Heating and Cooling for Steel Buildings

One of the many advantages of steel buildings is their energy efficiency. When properly built, a steel building is remarkably weather-tight and energy efficient, which keeps your heating and cooling costs low. While it’s entirely possible to use a steel storage building without a heating or cooling system, installing one can keep your space comfortable during extreme temperatures and prevent damage to your belongings. If you’re considering a steel building as an office or workshop space, heating and cooling may be a necessity, especially if you’re located in an area with hot summers and cold winters. There are many factors to consider when deciding on whether and how to keep your new building comfortable and useable in all weather.

When you order your steel building, ask about the built-in ventilation system. Many steel buildings include adequate ventilation systems, including ducts and vents to allow free movement of air. In some cases, the ventilation system will be enough to prevent any one area from becoming too hot, cold or wet. If it’s not enough, proper ventilation will help your heating or cooling system work more efficiently, which saves you money on your energy costs.

Insulation is your first step to an energy efficient steel building. Most steel buildings are designed to be easy to insulate. Depending on your climate, insulation may be all the “heating system” that you need, especially if you pay attention to natural ways of conserving heat and cooling your space.

Choose a heating and cooling system that’s appropriate for the size of your building. HVAC systems are rated according to the square footage they can handle. If you choose a system rated for a larger area, you’ll be spending money you don’t need to spend without seeing an equivalent benefit in energy efficiency. If the system you choose for your steel building is rated for a smaller size, it will have to work extra hard to keep on top of the changing temperatures. That will increase your energy costs and shorten the life of your HVAC system.

Work with a specialist to decide on the best type of system to install, as well as to decide on the location for thermostats and heat registers. Locating them properly will ensure that your system is heating the space in the most efficient way possible.

Keep in mind that there are many ways to decrease the amount of energy you use to heat and cool your building. For example, you can take advantage of natural environment control by choosing an energy-rated roof that reflects the sun’s heat away from your building and helps keep it cooler on hot summer days. South-facing windows invite heat, which can be a blessing on cool winter days. In summer, try deflecting the heat with white or light-colored shutters or draperies to keep the building cooler.

Vent any machinery to the outdoors to prevent the heat from building up inside your building. Also, remember that lighting adds to the heat, especially traditional lighting sources. Consider installing an energy efficient LCD or LED lighting system, which runs considerably cooler than either incandescent or fluorescent lighting to cut down on heat retention in your building.

Many steel buildings are built to be energy efficient, but the choices you make can make a further dent in your heating and cooling costs.