When most people consider buying or building a home, they automatically think of traditional wood-frame structures. However, stick-built homes are not the only option. People are increasingly looking for greener alternatives in today’s world.
If you’re looking for a more environmentally friendly building style for your next home, you might want to consider a metal structure. In this article, I’ll explain why metal homes are a better option for the environment than wood-frame homes, as well as introduce you to some additional benefits.
Because of its strength, it can withstand thicker insulation. When properly insulated, a steel building may actually do a better job of keeping the heat or cold out all year. This means you may not need to use your air conditioner or heater as frequently.
Another thing you can do to enhance energy efficiency in a hot location is to install what is known as a “cool roof” on your metal building. Because this type of roof is white, it reflects light and heat. A white “cool roof” helps to keep your home from overheating in the same way that white clothing keeps you cooler than black clothing.
Consider installing solar panels on your roof while you’re at it. Because a steel building is so strong, you don’t have to worry about the weight of the panels putting too much strain on the house. You can reduce or even eliminate your electrical costs by using solar power for your home. You might even be able to live off the grid if you want to.
- Reasons Why Steel Buildings Are So Eco-Friendly
100% Recyclable
The most important role metal panels play in green buildings is that they are 100 percent recyclable, which aids in both material selection and the impact of the building on the job site. Bridger Steel’s metal panels are 100 percent recyclable — any waste generated during installation or demolition can be recycled on the job site, potentially earning you additional LEED points. Consider this: on average, a 2,000 square foot home will necessitate the planting of 40-50 trees or 1 acre of woodlands. Using steel instead saves the equivalent of six scrapped vehicles. What a way to make a difference!
More Sustainable
Sustainability is the ability to continue at a certain rate or level, or the avoidance of natural resource depletion in order to maintain ecological balance. Choosing environmentally friendly products throughout the construction process is becoming increasingly important for customers across the country, and it is becoming essential for modern society. Building with steel meets the needs of customers who are concerned about the carbon footprint of their project. So much so that winning the job can be influenced by assisting customers in seeing the opportunities metal buildings provide to reduce the total carbon footprint of their project.
Steel construction is also environmentally friendly because most of the fabrication and assembly takes place off-site, reducing construction equipment emissions, on-site labor, and construction waste. Furthermore, leftover material in steel construction is recyclable, as opposed to job-site waste in conventional building materials, which ends up in landfills.
Solar Power Options Are Easy to Add-on
With your steel structure supporting thick layers of insulation, you can also add weight in the form of solar panels.
Because you generate your own energy, solar panels can help you save money on your energy bill.
If your steel structure has a granular-coated or pre-painted metal roof, the generated solar energy will be reflected and re-emitted as solar heat, resulting in additional energy savings on heating and cooling costs.
Your metal roof makes it simple to incorporate solar energy, geothermal heat pumps, wind turbines, and other eco-friendly energy-efficient elements.
Environmental Resistance
Steel is amazing for many reasons, but one of the most impressive is its complete inability to support mold growth. Steel frame homes do not require any special treatment to keep mold, decay, or insect infestations at bay. Steel does not absorb moisture and thus cannot support bacteria that would endanger the health of the home’s occupants.
Steel is also extremely resistant to natural disasters like snowstorms, earthquakes, and floods. Steel houses have been known to withstand earthquakes of up to 7.9 on the Richter scale. In the event of a flood, BONE Structure ensures that its shell components are made of flood-resistant materials. Because water damage is the most common contaminant in a home after a flood, having components that do not promote mold growth reduces the amount of mold that enters the home. By designing homes that are resistant to various environmental effects, they are able to thrive for centuries.
Stands the Test of Time
This is something I’ve already mentioned, but it bears repeating. Steel is an extremely long-lasting material. It is strong and durable, with no tendency to warp, chip, or crack.
Wood, on the other hand, is quite soft and pliable. It absorbs moisture and rots. Rot undermines structural integrity on its own, but all that moisture encourages mold growth. Once mold has taken root in a home, it can be difficult to stop its spread as well as the additional decomposition that it causes.
Mold is not the only organism capable of destroying wood. Rodents and insects can literally eat a wooden structure. Because of the damage caused by pests, entire buildings are sometimes required to be demolished. Metals are obviously not eaten by these pests.
Ideal For Rainwater Collection
Collecting rainwater is an important part of LEED processes because it reduces runoff volume and improves water quality on sustainable job sites. Rainwater collection is the process of collecting runoff from a building, structure, or home and storing it for future use (or immediate use). Because of their anti-microbial paint systems, metal panels make an ideal surface for rainwater harvesting. They can also shed large amounts of material easily because there aren’t as many crevices and cracks for those materials to adhere to. Metal roofs have much lower concentrations of dissolved organic carbon and other bacteria, resulting in rainwater that contains fewer disease-causing microorganisms. Any zinc-coated panel, such as galvanised metal, is highly recommended for rainwater harvesting because it will be sealed, preventing rusting and lowering the iron content of your water.
Meeting Green Building Codes and Standards
With a steel-framed home, you can be confident that your future home will be long-lasting. Its unrivaled structural strength, low maintenance costs, environmental resistance, and recyclability all indicate that your steel home will provide a guaranteed return on investment. The traditional wood-frame homes that North America continues to build are not moving the industry in the environmentally responsible direction that it should be.
Cold-formed steel is well-positioned to meet the most stringent sustainability standards because it is recognized by all major green building and rating programs, including the National Green Building Standard for residential buildings and the US Green Building Council’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) program. Steel has always been easily recycled into new studs, joists, and other components used in new building construction. Notably, steel is the only building material in the LEED program that has an automatic default value for recycled content, making it more sustainable than wood.
Author Bio
Lucerin Saldana
Lucerin writes for topics like Home Improvement, Kitchen decor, Garden, or travel-related topics additionally; he had a passion for the metal building industry for more than ten years, Lucerin has become an experienced building specialist in this industry. His goal is to help people with his vast knowledge to assist them with his best suggestions about different metal buildings such as Metal Carports, garages, barns, Custom Steel Buildings, farm buildings, and commercial structures.
