Combating energy costs: consider concrete to increase heating and cooling efficiency.

• Author: Moore, Charles
• Position: Advice Construction

Concerned about energy, costs? It's a worthy concern. Heating and cooling costs represent up to 32 percent of a commercial building's total operating budget, which makes energy efficiency one of new construction's highest priorities. Unfortunately, achieving energy efficiency in new construction is not a standard procedure. If anything, it's a constantly changing science.

This much is known: Optimizing energy efficiency is a multi-component, integrated process; it's not the result of a single technique or product. While some aspects are unique to different regions and buildings, certain elements are consistent when the objective is heating and cooling efficiency:

* Adding insulation where needed to create an effective thermal (building) envelope.

* Selecting the right heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system for the facility's size, location and function.

* Selecting window sizes and glass types that minimize heat transfer.

* Choosing a building shell that helps reduce air leakage.

* Monitoring and adjusting thermostat settings to coincide with usage.

* Scheduling routine maintenance on the building and its heating/cooling equipment.

An inadequate building envelope is a leading cause of unnecessary energy use. A building's envelope is comprised of walls, windows, doors, foundation and roof. Installing the right amount of insulation keeps an envelope strong and reduces energy expenses.

Comparing building materials' energy efficiency. A material's R-value measures its resistance to heat flow. It's the most common term used to represent how easily insulation materials transfer heat. A high R-value means at the material is better at resisting heat and functioning as an insulation material.

The R-value of building materials depends on the material type, thickness and density. Porous materials, like masonry and wood, are at the less efficient end of the R-value spectrum. They require insulation to simply meet the code minimum. Metal, although it's not porous, does not perform much better. Similar to...