Note: This blog post features Logix ICF, the predecessor to Element ICF. For the most up-to-date benefits and insights, we encourage you to explore our latest Element ICF Blog Posts.
Power lines weave our communities into a network of interdependency. It is very efficient, but also vulnerable to natural disasters that can shut down an entire area. Trees fall, lightening strikes, and flood waters wash away support structures. Fixing this network may take days or even weeks.
You can’t stop the power from going out, but you can minimize the effects. The biggest danger from a power outage is freezing or heat exhaustion, because the HVAC isn’t running. That’s right. Not only does your air conditioning not work, but invariably your furnace or heat will also turn off, because the thermostat and fan rely on electricity. In any case, it is quite possible that the fuel lines were also disrupted.
What can you do? Well, you won’t miss what you don’t need. In other words, if you build a high performance super insulated house with LOGIX, it will be able to maintain a fairly constant temperature even without supplemental heating or cooling. Designing the house with passive cooling and heating based on the site location can even further reduce the need for mechanical support for heating and cooling.
And remember, solar panels don’t work during a power outage. For the safety of the line workers, the panels’ power inverters are automatically shut down during a power outage. A poorly insulated house will quickly reach the same temperature as the outdoors – and that could spell disaster.
Building with LOGIX effectively decouples comfort and safety from reliance on the grid. The less reliant the house is on power to maintain a comfortable temperature, the more resilient it is to natural disasters. So stock up on water and staples. Prepare for emergencies. Then be thankful to have built with the strong bones and blanket of insulation of Logix ICF.
