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What Four-Letter Word Do You Use When Shelling Out The Money To

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As North American households face heating bills averaging at

least 30 % higher than last year; the connection between

household energy use and energy prices is evident to everyone.

Energy efficiency remains the quickest, cheapest, cleanest way

to help you lower your home energy bills, extend the nations

energy supplies, bring down energy costs and fatten your wallet.

Energy efficiency shouldn't be a headache - in fact, it can be

very rewarding. Not only is increasing the energy efficiency of

your home a step toward better use of fuel and less pollution,

it also offers you greater security and independence, lower

energy bills and makes your home a more comfortable place to

live.

Retrofitting energy efficiency can be expensive, but when you

build a new house, it is relatively easy and cheap to make it

energy efficient.

The task is achieved by marrying several of the latest

technologies and developments in home construction.

The development and increasing use of Insulated Concrete Forms

in construction is one of the main breakthroughs in high energy

efficiency in new homes.

These "Forms" are Styrofoam (EPS) blocks that get filled with

steel reinforced concrete and form the shape of the building.

They double the insulation value, triple the sound resistance

and quadruple the strength of the building.

Another important component in energy efficient homes is Radiant

Floor Heating; which the industry claims will alone save you 20%

on your annual heating bill. Not to mention that it gives you

unprecedented comfort during those cold and long winter nights.

Add to this a High Efficiency Tank-Less Water Heater that can

heat your whole house while giving you an endless stream of hot

water; and the picture gets a little clearer.

Complete the package with a Heat Recovery Ventilator connected

to a sophisticated "Earth Energy" system that uses a series of

underground pipes in order to pre-condition the incoming air.

This simple solution preheats your incoming air in the winter

and pre-warms it in the summer.

Combine these four energy efficient breakthroughs and the result

is a home that will slash at least 50% of your home heating

bills as well as be your castle in a very real sense of the word.

A home that stands up to fire, noise, sun, wind, rain, snow,

bugs, mould and inevitable Acts of God like, earthquakes and

hurricanes;

A home that is safer, stronger and healthier than any other home

you have ever seen; The only question left to answer is how much

does it all cost? Your initial investment for this type of home

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is a little more ( approximately 10% more compared to

conventionally built home) or considerably less when you think

of long term costs, not only for you and your family but also

for the planet we live on.

The "payback period" in fuel and maintenance would be between

five to seven years but considering the alternative of keeping

the status quo during predictions of a looming energy crisis, it

is a very reasonable and logical solution.

When buying your new home, consciously choose to make informed

decisions concerning the future of you and your family. A little

bit of effort and common sense can go a long way in making your

home more energy efficient and paying you dividends for years to

come.

About the author:

Harvey Juric, ICF Consultant and CEO of ICFhome.ca is a custom

home builder in southern Ontario. He has been in the home

construction industry for the past 30 years performing a wide

variety of tasks related to the building trades. As one of the

pioneers of the Insulated Concrete Form industry, he formed

ICFhome.ca to take advantage of, at that time, emerging new

construction techniques that promised stronger, better and more

energy efficient hom