Reduced Costs Seen Driving Consumer Push for 'Green' Homes
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Washington, DC - A desire to achieve greater energy efficiency is driving a
growing number of consumers to choose a new or remodeled "green-built" home, a
new survey conducted for the National Association of Home Builders has revealed.
The survey, conducted in October 2007 by the national polling firm Public
Opinion Strategies, involved 800 registered voters, who were asked how important
certain items would be in their decision to either purchase a new "green" home
or remodel their current home to be more "green."
According to the NAHB, nearly two-thirds of the consumers polled (64%) said
that "reduced energy costs" would be most important. The second-highest scoring
reason, at 55%, was "because it would be healthier." And 49% of those surveyed
say it's "the right thing to do for the environment."
NAHB will unveil a new "National Green Building Program" at next month's
International Builders' Show in Orlando. The voluntary program is being launched
in cooperation with the NAHB Research Center, a building science technology
testing institution working to make homes more durable, efficient and
affordable. It will link dozens of state and local voluntary green building
programs with a national online scoring tool for builders and remodelers,
according to the NAHB.
To be certified under the program, homes must meet energy-efficiency levels
that are at least equivalent to Energy Star, the federal Environmental
Protection Agency program. Since 2000, 750,000 homes have earned the Energy Star
label, indicating that they are at least 15% more efficient than required by
current energy codes.
According to NAHB president Brian Catalde, the vast majority of residential
builders and developers are interested in participating in the green building
certification program.
"New technologies, advances in building science and materials for insulation,
windows and other components mean that homes are significantly more energy
efficient than they used to be," said NAHB president Brian Catalde.
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Greetings!
"Green" is a word that today in some minds is overused and abused.
Ten years ago, "green" was a word for a wildly right-wing party, for
people following a seemingly stout agenda, and in general a word for a
philosophy that had very few followers, at least in North America.
So what will be the meaning of "green" tomorrow and in the future?
As you all know, the 'Greenhouse Effect' and all its consequences is
not speculation anymore, but a fact. As a mining engineer, I denied its
existence for quite a while for certain reasons - mining and oil
production are big carbon dioxide producers - but I've since been
converted to the "green" camp.
Thus, "green" today is being defined as limiting or eliminating
carbon dioxide output. The average Canadian has a CO2 output of five
tons per year, of which about 50% are attributed to travel by car and
airplane, and about 50% are attributed to heating and cooling. The
Canadian government has set the goal for each citizen to reduce their
CO2 output by one ton per year, in essence a 20% reduction.
Such a CO2 output reduction can be attained by several measures like
reducing your travel, buying a more energy-efficient car, installing
energy-efficient boilers, light bulbs etc. The reality is, even doing
all these actions at once, will probably not get you to a 20% reduction
in CO2 output.
What will get you there for sure is using Quad-Lock
products.
Quad-Lock provides a building envelope solution for new construction
that will lower your heating and cooling costs on average by 50%
compared to conventional construction (which will give you a 25%
reduction in CO2 output in the above 5 ton example).
"Go Green with Quad-Lock" is our
motto, and it is well justified by the products and services we offer.
My conviction is that "Green" in the future will be associated with
Quad-Lock and its products.
Best regards,
Hubert Max Kustermann
2008 Starts With Building Shows!
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What an exciting time of year for the building industry as we head
into show season. It is always a great opportunity to share your
products with all the attendees, as well as network and renew business
acquaintances.
Two of the biggest shows in which Quad-Lock participates are the
World of Concrete and the NAHB International Builder's Show. The World
of Concrete is scheduled to kick-off in Las Vegas January 21st-25th and
the International Builder's Show is scheduled for February 13th-16th in
Orlando. Both shows will have 100,000 attendees or more from all over
the world and there is always a feeling of anticipation to see all the
cool stuff. I know its building materials, but plan on seeing new
innovations, many "green" items, and more.
If you have never attended WOC or IBS, I encourage you to do so.
There are opportunities to learn from the experts in educational
sessions, as well as a vast exhibit hall with product manufacturers and
building related suppliers. It does not hurt to have two incredible
venues like Las Vegas and Orlando as the back drop either. Don't miss
out as there is still time to be a part of these shows, you will not be
disappointed.
Please stop and visit us at the shows. Our booth will be staffed by
the Quad-Lock team to answer your questions and help you with any future
projects. I hope to see you there!
Stop by and say Hi - World of Concrete Booth #N1049 or IBS Booth
#W5485.
Sincerely,
D.J. Ketelhut
Proven Energy Efficiencies
As part of our on-going development of materials to assist in the
sale of Quad-Lock, we want to create a library of statistics about
structures built with Quad-Lock Insulating Concrete Forms.
You can help us by submitting your energy bills, along with the bills
from a comparable house in your neighborhood for us to add to our
library. When you do this Quad-Lock will pay your highest month's energy
bill for your troubles.
Contact Quad-Lock for more information.
With Apologies to Will Shakespeare -
To waterproof, or not to waterproof...
It is a sticky question. The Quad-Lock "rule-of-thumb" is: If you
EVER (give or take 100 years) suspect that the soils around a below
grade Quad-Lock installation will become 100% water saturated,
developing hydrostatic pressure against the wall, then waterproofing is
necessary. This does not speak to "damp proofing", done only to protect
against damp soils and water vapor, and should be done in any case.
 Quad-Lock is pleased to bring you the best water proofing solution we
can find on the market today from Resisto Waterproofing Solutions. In
fact, we have enough confidence in the product that we are putting our
name on it. This high quality "peel 'n stick" 40mm reinforced membrane
comes in a 36 inch (.91m) x 75 feet (22.9m) roll. The exposed face of
the membrane is a woven composite providing 100% UV protection for 90
days prior to back fill. The back side is a modified bitumen specially
formulated for ICF applications, and protected by a silicone release
film for shipment and storage.
Quad-Lock ICF Waterproofing Membrane can be applied directly to the
polystyrene surface of Quad-Lock walls. Clean, dry and even surfaces
generally do not require priming. If specific conditions call for the
use of primer, such as dusty work sites, Quad-Lock recommends using our
water-based INTERIOR PRIMER (solvent based primers may damage
polystyrene and therefore must not be used).
Application temperatures can range from 14 F (-10 C) to 185 F (85 C).
Contact your dealer for pricing and
technical details. |
