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Big Energy Savings with Concrete Construction

Bob talks with Jim Niehoff of the Portland Cement Association about building homes using concrete. For builders, constructing homes with concrete can save a lot of time and give homeowners a very energy-efficient home. Building a home with this combination of concrete and foam can save homeowners about 30-40 percent on heating and cooling costs. Building with concrete is particularly desirable in disaster-prone areas, because it provides stronger protection against hurricanes and tornados. Bob talks with the homeowner, Howard Brickman, about the experience of building the addition with concrete. The process has been very efficient. The crew has only been on the site for seven work days and has accomplished a great deal in that short amount of time. The construction process has eliminated the need for any exterior wall framing or insulation. The shell of the addition is already complete except for the rafters on the roof. The finished addition will look like a traditional shingled home and will be indistinguishable from the original section of the house. The radiant heating system put into the addition was downsized because of the energy savings involved with concrete construction. It is estimated the concrete addition will cost 30 percent as much to heat as the rest of the house.

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Chapters from this episode

Integrating Radiant Heat in a Concrete Floor Now Playing

Integrating Radiant Heat in a Concrete Floor

Big Energy Savings with Concrete Construction Now Playing

Big Energy Savings with Concrete Construction

Pouring the Upper-Story Walls Now Playing

Pouring the Upper-Story Walls

Pouring the Concrete for the First Floor Slab and Walls Now Playing

Pouring the Concrete for the First Floor Slab and Walls

Building a First-Floor Slab and Walls With Concrete Now Playing

Building a First-Floor Slab and Walls With Concrete

Building with Polystyrene Forms and Concrete Now Playing

Building with Polystyrene Forms and Concrete

Clip Transcript For:

Big Energy Savings with Concrete Construction

computer-generated transcript - may not be 100% accurate

" It's -- to our project here and we're gonna spend a minute chatting with -- me off from the Portland cement association. And of course Howard Brickman who's our homeowner here but Jim what are some of the advantages of this kind of project of building with concrete to this extent."

" building with concrete with the insulating concrete forms has a lot of advantages for the builder and the homeowner for the builder it's an easy system to learn can really save them a lot of time during the construction process. For the homeowner getting a very energy efficient house it's not unusual. I think -- savings on your heating and cooling costs of thirty to 40% in this system that combines the the insulation with the form more correct you've got a combination of concrete and foam so again the energy savings can be as high as 30% 40% possibly even greater. -- your heating and cooling. It's obviously a great system with several inches of concrete in the wall for disaster areas hurricane and tornado and."

" Particular sure we've got experience was that yeah and Howard. How are you feeling about it you think you've got to write great direction. I'll definitely it's a very efficient process and the crew here has only it's only actually been on the site seven work days that's amazing. It's just absolutely phenomenal how efficient the process has -- plus it's eliminated the need for any exterior wall framing. Right no insulation is going to be required right that's really a phenomenal process that we've developed here so right now. The shell of the house is complete except for the rafters on the yeah exactly I mean it's almost like it's a one step process of course. The end product is gonna look like a traditional shingled house in New England right exactly and -- actually have lap siding parents he wouldn't be able to tell it from. In the old part of the house are from my neighbor's houses right and you are obviously very interested in the energy conservation aspects of this being able operated on a dime as opposed to a dollar. So are you confident that that's going to be a good. Good direction we're pretty confident we actually downsized the radiant heat in -- in the and the concrete slabs -- we actually downsized the radiant heat because of that. The tremendous -- her energy conservation capability of this system so. We're anticipating that the addition is probably going to. Cost us about 30% as much to -- as the her whole rest of panels and your mother in law still wants to come live here right so far enough OK good Jim thanks for coming on thank you."

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