Poll Finds Rising Awareness of Concrete Systems
Thirty percent of recently surveyed home owners said they believe that concrete is a more environmentally friendly material than wood or steel, according to a survey by the Portland Cement Association (PCA).
Durability, energy efficiency, low maintenance and mold resistance were listed by current home owners as the most important characteristics they would consider when buying a newly constructed home which, the association said, are all attributes of homes built with concrete wall systems.
“The awareness of concrete homes and their advantages is at an all-time high since we began surveying home owners more than a decade ago,” said Jim Niehoff, PCA’s director of low-rise building markets.
“With limited dollars and concerns about energy efficiency, weather resistance and indoor air quality," he said, “more and more home owners are considering concrete for their next new home.”
Of the home owners participating in the survey, 75% said that they were aware of concrete homes, although 76% of them live in wood-frame structures, followed by 16% who live in concrete block or masonry homes.
Only 54% of the survey respondents reported that they expected their next home to be built with a traditional wood frame, down from 63% in 2005, the most recent previous survey for this group. This was the first time that the percentage declined since polling was started in 1998.
PCA points out that concrete offers many advantages over wood-frame construction:
- Homes built with insulating concrete forms, where concrete is sandwiched between two insulating layers of foam, require significantly less energy to heat and cool, which can save the home owner of an average-sized house hundreds of dollars in annual utility costs.
- Concrete wall systems also significantly reduce the risk of damage during a hurricane.
- The wall systems are also well-known for creating a quieter, more comfortable indoor environment.
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