fifty percent coming from imporvements in the building's envelope.

The bill also provides for a tax credit of $1,000 for homes that reduce energy use for heating and cooling only by 30% based on the 2003 International Energy Conservation Code, with 1/3 of the fifty percent coming from imporvements in the building's envelope .

Eligible homes must demonstrate savings using software that has been approved by DOE and builders must demonstrate compliance by the use of third-party inspectors certified according to DOE rules.

The incentives apply to homes placed in service during 2006-2007, although extenders increasing the eligibility through 2009 are a possibility.

August 22nd, 2005

Cellox, LLC offers their CELBLOX ICFs at below cost prices to residents affected by the Wisconsin tornados.



July 12th, 2005

Cellox, LLC was granted a patent for their unique CELBLOX tri-fold expandable Insulating Concrete Form.

The web ties are "hinged" which allows the forms to fold flat for shipping and storage. Once the walls are ready to be built on the footings, the forms are simply "popped" open and stacked.