Aug. 12--People already use foam to keep sodas ice cold, and now they are using it to cool home interiors during scorching summer days.
"After I retire, I wanted a house that was efficient. Energy costs aren't going to go down," said Leland Brock, whose home under construction in Soddy-Daisy is insulated with Styrofoam blocks.
Environmentally friendly building techniques are gaining favor in the Chattanooga region as more builders and homeowners learn that construction and conservation aren't mutually exclusive.
"Green building" comes with a higher price tag, but proponents of these techniques argue that using energy-efficient materials pays for itself by lowering demand for electricity and reducing utility bills.
"The insulating value on these Styrofoam blocks allows you to save 40 percent on your utility bill," said Orin Sprague, who is building the Brocks' home.
Harold DePriest, president and chief executive officer of EPB, said the utility is conducting a marketing campaign to teach customers ways to conserve electricity.
"That's absolutely the best thing to do when building a home, to insulate the best you can," he said.
Not your parents' foam coolers
Brenda Brock said her husband dreamed of building a house using foam-insulated concrete after he saw the concept described on a video. He was impressed with the homes' safety, low maintenance requirements and energy efficiency, she said.
Houses with insulated concrete forms use an estimated 32 percent and 44 percent less energy for cooling and heating, respectively, according to the Insulating Concrete Form Association.
The Brocks' 2,567-square-foot home with a full basement features two layers of foam blocks, with a concrete wall poured in the middle. The foam blocks, similar to large Legos, serve as the insulation. Stone and brick will be connected to the exterior wall of foam.
Drywall will be attached to a plastic "web" in the inside foam layer, Mr. Sprague said.
The house should be completed this fall, he said. The concrete-walled house, which has about 20 percent less lumber than a traditional house, costs about 4 percent more to build, he said.
Other builders in the Chattanooga area also have turned to green-building techniques.
Chattanooga Neighborhood Enterprise Inc. and Lyndhurst Foundation last year helped introduce the Earth Craft House concept to Chattanooga. The Earth Craft House program calls for highly efficient building materials to be used in home construction and incorporates features of the Energy Star program, according to the Southface Web site. Southface is a nonprofit organization promoting energy-efficient houses.
CNE and Lyndhurst recruited several builders to construct 20 houses on Jefferson Street in the Southside using the concept.
A second foam-insulated house is under construction in the Fort Negley section of the Southside, said Bob McNutt of CNE.
The method is slightly different from one used in the Brocks' home, he said.
Large foam panels, called structural insulated panels, are designed at a factory with the home's exterior material, such as vinyl siding or cement board, attached, Mr. McNutt said. The home is energy efficient, and assembly of the walls on site takes only about two days, he said.
The foam-insulated house on Read Street in the Southside received a $10,000 home buyer incentive and a $1,500 Earth Craft House incentive, Mr. McNutt said.
Green building techniques can be used in home remodeling projects as well as new construction, said Brett Dillon of Builders Energy Rater and IBF Advisors. Certified home inspectors can advise homeowners at the start of a remodeling job on what to do, he said.
"As energy rates go up and (resources) are hard to find, demand for this will go up," Mr. Sprague said. "I think this is a thing of the future."
E-mail Jason M. Reynolds at jreynolds@timesfreepress.com
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