A company in Western Kentucky has built more than 40 structures, including eight schools, using an innovative construction method called Insulated Concrete Forms. ICF consists of four-inch Styrofoam blocks reinforced by a rebar grid into which concrete is poured. The foam provides insulation while the concrete offers strength and durability.

President Larry Graves says the original ICF “test project” was his own home, built with Insulated Concrete Forms in 2003; “The initial investment costs up to 8 percent more than traditional building methods,  but I made my money back in savings within the first two years.”

Gravesco is the exclusive provider of this building technology which, according to Graves, results in utility bills 50% lower than those generated by a traditionally constructed house; “Regardless of how hot or cold it is outside, the temperature of the structure stays the same,” he said. “Our electricity bills come from from our boys running their Playstation units all day long, the dozens of loads of laundry they generate, and the lights they forget to turn off.”