Climate change is causing disastrous effects like frequent droughts, severe storms, rising sea levels, melting glaciers, and warming oceans. These situations can harm animals, destroy the ecosystem, and cause issues in daily life.
As every area of the country is becoming more and more affected by climate change, it’s important to start thinking of ways to fight it. One of the easiest and most affordable ways to combat climate change is to make sure the buildings you own are energy-efficient.
Whether you are looking to build a home, an office, or a new building for your business, energy efficiency is something that should be on your mind. Not only can it help the environment, but it can save you money on electric bills over time.
One of the best building materials for energy efficiency is metal. Prefabricated metal buildings are energy efficient in a variety of ways, including metal roofing that reflects the sun, deep wall cavities that make it easy to insulate the building properly, and a lack of gaps that would contribute to energy loss. Additionally, metal buildings are often equipped with more windows or skylights causing you to only use electric lighting when necessary.
What Makes Metal Buildings Energy Efficient?
When you see a skyscraper or a large building, you probably notice that metal was incorporated into the structure. This is because, in addition to being durable and long-lasting, metal buildings are incredibly energy efficient. By using metal, the owners of these buildings can afford the energy costs they accrue.
Even if you are not building a very large structure like a skyscraper, having an energy-efficient building can be beneficial for your wallet and the environment.
The qualities that make metal buildings energy-efficient include:
Metal Roofs
While you might think that having a metal roof will make your building hotter, the opposite is actually true. Metal roofing can reflect up to 70% of the sun’s energy back into the atmosphere. As a result, the interior of your building will be cooler than if you used a roofing material that absorbs sunlight like concrete, brick, stone, and tile.
If you live in a warm and sunny climate, having a metal building can save you money in energy bills, especially during the summer months.
In addition, you can add vents to your roof without compromising the integrity of the structure when you use metal. This increases your building’s energy efficiency substantially.
Easy to Insulate Effectively
Pre-engineered metal buildings have deep wall cavities, so it is extremely easy to insulate them. If needed, every square inch of your building can be insulated effectively, which means the cooling or heating that you use on the interior will stay inside longer, while the outside temperatures stay where they belong.
Additionally, when it comes to metal buildings you can customize them to the hilt. If you want specialized insulation that increases your building’s energy efficiency, your metal building company can take care of that for you.
Less Electric Used During Construction
Metal buildings arrive at the construction site prefabricated, so most of the construction is completed before the building is delivered. Once your metal building is on your property, most of the work that needs to be done is simply assembly.
While this saves time and money on labor costs, it also increases your energy efficiency. Traditional construction takes up a lot of energy, as it produces over one-third of the world’s energy emissions and consumption. However, opting for a metal building will prevent you from contributing to this.
Minimal Energy Lost
Wooden buildings often have small gaps in places that you might not be able to see. As a result, you will lose a significant amount of energy when you are cooling or heating your building if you choose wood.
On the other hand, prefabricated metal buildings don’t have small gaps. Because steel does not settle, twist, or crack, your building will not suffer from draftiness. When you choose a metal building, none of your energy will be lost, minimizing your waste and improving your energy efficiency.
Less Electric Use Overall
Typically, steel buildings are equipped with more windows than other types of buildings because it increases the overall aesthetics of the structure. Additionally, many people opt for skylights when they create a new metal building.
However, there is another added benefit of having so many windows. By having more windows in your building, you will have less of a need for electric lighting during the daytime and can reduce the amount of energy you are using.
Buy an Energy Efficient Metal Building Today
If you are interested in creating a new metal building, Titan Steel Structures is here to help. Our experienced engineers can give you an estimate on the overall cost including any customizations you might want to increase the energy efficiency of your building.
To get started on a prefabricated metal building quote, contact us today.