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May 18, 1998
For Immediate Release
For more information, contact Jennifer Grover or Bruce McIntosh at PCA (847) 966-6200.
Concrete homes winners in NAHB Research Center’s EnergyValue Housing Awards
Concrete homes showed their energy-efficient side when several builders using new concrete systems won 1998 EnergyValue Housing Awards, from the National Association of Home Builders Research Center. Six award-winning homes used innovative concrete systems. The program recognizes outstanding achievement in integrating energy and resource efficiency into the design, construction and marketing of new homes.
Holloway Company received a Gold Award for an 1,669-square-foot affordable concrete home using ICFs by Reward Wall. Holloway built the home in Iowa Park, Texas, for only $59 per square foot. In addition to providing high R-value, the concrete walls reduce street noise and provide resistance to fires and termites.
Dominion Building Group received a Gold Award for a custom concrete home in Virginia Beach, Va. The exterior walls use ICFs by American Polysteel. The 2,800-square-foot home cost $79 per square foot to build. The thermal mass of the concrete results in a higher effective R-value for the wall system.
Tierra Concrete Homes of Pueblo, Colo., builds concrete homes using insulated precast panels. They received a Gold Award for a home in Buena Vista, Colo., that cost $80 per square foot. The home features passive solar design that takes advantage of concrete’s ability to absorb and radiate heat.
Barco Realty and Developing Company received a Silver Award for a custom concrete home in Plymouth, Mass. It cost $90 per square foot to build and features concrete exterior walls built using ICFs. The concrete walls significantly reduce air infiltration.
Another builder who used innovative concrete systems below grade was honored. Stitt Energy Systems was a Gold Winner for an 1,800-square-foot home in Tulsa, Okla., that cost $58 per square foot. The buyer of the Tulsa house was able to take advantage of an energy efficient mortgage (EEM) from a local lender.
Stitt was a Silver Winner for a 3,600-square-foot home in O’Fallon, Ill., which also used ICFs in the below-grade walls. The home cost $66 per square foot. This EPA Energy Star home also received a Five Star Plus rating by Energy Rated Homes of America.
EnergyValue Housing Awards recognize builders who integrate energy efficiency into the design, construction, and marketing of their homes. The program is designed to educate the home building community and the public about successful approaches to energy-efficient construction.
"Buyers of EnergyValue homes have come to recognize the benefits of an energy-efficient home: reduced monthly expenditures for utilities, increased comfort and air quality, increased financing opportunities, and higher resale prices," says Liza K. Bowles, president of the NAHB Research Center.
Indeed, a recent survey by Portland Cement Association showed that what homebuyers are willing to pay for energy-efficient homes is actually more than what homebuilders thought they would. PCA’s market research department asked builders how much they thought homeowners are willing to spend for a more energy-efficient home offering 25% savings in energy costs each year.
Homebuilders recognized that most homeowners would be willing to spend more for an energy-efficient home, but they underestimated how much more. Four percent thought that homeowners would not be willing to spend any more on an energy-efficient home and 30% thought homeowners would be willing to spend at least 5%. In an earlier study, PCA research showed that 51% of homeowners would be willing to spend at least 5% more for such a home. Only 4% of homeowners would not be willing to spend more for an energy-efficient home.
The deadline for submitting an entry in the 1999 EnergyValue Housing Awards is August 7, 1998. For more information or to receive an application, contact the EVHA coordinator at NAHB Research Center (301) 249-4000, ext. 700.
To receive information on building with concrete, call the PCA’s concrete homes toll-free hotline at 888-333-4840 or see the website at www.concretehomes.com.
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