The Dollars and Sense of Green Retrofits |
According to a joint study released by Deloitte and Charles
Lockwood, a growing number of companies are implementing green
retrofits of their buildings to save money, improve
productivity, lower absenteeism and healthcare costs, strengthen
employee attraction and retention and improve their corporate
sustainability reports and brand equity - all at a relatively
modest cost.
Deloitte believes that within the next 3 years, companies
that do not have green workplaces will be at a competitive
disadvantage from higher operating costs, lower productivity,
declining attraction and retention of skilled workers and an
increasingly negative brand image.
Read the full report.
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Quad-Lock Product Manual now available in Spanish! |
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The Quad-Lock Product Manual, an amazing
resource for all things technical relating to ICF wall systems,
is now available in Spanish.
Download your copy. |
Big Jump in ICF Market Share |
According to the Portland Cement
Association's (PCA) 2007 Homebuilder Report, 6% of residential
above grade walls used ICFs and awareness was up to 95% of those
surveyed. ICFs represented the largest increase in market
share of any material with a significant gain from the 2%
measured in the 2003 survey. Jim Niehoff, Director of Residential with the
Portland Cement Association will be sharing the report findings
at the upcoming ICFA Conference and Expo being held at the end
of the month in Portland, OR.
The full report can be purchased from the
PCA Bookstore, Item
Code: MR451.07.
Visit the PCA website. |
High Performance Building Awards |
The Sustainable Buildings Industry Council
(SBIC) is accepting applications from both the public and
private sector for the 2008 Beyond Green (TM) High-Performance
Building Awards. The awards recognize initiatives that shape,
inform and catalyze the market for high-performance buildings,
as well as real-world applications for design and construction
practices.
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In a recent article published in Green Builder Magazine, there was an
editorial regarding the state of the remodeling market. While this
article was specific to the North American market, it would be a safe
assumption regarding the opportunities that exist worldwide for green
remodeling. Here are some staggering numbers. Americans spent $235
Billion on home remodeling in 2007 and a recent survey showed 33% of
remodelers are increasingly asked to improve energy efficiency.
As quoted in the article by Ray Tonjes, Chairman of the National
Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Green Building Sub-Committee,
"Without taking care of existing homes, we aren't going to make much of
a dent in the nation's total energy use. We can't balance the energy
budget on the backs of brand new single family homes no matter what some
interest groups would like our code officials to believe." There is no
question that he has a valid point - there are an existing 125 Million
single family homes in the United States. That is a huge opportunity for
improved energy efficiency. I see it as a two-pronged attack at energy
conservation; new construction should be built to the highest standards
and we all should do our best to make sure existing building's
insulation requirements are optimized.
Further, data included from the survey said that 65% of remodelers
made upgrades such as insulation replacement, including spraying foam or
fiber insulation into walls and cavities, while 27% insulated
foundations.
 With
the introduction of the R-ETRO System, a high-performance insulation
system for the remodeling market, I am very encouraged by this
editorial. Consumers are not only remodeling in record numbers, they are
applying GREEN design concepts to their projects.
Regardless of your location, the market is strong for remodeling,
what an opportunity to make an impact on homes, businesses and also
impact the environment by reducing energy consumption. If you are not
familiar with the R-ETRO System, I encourage you to visit
www.r-etro.com
or contact us for further information. Contact your local remodelers and
introduce the R-ETRO System to them. It will help reduce energy
consumption, has the highest R-Value available in an insulation system
and is faster and easier to install than other systems; all good things.
Happy Selling,
DJ Ketelhut Director of Sales, Eastern North America
Designed with 9 in Mind - on the Richter Scale, that is...
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Quad-Lock ICFs have made their commercial debut in Sofia, Bulgaria.
Not only is this an exceptional three-storey administration building,
but it had to be designed with significant seismic activity in mind.
And, it was poured in the dead of winter...
Read about 'The Evolution of Formwork'.
We all know that LEED has enjoyed some terrific adoption since it's
inception. But, did you know that every business day, $464 Million worth
of new construction projects register to meet LEED standards set by the
US Green Building Council.
If you thought green building was a fad, I suggest you think again.
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 us for more information.
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