ICF Building in Oregon: Case Study
July 13th, 2010 | Project Showcase | Energy Data, energy efficiency, OR
This story is an oldie, but a goodie and those numbers are similar all over the country with commercial ICF construction.
When Dr. Waters, owner of Silverton Surgical in Silverton, Oregon planned their new 3-story, 13,020 square foot medical building, they wanted to lower operational costs to improve the profitability of their investment.
Over $10,000.00 per year in utility savings increased the profitability of the project starting the very first month.
The Waters’ specified Reward Wall Systems Insulating Concrete Forms (ICFs) for the exterior walls of the project. To complement the insulated concrete walls, the Waters’ upgraded the roof insulation, windows, and the HVAC equipment to create a high-performance building envelope. The conservation upgrades for the project increased the cost of construction of this $2,100,000.00 project by $112,000.00 compared to a 2 x 6 wood frame building that meets Oregon energy code. The Waters’ justified the investment by counting on lower utility expenses.
The Waters’ commissioned an independent energy audit to determine if the investment in the conservation upgrades would be cost effective, and the results were astonishing.
The utility expense of the building constructed of 2 x 6 wood frame to meet Oregon Code was calculated to be $1,151.00 per month. The building with the Insulated Concrete exterior walls, increased roof insulation, window and HVAC upgrades was calculated to be $312.00 per month for a savings of $10,068.00 in utilities per year.
Even with the cost of construction increased by $112,000.00, this building is less expensive, and more profitable for the Waters’ starting the very first month of operation. The combined monthly mortgage and utility expense for the project is actually $175 less than the same building built with the less expensive 2 x 6 wood frame construction to meet code.
The Waters’ contracted a consulting firm to submit an application for the State of Oregon’s Business Energy Tax Credit (BETC). BETC was created to offer an incentive for investing in conservation upgrades. The incentive totals 35% of the $112,000.00 upgrades for a tax credit of $39,200.00 to be taken over five years.
Even with a higher cost of construction, the utility savings for this project result in a lower cost of ownership and increase profits for Silverton Medical Properties starting from the very first month of operation.
- 13,020 square feet
- CMU and brick exterior finish
- PVC sheet roofing over 3.5″ Polyisocyanurate R-22
- 5 AC units, total 25-ton inheat pump
- Energy Wise utility cost average, $312 per month
- Estimated $10,000 per year energy savings over wood
- Stairwells and elevator shaft built with Reward
- 11″ iForm for top two levels
- •13″ iForm for basement and crawl space
