What Do You Mean Steel Buildings Are Green?

Earth Day has come and gone, but hopefully the awareness of earth-friendly products and methods lingers on throughout the year. For those who are considering adding a storage building, garages or other structures to their property, might we suggest choosing from the range of steel buildings in the interests of building green?

People don’t usually think of steel buildings when they’re thinking of green building technologies, but the fact is that steel is one of the greenest building materials we have available today. Here are five ways that steel buildings help increase your green cred.

Steel Buildings Are Recycled and Recyclable

While there’s a greater push these days for “repurposed” wood – old barn boards and wood floor planks – steel is way out ahead of the pack when it comes to green building. Most steel used in building today – especially in small building projects like storage sheds and garages – is post-consumer recycled. It’s already been used. By choosing steel, you’re conserving non-renewable resources – wood, for example – that will take decades, if not centuries, to replace.

When You Build With Steel, You’re Reducing the Waste Stream

By choosing a metal building for your project, you’re keeping the building materials out of the waste stream. This reduces the amount of trash building up in landfills. Your new steel building might have been a car, a railroad car or another steel building. Now, it’s your new garage or workshop or retail store – whatever you want. The one thing it’s not is trash.

Precision Engineering Provides Superior Energy Efficiency

Steel buildings are engineered to fit together perfectly. Unlike wood construction, which can gap and allow drafts and heat loss, buildings made of steel meet perfectly at all joints. This reduces heat transfer and provides a weather-tight interior.

Steel Buildings Can Be Designed for Easy Insulating

Many popular styles of metal buildings are engineered with insulation channels to make them easier to insulate. Simply put the building together, place the sheets of insulation into the channels and run strapping across them to hold them in position.

Energy Efficient Roofs Decrease Energy Use

Most steel buildings feature energy efficient roofs coated with reflective paint or coatings. The roof can reduce your energy use and costs substantially year round.

If you’re considering a new garage, workshop, home office or other small structure, choose energy-efficient, green steel buildings. You’ll save money on energy and help the planet at the same time.