The City of Lubbock, Texas, has emerged as a national leader in constructing energy-efficient, disaster-resistant concrete homes. To date, seventy-two substandard, deteriorating homes have been demolished and replaced with homes built using insulating concrete forms (ICFs). Led by the City of Lubbock’s Inspection Coordinator, Brad Reed, the project—funded in part by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development—has constructed more than 100 homes for low-income families using the innovative and energy-efficient ICF technology.

ICFs are lightweight forms or molds for concrete made with high-density polystyrene insulation, which stay permanently in place. These large, hollow blocks are shipped to the construction site where they are stacked together to form walls, reinforced with steel bar, and then filled with concrete. The end result is a high-performance wall that is structurally sound and is ready to accept final exterior and interior finishing.

In 1998, Mr. Reed, then a senior inspector for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Department in Lubbock, proposed that the energy efficiency, maintenance requirements and security of homes being built for the Department’s low-income clients could be improved by utilizing ICF construction. Three years of monitoring the performance and customer satisfaction of wood-frame and ICF-constructed homes demonstrated that ICF wall systems required less maintenance than wood frame; improved energy efficiency which resulted in more affordable utility bills; and provided another measure of safety from natural disasters, such as tornadoes, which frequent Lubbock.

“It was not uncommon for many of the substandard homes that were replaced under the HOME project to have heating bills in the range of $400 per month,” said Mr. Reed. “But today, residents of the ICF-constructed homes can expect heating bills of $70 to $80 per month, which means an important savings for the lower income families who live in these homes. Furthermore, in addition to the reduced energy use and subsequent reduction in use of fossil fuels required to heat and cool the ICF homes, the development of the ICF industry in our community has increased economic activity as well as property values and related taxes by more than $6 million.”

Ten years and more than one hundred homes later, the City of Lubbock is committed to having every home in the program meet U.S. EPA ENERGY STAR standards and is currently constructing its first zero-energy home. Because of innovative strategies like these, Lubbock and organizations supporting its building of sustainable low-income housing are recognized regularly for their achievements.

This year, Brad Reed is a recipient of the Portland Cement Association’s 2008 Sustainable Leadership Award. This award honors public officials who utilize cement or cement-based products to achieve sustainable benefits.

Mr. Reed was nominated to receive the PCA Sustainable Leadership Award by Patrick Murphy, president of American PolySteel, a leading manufacturer of ICFs. “A number of organizations have recognized the accomplishments of the City of Lubbock in providing exceptional homes for its most needy citizens. This prestigious award from the Portland Cement Association recognizes the contributions this project and these homes have made to the advancement of the goals of sustainability – environmentally, economically and socially,” commented Mr. Murphy.

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