A sustainable – efficient home/building works with the earth’s resources, this may vary due to the buildings location what resources are available in that area. The materials use are natural, abundant and renewable.
Half of fossil-fuel use is from heating and cooling buildings and the development and construction of short-life buildings. Heating and cooling in a hybrid building are natural “carbon neutral” resources like solar, wind and water. Materials are used to build a hybrid home like ICF are damage resistant from storms and nature’s general wear and tear – thus putting less in local landfills.
Sustainable living cuts the cost of long-term expenses by being efficient with heating, cooling and general maintenance. Systems like geo-thermal, solar and wind sustain themselves unlike the mechanical requirements of standard buildings’ needs.
Building an efficient / sustainable home is like taking 50 cars off the road.
All the materials used are from your local environment and are natural, abundant, and renewable. With the use of products like ICF (see below) the house is airtight and protected from the elements without the need for constant replacement of siding and construction materials that warp, bend and shift overtime breaking your buildings ability to resist the outside elements.
ICF is based on hollow lightweight block components that lock together without intermediate bedding materials, such as mortar, to provide a formwork system into which concrete is poured. The block is formed of sheets of insulation materials normally expanded polystyrene tied together with plastic or steel ties or an integral web of the same insulation.
Fresh concrete is poured into the forms built up to 3 metre high as a complete wall. This is normally dome by pump. Once the green concrete wall is set, it becomes a high strength concrete frame structure with the formwork remains in place as thermal insulation, providing u-values ranging from the standard 0.30 w/m²k as required by the current Building Regulations down to 0.11 w/m²k - ideal for zero energy buildings Star Level 6 in the Code for Sustainable Homes. The building process is quick, tidy and precise, with lower equipment requirements than alternative methods and only semi-skilled labour.
An ICF home does not need to look ugly we can finish an ICF with any standard siding or even make it look like a log home, find out more in options...
Almost any location can use geo-thermal technology, Hybrid Living can assess your plot to either drill straight down using the earth itself to cool and heat your home. In most cases the owner does not have enough land to create a harvest-fieldTM , solar and wind are also available options to generate the energy to power, cool and heat your home. In most cases all three or two of the options are used in conjunction to meet all your needs.
Hybrid Living can work with most budgets and help you plan your project to fit into your requirements. There are also many government rebate programs (*link) that can help offset the cost of building a sustainable home. The long-term savings of using sustainable building materials and natural energy resources will definitely assist the question of affordability. We can help you make the decision and plan your budget, visit our Cost section to plan your home...