Spring is the time of year when many builders showcase their latest efforts in Street of Dreams type of settings. Both in an effort to highlight the latest decorating techniques and the latest green building materials, these sets of model homes serve as the perfect motivation to buyers who are looking for a new home, or current property owners who want to update their homes and businesses.
From insulated concrete forms to other LLED building materials, today’s move toward the use of green building materials provide a way to create a home that will provide energy savings for the life of the property. We live in a time when more and more people understand the importance of making sure that we make a smaller footprint in our daily lives, including the foods that we eat and the buildings that we construct. It should come as no surprise, then, that there is a growing market for sustainable and energy efficient products. With the use of the latest light construction materials and energy efficient strategies, today’s consumer can live in a home that not only costs less, but also is more friendly to the environment.
Energy Efficiency Is Not a New Idea
Although these energy efficient materials may seem like a totally new idea, the fact of the matter is that the idea behind many of these products was formed years ago. In fact, the first foam concrete form was patented by Werner Gregori, a Canadian contractor, in the year 1966 . The form measured at 16 inches high and 48 inches long and served as a precursor to many of the materials that are being redesigned and used today.
While many of today’s ideas are merely extensions of technology that was available in the past, the difference is often in the production costs. Although it is still more expensive to build with these latest green building materials, the manufacturing of these products has become less expensive. Combine the lower production costs with the energy savings that will last the life of the home, and many home buyers are willing to make the initial investment to make sure that they are creating a house that will have less of a negative environmental impact. If you need one more reason to consider the use of these energy efficient materials consider this fact from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development: ICF walls can save homeowners 20% to 25% on annual heating and cooling costs.
Are you ready to do your part?
