Invest in ICFs for lasting comfort and savings! Explore the value of Insulated Concrete Forms (ICFs) against harsh winters of the northern USA and Canada. Discover how ICFs deliver long-term benefits, from energy efficiency to environmental stewardship, ensuring optimal performance in challenging weather conditions.
Are ICFs worth the added initial cost?
The winters in Canada and the northern states are worthy adversaries, and every year we utilize a wealth of natural resources to keep them at bay. One of the most effective arrows in the green building quiver are ICFs. These insulated concrete forms enable home and business owners to protect their buildings against the winter cold and summer heat. Creating an effective building envelope helps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and slash energy consumption. ICF technology is considered cutting-edge and offers significant benefits. However, since these benefits come with an added cost, it is essential to weigh them carefully against the expense.
So just how much more do ICFs cost?
ICFs are Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) foam blocks that are stacked to create a form for structural walls (or floors and roofs) in a building. The forms are reinforced with rebar and then filled with concrete to form an insulated barrier against energy loss. Thanks to the revolutionary construction method, the walls can be built in a fraction of the time it takes to create homes using traditional construction methods. Despite the savings in labour and time, the ICF wall systems will still cost 10-15% more than a traditional 2×6 wood-frame structure.
Despite the large initial outlay, the return on investment (ROI) on an ICF home is relatively quick (typically around 10-12 years) as the home and business owner enjoys long-term energy savings and reduced maintenance costs.
It must be noted that this saving can only be expected in structures where the overall building envelope is well designed, insulated, and avoids thermal bridging as much as possible. This means that ICFs must be complimented with high performing window systems and adequate roofing insulation. With an optimized building envelope, owners can anticipate a 30-40% reduction in energy bills when compared to a stick-frame building of equitable proportions. Of course these estimates do not take into account the increased resale value of a property built with ICFs.
Bolster the ICF building envelope with EPS insulation
Alleguard offers a range of complementary products designed to enhance the overall performance and longevity of ICF structures.
AmBuck™: Insulated Block-Outs
AmBuck™ is designed to create insulated block-outs for windows, doors and end-walls in ICF construction. By preventing thermal bridging at critical points like end-walls, along with window and door openings, AmBuck™ helps to preserve the integrity of the ICF envelope and maintain optimal R-Values throughout the structure. This product ensures that the energy-saving potential of an ICF system is not compromised by gaps or weak points such as around doors and windows.
Amdeck®: Insulated Concrete Floor and Roof System
Amdeck® is a stay-in-place formwork system that integrates seamlessly with ICF walls to create insulated floors and roofs. It uses expanded polystyrene (EPS) combined with reinforced concrete to form high-performance, insulated slabs. Amdeck® contributes to the overall R-Value of the structure while reducing heat loss through the roof and floors, areas where traditional wood-frame construction often falls short.
Benefits of ICFs over wood-frame homes
Wood-frame homes have insulation gaps and thermal bridging through which precious energy is lost. The ICF structure is not afflicted by any of these issues and will retain a high R-Value for its entire lifetime. ICFs are extremely resilient and offer protection from fires, earthquakes, severe storms and flooding. ICF buildings have a 4-hour fire rating and according to testing can withstand wind speeds equal to an EF-5 tornado. The Wind Science and Engineering Research Center at Texas Tech University conducted missile impact tests on assemblies, including ICF wall systems, designed to simulate tornado wind speeds of up to 250 MPH.
Resilience in extreme conditions
ICF structures provide superior protection in regions prone to extreme weather events. For example, projects using Amvic™ ICF have shown their ability to withstand severe storms, far surpassing the structural limits of wood-frame construction. In addition, ICFs offer excellent seismic resilience.
Improved indoor air quality
Because ICFs are made with concrete, they don’t rot or mold and are not affected by insects as is the case with wood-frame structures. Wood-frame buildings often contain chemicals and adhesives that compromise indoor air quality throughout the building’s life. ICFs are composed of non-toxic materials such as EPS (which is manufactured with only steam and water) and are reinforced with rebar and concrete. These materials do not off-gas harmful chemicals, contributing to a healthier indoor environment for occupants. This is particularly beneficial for homeowners seeking to reduce allergens and ensure better air quality over the building’s lifespan.
Increased indoor comfort
The thick concrete walls created by ICF wall systems reduce noise by 30%, making them the perfect option for buildings near high traffic zones. With an STC rating of over 50, Amvic™ ICFs deliver significant sound attenuation—increasing acoustic comfort by minimizing external noise transfer—ideal for residential and commercial projects in urban settings.
Impact on the environment
ICF homes last longer than wood-frame homes so the natural resources are used to maximum effect. Wood-frame homes utilize valuable timber and require more energy to heat and cool which results in more greenhouse gas emissions.
One of the biggest advantages offered by ICFs is thermal mass. The thermal mass of concrete walls helps regulate indoor temperatures by storing heat during the day and releasing it when temperatures drop, reducing the overall energy needed for heating and cooling.
Concrete walls absorb heat during the day and radiate this energy back into the house when temperatures drop. In 2016 the Insulating Concrete Forms Manufacturers Association (ICFMA) commissioned a side-by-side comparison of a 6 inch (150mm) core ICF wall assembly and a traditional insulated 2” x 6” wood frame cavity wall assembly. The study determined that the ICF wall assembly provided 58% better effective R-Value/RSI than the traditional wood frame wall assembly due to the thermal mass of the air-tight ICF wall assembly.
Read more: ICFMA Thermal Study
Building with ICFs also vastly reduces construction waste when compared to timber-framed homes. With fewer off-cuts and minimized wastage, ICF construction helps protect natural resources and reduces landfill use. In addition, 60% of the weight of ICF blocks is made up of recycled materials.
ICF and LEED certification
The LEED Certification program is a globally recognized system for evaluating the environmental performance of buildings based on criteria like water conservation, energy efficiency, material selection, and indoor environmental quality. Amvic™ ICF may contribute points to LEED ratings due to their energy efficiency, use of recycled materials, and reduction of construction waste.
Comparing ICFs and wood-frames
Accurate comparisons between ICF and wood-frame homes are difficult at best. The integrity of a timber-frame home envelope depends largely on the quality of its construction. To fully take advantage of the added insulation offered by ICFs, the entire structure of the building should be properly insulated (doors, windows, roofing and HVAC systems).
The Boulder Farms Town Homes project in Rhode Island offers a rare opportunity to make a direct comparison between ICF and wood-frame construction. In this development, a fourplex constructed using traditional wood-frame techniques was compared to a newly built ICF fourplex of similar design on the same property.
The results were striking: the ICF buildings achieved nearly a 50% reduction in energy consumption compared to the wood-frame structure. This side-by-side comparison underscores the substantial energy savings and thermal efficiency that ICFs can offer, especially in situations where the quality of construction is controlled and consistent across both building methods. The ICF structures not only provided superior insulation but also demonstrated better overall performance in maintaining the building envelope’s integrity.
Why Amvic™ ICF
Different ICF manufacturers offer different R-values and the quality of ICF blocks also plays a part in the overall energy savings.
Amvic™ ICF differentiates itself from other ICF systems through its innovative design, superior materials, and enhanced performance. The 6-inch on-center web spacing of Amvic™ ICF R22 and 8-inch spacing on Amvic™ ICF R30 provides greater structural integrity and allows for more secure attachment of finishes, while the use of high-density EPS foam improves insulation and durability, offering R-Values of R-22 to R-30, which is higher than many competing systems.
Additionally, Alleguard offers a variety of block types including straight, 90° corner, 45° corner, taper top, brickledge, T-block, and radius blocks. The lightweight, interlocking blocks are easy to handle and install, reducing labor time and minimizing construction errors. These features also help reduce waste on-site, as the blocks are precision-engineered, leading to fewer cut-offs and a more sustainable building process.
Learn more about Amvic™ ICF at https://alleguard.com/products/construction/icf/