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property MaintenanceHome Building With Insulated Concrete Forms For most of the country winter is a harsh taskmaster, demanding a heavy commitment of nonrenewable resources for heat. In areas where electricity is generated in coal or oil-burning plants electric power is not only extremely expensive but is also a drain on fossil fuels and, along with heating oil, produces large amounts of greenhouse gases. One way to cut down on the use of these scarce commodities is to build homes in which require minimal heating and to seal them against heat loss. Insulated Concrete Forms Living in a home where there is heat loss affects the homeowner in both the bank account and in comfort. When a home is cold many people turn up the thermostat and brace for the high heating bill. Others consider the source and stuff more insulation into attics and walls. They also replace windows or re-caulk the old ones and other sources of air leaks in the home. But what about building an efficient home with a high R-value right from scratch? Insulated Concrete Forms One of the leaders in energy efficient homes is insulated concrete forms (ICF). These are stackable, polystyrene foam blocks - or panels constructed on site into forms- that are filled with cement to form the walls of the home. In other words the foam is the form – and it stays on as the home’s insulation when the cement cures. The strength comes from steel reinforcing bars that are place in specially-made grooves in the plastic spacers. The plastic webbing provides an anchor for siding on the exterior and drywall inside. ICF not only insulates, it provides a sound barrier that makes building near a highway or under a flight path for an airport a more reasonable idea. One more added feature about ICF homes is that they are known to withstand hurricanes, tornadoes and fires which makes the product a good risk for insurance companies and therefore in many areas you get a savings in insurance premiums. 1. Motorola divides into two separate companies data: 27.03.08 Motorola's chief executive said he hoped that by spinning off the unprofitable mobile phone unit, the company would have better luck attracting a new chief executive to revive it. 2. Boring press conference, telling moment data: 27.03.08 3. US online sales growth 'to defy slowdown' data: 10.04.08 Estimates prepared for Shop.org, the leading national association of online retailers, show sales increasiing by about 50 per cent over the next five years to exceed $300bn 4. Afghanistan's youngest migrants adrift on the road to asylum data: 27.03.08 Hundreds of child refugees from Afghanistan are camped at a port in western Greece, hoping to sneak onto a ferry to Western Europe. But the boys, as young as 8, are being preyed on by traffickers. 5. Cyprus talks 'must succeed' data: 19.03.08 The Cypriot president says the failure of new peace talks will be "devastating" for the divided island. 6. Fuel costs just part of airlines' list of woes data: 10.04.08 Even before the recent flight cancellations, airlines and passengers were facing a new wave of travel misery. 7. London's mayoral race offers plenty of bluster and blunder data: 07.04.08 The election, between Boris Johnson and Ken Livingstone, has become a litmus test of the national political mood and an important referendum on Prime Minister Gordon Brown's wavering Labour government. 8. Rivals back Premier League's '39th match' data: 10.04.08 The Premier League's controversial "international round" concept was backed on Wednesday by leading officials from the Spanish and German leagues. 9. Uncertainty at Local Radio data: 07.04.08 As an indicator of the consumer economy, local radio advertising could be hard to beat and Local Radio Company's trading update tracked the course of advertiser... 10. Fado, the Portuguese soul music data: 27.03.08 On key or off, Fado's haunting melodies are being transformed, yet they manage to catch the tone of a nation 11. Rivals 'should share licence fee' data: 10.04.08 Some of the BBC's licence fee could be shared with other broadcasters, media watchdog Ofcom says. 12. Grand prix chief holds ground amid calls to quit over sex scandal data: 10.04.08 Max Mosley, head of the International Automobile Federation, has admitted he was in the sadomasochistic session caught on tape, rejected implications that there were Nazi themes and defended what he did as 'completely legal.' 13. Sat nav drivers 'damaging ancient buildings' data: 10.04.08 Britain's historic bridges, buildings and roads are under threat from drivers blithely following satellite navigation directions, a conservation society warned yesterday. 14. British defend Hayles after failed blood test data: 27.03.08 Robert Hayles, who failed a pre-race blood test at the track cycling world championships on Wednesday, has been defended by British Cycling performance director Dave Brailsford. 15. Dalai Lama to resign if Tibet violence continues data: 19.03.08 The Dalai Lama today threatened to resign if the violence in Tibet spirals "out of control" as the Chinese prime minister accused him of orchestrating the protests in his homeland. 16. Thai tensions data: 07.04.08 Wealth and power gap exposed in Bangkok court 17. Accounting firm under fire in collapse of subprime lender data: 27.03.08 A sweeping investigation found that KPMG enabled New Century Financial's "improper and imprudent practices." 18. Ben-Hur star Charlton Heston dies data: 07.04.08 Charlton Heston, who won a best actor Oscar for his performance in the Hollywood epic Ben-Hur, dies aged 84. 19. John McCain makes second Shia slip data: 10.04.08 John McCain, the Republican presidential candidate who has based his White House campaign on his foreign policy expertise, has again been caught making a basic error. 20. Polly Hudson: Named.. but not shamed data: 07.04.08 Unlikely style icon of the week 21. Obama says US cannot ignore race data: 19.03.08 US presidential candidate Barack Obama speaks on race, seeking to defuse a row over his ex-pastor. 22. Asian businesses and workers suffer from dollar's weakness data: 27.03.08 The sliding value of the U.S. dollar against most global currencies is putting many businesses and workers under increasing financial pressure. 23. Poll finds a broad desire to cooperate with Russia data: 07.04.08 Sentiment is widespread in NATO's largest nations that the U.S. should cooperate with Russia over missile defenses in Eastern Europe. 24. Garry Newlove's widow joins crime summit data: 10.04.08 The widow of Garry Newlove, the father of three who was murdered by a gang of drunken youths in front of his family, has agreed to help David Cameron draw up policies to strengthen families and tackle anti-social behaviour. 25. Richard Hammond: MOT makes me feel like an OAP data: 07.04.08 It's been a great week for older people. But it's also been a week when I've discovered that I'm shortly to be one of them. And I'm not ready. 26. Yevgeny Primakov, former prime minister of Russia, supports partition of Kosovo data: 27.03.08 He said that only ethnic partition would avoid future conflict but warned that it would entail population movements. 27. Papers apologise to Madeleine McCann parents data: 19.03.08 Two tabloid newspapers have published front-page apologies and paid "very substantial" damages over reports about the role of Kate and Gerry McCann in disappearance of their daughter Madeleine. 28. Buy-out chief sounds warning on lure of abroad data: 19.03.08 It is hardly a surprise that Guy Hands, one of the most outspoken and unconventional private equity bosses, is the first to warn of a move overseas in response to... 29. Parts of UK colder than Antarctica data: 07.04.08 Snow blanketed much of Britain on Sunday with some areas of the country colder than Antarctica. 30. Even in Ireland, surfers just want good waves data: 27.03.08 Bundoran, Ireland, might not seem like an obvious place to surf, but its position and rocky coastline makes it an ideal place to find a good wave. |