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markross
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Posts:1035
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| 01/04/2002 8:39 PM |
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Many people have been asking about Heat Recovery Ventilators on the website lately, I would recommend attending one of our seminars on this topic. As buildings become far more efficient and air tight, new materials an methods are being developed to meet the growing needs of the residential home and its occupants. The use of the technology (which is not new, its been around for many years) which I have touched on here in this post, is a very small part of building technology available today, which works well with ICF wall systems. ICF walls are a good building product, however, their use on their own, falls far short of the potential of modern building construction. Its only part of the picture so to speak. Incorporating other materials and methods such as HRV systems, radiant floor systems, Cooling panel systems, Concrete floors and roofs, high strength and durable siding products, High efficiency windows and doors, and a variety of other products and methods, we have the capability to build, economically, highly efficient buildings offering superior living comfort.
I am not an ICF installer, I am a concrete building professional, as are all of Architectural/Residential Technologies certified representatives. However I often consider the companies out there who plug the ICF solution. My though is this, if they have gained the knowledge and know why ICF’s are so much better than frame, then they just need the education to appreciate the rest of the picture, and what they could be doing to gain the utmost potential from their buildings. Most of the ICF people I have met or spoken to are very competent and professional individuals, I have yet to meet someone who is doing it just because. You all do your job, and do it well, so I am not saying you are incompetent, nor do I mean this statement in a derogatory manner.
Unfortunately, there are only a few who I have spoken to with the education to fully understand the potential for ICF’s as part of a solution to many of the problems which plague the building industry as a whole. And its tough to educate. Many people have estimated that it takes 2 hours to educate a consumer on the BASIC benefits of ICF and why they would want to use them. For those consumers who understand this, they then build utilizing the technology. Now imagine trying to educate the consumer on the benefits of all of the above mentioned items, and it becomes a several day education which gets quite involved, however the home built in the end is far more appreciated.
I apologize for my ranting, however, I am curious to have this question answered.
Are these issues important enough to you?
Mark Ross
"Le Canuck" |
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Ian ICF Builders
Registered Users
Posts:612
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| 01/05/2002 7:58 AM |
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Mark:
Considering the results of the "quiz", I don't think the great majority of people really do care, they would rather "say it as fact since they think it is true based on what someone else said etc. etc." (the little red house on the hill story all over again). True, the wording of a couple of questions was deceiving, but to the educated quiz taker, the guard should have been up AND if they had the correct knowledge in the first place, they should have the ability to key into the correct answer relatively quickly. Most of the questions and wording were taken from printed materials that are distributed regularly.
I can agree with you whole heartedly, most people think that if they build the house with ICF walls, then it is energy efficent, etc......the walls are only one small piece of the building puzzle and must be complemented by lots of other pieces of the puzzle in order to produce the expected benefit.
Not only does the ICF "Industry" (to coin a phrase of DJ) lack in actual construction training, it lacks people with a true education on energy efficient building envelopes. Many of the people that I deal with (consumer) have been filled with so much crap that it is tough to get them to stop thinking the direction they have been led to believe and start thinking for themselves based on CORRECT information. I think you will see this to some extent at the Reward convention when Rick Rue speaks....He will generate a lot of oohs and aahs and comments from people that think he can do wonders to a building envelope.....no, he talks about the building science that most people wish they knew about and act like they know about. This is not a problem specific to ICF....Just open the yellow pages to homebuilders and call the first ten listed....ask them if they build an energy efficent home and I would bet that all of them will reply with "YES"....yet maybe one in ten really tries to incorporate an energy efficient process into the home. Just because the builder installs sill sealer and the others don't, means to him that he is an energy efficient builder....to hell with the uninsulated recessed lighting that dot the ceilings....
I will look you up at WOC
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markross
Registered Users
Posts:1035
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| 01/05/2002 10:53 PM |
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Ian, I am with Formtech at WOC, and will be leaving late on friday. I very much so look forward to seeing you again. Have a good week.
Mark Ross
"Le Canuck" |
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