Energy Department Housing Award winner starts with Superior Walls

Starting with a precast concrete foundation from Superior Walls made it possible for Gettysburg, Pa.-based High Performance Homes to receive its third consecutive U.S. Department of Energy Housing Innovation Award for “Home of the Year.”

“We truly believe that better living space can cost less when the right products and building practices are employed,” says Kiere DeGrandchamp, director of Construction Operations for High Performance Homes. “Our winning project home started with an Xi Plus panel system from Superior Walls by Advanced Concrete Systems. We rely on these products for a consistent, clean installation that enables us to get our Zero Energy Ready Home status from the U.S. Department of Energy.”

Superior Walls Xi Plus systems include 1-in. foam insulated concrete studs and 1-in. foam insulation on the bond beams to help ensure energy efficiency. Facing against the environment, the panels have a concrete face shell backed with 4-1/2 inches of expanded polystyrene rigid foam insulation and ½-in. DOW Thermax polyisocyanurate rigid board insulation. Each panel is built with 5,000+ psi concrete.

“The concrete cavity wall panels we construct have studs at 24 inches on center attached at the top and bottom with bond beams, and the entire assembly is faced with an integral concrete face shell,” says Angie Barrett, senior vice president with Superior Walls by Advanced Concrete Systems, Inc. “The Xi- Plus walls are reinforced with rebar and polypropylene fibers, providing additional structural strength.”

“We’re creating the ‘homes of the future’ right now,” affirms DeGrandchamp. “We make it our business to identify, research and use building products and practices that conserve energy and make life easier for homeowners. Starting our projects with Xi Plus precast concrete panels is the best way we know to lay the foundation for an energy-efficient home.”