home for the 21st Century floors.
is not about the latest in
gadgets and wireless Fresh air from the outside enters
alarms, internet connections or the house through a series of
top of the line intercom system. pipes buried 5 feet below the
It is about strength, comfort and ground where there is always a
energy efficiency. constant temperature - 8 Degrees
Celsius.
Baby Boomers are buying their
last home and they know what they If you really wanted you could
want. open high efficiency Low-E Argon
filled windows, but why would you
Enter a new type of home. A home want to?
that stands up to fire, noise,
sun, wind, rain, snow, bugs, During the summer the incoming
mould and inevitable acts of God air is pre-cooled; during the
like, earthquakes and hurricanes; winter it is pre-warmed. The flow
a home that gives you is strictly controlled,
unprecedented comfort and a pre-conditioned and filtered for
breath of fresh air 24 hours a a breath of fresh air - 24 hours
day; a home that can resist a day.
hurricanes in Florida as well as
sub artic temperatures in the Computer modeling of this type of
Canadian North. air pre-conditioning shows that
just this one idea saves 11% on
Imagine an airtight, steel heating and cooling costs
reinforced concrete cube with comparable to conventional
about 3 inches of styrofoam venting system.
insulation on both sides of the
wall and body temperature heated This new type of luxury home is
built as a combination of some of and greatly increased comfort
the newest technologies in modern levels for the homeowner. The
home building: Insulated Concrete savings are anywhere from 35% to
Form (ICFs), radiant floor 60% depending mostly on the style
heating, a tank-less water heater of home and the size and type of
and a low energy consumption air windows.
conditioning system (that that
you may need to use but very Features, such as a high (92%)
rarely). efficiency tank-less water heater
heats the whole home, while
The outside walls, which are providing an endless supply of
built out of steel reinforced potable hot water.
concrete make this home wind and
fire resistant, bug and mould It turns itself on when you turn
resistant and provide excellent your hot water tap, therefore
protection from hurricanes, there are no standby losses as
tornadoes and earthquakes. with a conventional hot water
heater. This equals approximately
Outside voices, traffic noises 25% of energy savings just to
and police sirens are muffled by heat your hot water.
the walls thickness which allows
you to sleep soundly every night. It is also easy to incorporate a
Gone are floor squeaks, drafts full solar heating, so you can
and the rattling of glass in your achieve a complete independence
china cabinet. from the grid.
Because of the exceptional This type of home costs only
insulation of insulated concrete about 10% more than a comparable
forms, there is significant wood framed home and considering
ongoing savings in energy costs a long term savings, comfort and
security why would anyone build question.
homes differently is a merited
About the Author:
Harvey Juric, is a veteran custom home builder in Southern Ontario. If you like this article, there is more at: http://www.ontario-home-builder.com, http://www.luxury-home.ca or http://www.repairing-building-contractor.com
Source: www.isnare.com
