At Nelson and Son Construction in Denver, we believe steel buildings and the environment go hand in hand. Many homeowners and businesses want eco-friendly construction, focusing on sustainability in the materials, how they’re transported, and the architecture of the structure. With a steel building, you can get an eco-friendly building and potentially save money. That’s why more and more people are turning to steel construction.
Let’s take a look at how steel buildings and the environment can coexist through the focus on sustainability at every phase of the building process.
Building Standards
Across the country, cities are moving toward requiring sustainable building standards for new construction projects. It just makes sense that steel buildings are becoming a more popular choice because they meets the guidelines for the nation’s leading green construction certifying agencies like the National Green Building Program. This particular group certifies residential buildings, while the US Green Building Council’s LEED program is used for both residential and commercial structures.
Save the Trees
Research from the Steel Recycling Institute shows that a standard 2000-square foot home can use almost an acre of trees to complete its construction. On the other hand, steel is one of the most sustainable building material there is.
Steel is a 100 percent recyclable and can be continuously recycled, meaning it does not lose its integrity when recycled, and it does not need to be down-cycled. Plus, anything that you buy that is made out of steel has to have at least 28 percent recycled materials. Did you know that recycling old steel can save between 40-75 percent of the amount of energy needed to produce new steel? With a steel building, you’re using a product that is extremely durable, can be recycled and helps save trees in the process.
Low to No Emissions
Our country’s steel industry has been creating more energy-efficiency plants over the last twenty years. Many of today’s steel plants produce no carbon dioxide emissions at all. They are even recycling the water used to generate steel. So, steel manufacturing has become a very eco-friendly process.
Sustainable Buildings
Eco-friendly steel buildings save energy because they need the fewest repairs and renovations. Steel buildings and metal roofing are durable and offer some of the longest lifespans, making them an excellent sustainable structure.
Reduces Energy Consumption
With pre-fabricated steel buildings, the building process is streamlined and once on-site, the work is quicker to complete. That’s because pre-fabricated steel construction uses fewer laborers and machinery, and reduces overall energy consumption.
In addition, heating and cooling often account for up to 50 percent or more of a building’s total utility consumption. By using the pre-painted or granular-coated metal roofing of a steel building, it reflects the solar energy and re-emits most of the solar heat that is absorbed, saving up to 40 percent on heating and cooling costs.
At Nelson and Son Construction in Denver, we appreciate how steel buildings and the environment have come together to create a cost-effective and sustainable construction that can give you a convenient, durable building that is eco-friendly and still save you time and money. Contact us now and let’s see how a steel building might fit your needs.