by 
The Curious Bag
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<h4 class="dechead">On One Hand: Loss of heat
Slab houses lose a lot of heat in the winter. Their foundations are made of a single slab of cold concrete. Heat escapes mostly along the perimeter of this concrete base. Lost heat means more energy expended to reheat the house. Therefore, this lost heat would not be a green phenomenon.
On the Other: Constructing with insulation
When properly insulated, slab houses can be much more energy efficient. If you are building a slab house, you have the option of insulating it by surrounding it with foam board material. This material will help keep heat in the house.
Bottom Line
Slab houses have heat retention problems that make them less than energy efficient. But if you have the option of adding insulation to the foundation when you are building the house, it will be much greener. Furthermore, you will save on heating bills in the future.
Source:
U.S. Department of Energy:Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
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