Community: Energy efficiency and durability

I'm interested in ICFs primarily to build foundations for new residential homes. I don't know about using them for the walls of an entire house, but it seems good to use them in foundations, especially as I get more convinced that crawlspace ventilation does not seem necessary in most climates. Building footings with protruding rebar, then stacking ICFs for the rest of the foundation seems so much easier than wood or plywood forming. Then clean and cover the interior earth with ground barrier.....frame without the need for floor insulation, etc.

I have had a silver fish problem in my attic forever and have attempted to rid the problem through use of boric acid to no avail. We are getting ready to do energy efficiency measures in the attic. We are going to air seal and insulate and I was thinking about using blown in cellulose which is laced with boric acid. However, since the boric acid has not worked thus far, am I going to exacerbate the silver fish problem by providing a food source? Does anyone know how to get rid of the pesky creatures? Should I use fiberglass blown in instead?

A mechanical contractor suggests heating a 1,000 sq. ft. 3-bedroom condo with a wall furnace installed in the main room. The heat will be transferred to other rooms by the installation of through-the-wall fans. There will be one thermostat on the furnace. Will this meet any kind of energy code? This is in Massachusetts.

I am huge advocate of building tight homes. Air leaks, to me, represent poor workmanship that wastes a huge amount of energy. But, just for a minute, I want to be the devil's advocate, primarily because I hear this argument all the time. Tight homes need good, dependable ventilation systems or the occupants will suffer and the durability of the building will suffer......whole house ventilation systems, exhaust fans in bathrooms, hoods, sealed combustion gas appliances, etc.