Recent advances in construction technology aim to promote energy efficiency, and steel products fit into this narrative for the most part. Steel framing is becoming increasingly popular in the construction sector, and stakeholders in the industry are taking advantage of its low environmental impact.

From internal and external walls to roof members and even floor slabs of different types of structures, steel frames are becoming a constant fixture in the built environment.

Its fabrication process predisposes it to possess a series of properties that explains its behavior under certain conditions. These conditions, many of which are environmental, make steel framing a top-ranking construction provision. Steel frames perform incredibly well under sustained pressure from environmental factors like storms, tremors, and other artificial ones like fires.

An impressive number of steel products in use today have been largely recycled–25%, as per https://fortsteelframing.com. Hence, they can make a strong claim for their eco-friendly nature.

Also, their high strength property allows for the use of thinner material sections when used in framing structures. The advantage of this provision is that it creates sufficient room for extra insulating materials to be incorporated into the walls or other construction members that plug into steel sections.

What Is A Net Zero Home

The concept behind “Net Zero Homes” is for the home and all its components to produce as much or even more energy than it consumes. The goal is to build environmentally sustainable homes, and energy efficiency is a metric that ranks at the top of the pile.

The four major contributors to energy demand and consumption in a typical building are heating, lighting, ventilation, and air conditioning. Homeowners are constantly looking for ways to cut back on energy costs while maintaining the comfortable living conditions of their homes. One of the ways they achieve this is to use energy-efficient materials in the construction and maintenance of their living spaces.

Steel Framed Homes and Their Energy Efficiency

Steel frames can be cut to customer-specified dimensions in steel mills or factories before being brought to the site. This precludes the event of energy being used in on-site modifications of its material dimensions. 

As steel is a highly recyclable material, it can be worked back into shape even after years of use and deformation. This makes for savings in energy used up in fabricating new steel products and in indiscriminate disposal of scrap steel members.

Because of its low strength to weight ratio, steel frames can be used in conjunction with other thermally insulating materials, either as cladding or cavity filling material.

When used with adequate insulating material, they can eliminate the presence of thermal bridges. This reduces the demand for internal heating and all its associated extra cost and energy use implications.

While steel frames have a good degree of thermal insulation, builders can embed supplementary insulation materials into steel frames for extra reinforcement. These materials(polyethylene, polyurethane foams, wood fiber, etc.) will be airtight with low thermal conductivity coefficients. This means that they’ll not be prone to developing thermal bridges–the bane of most houses during winter periods. The bigger picture shows that you can significantly save energy costs when you use steel frames, especially in conjunction with suitable insulating materials.