The CFA Board of Directors voted at their board meeting in Las Vegas to donate $3000 from the CFA Education and Research foundation to partially fund a study of the energy benefits of building with removable-form wall systems. The study, with a total cost of $15,000, is part of a PCA funded project that will compare energy benefits of alternative wall systems. Traditional formed walls will be compared to ICF’s, steel stud and wood stud construction. Testing will be performed by CTL (Construction Technology Laboratories) in Skokie, Illinois.

PCA is promoting concrete walls (in any form) as alternative to above-grade wood walls used in residential construction. In the past, the main emphasis has been on foam insulation and concrete combinations. This effort, however, has increased the awareness of all types of concrete wall systems for use above grade.

The objective of the study is to provide accurate and defensible energy use comparisons of residential buildings with various types of concrete exterior wall systems to that of identical buildings with wood and steel frame exterior walls. The results will quantify the energy efficiency of concrete wall systems including thermal mass effects. It is anticipated that traditional forming systems, in particular those used in combination with rigid insulation, will perform very well when compared with systems without thermal mass (wood and steel studs) and where the thermal mass of the concrete is isolated between foam forms.

The is the second instance of “partnering” with the Portland Cement Association to promote a wider use of traditional forming systems. The first was the production of the “Cast-In-Place” concrete homes brochure (see elsewhere in this newsletter). The Portland Cement Association, which represents cement producers throughout North America, is committed to promoting the use of cement. Considerable effort and money has been expended on the above grade homes market using ICF’s. This represented another opportunity to increase the market share for cement. producers.

Ed Sauter, director of the CFA, was recently appointed to serve on the Residential Committee of the PCA.