One of the widespread concerns among people who have already purchased a metal building or are planning to buy one, is temperature control inside the building, especially during summer months. Since metal is able to absorb so much heat, the interior of the building gets very hot at high temperatures.
Extreme or high temperatures inside a building have numerous negative consequences. One of the most notable ones is its impact on the thermal comfort of the inhabitants. It is not just that hot atmosphere inside a building will make people feel uncomfortable and decrease their efficiency, but it also has harmful effects on the health of those people.
But keeping a relatively cool temperature inside a metal building is not that big of a deal. There are various methods you can apply to have better air quality inside the buildings. Mechanical cooling with fans and ACs etc. should be your last resort to lowering the indoor temperature of a building. Passively cooling the metal building has the advantage of consuming little to no energy as compared to mechanical cooling. This is not only better from an environmentally conscious viewpoint but will also help to lower your energy bills. Below we discuss some of the methods you can use to passively cool your metal building during hot summer days.
Insulation keeps Metal Building Cool
Without a doubt, the most effective and reliable means of cooling your metal building during summer is to install high-quality insulation. Insulation helps to create a barrier between the outside and inside atmosphere of the building and hence prevents the heat transfer. In hot weather conditions, the temperature of the interior of a building is generally less than the outdoor temperature. In this case, the insulation prevents the heat transfer from the outside to the inside of the building keeping the interiors relatively cool.
Most of the metal buildings available in the market at present are offered with some form of insulation; be it bat/roll insulation or spray foam insulation. You have to regularly inspect and maintain the insulation so that their performance is not compromised. Even slight damage can greatly decrease the efficiency of the entire insulation system.
Natural Ventilation for Metal Buildings
Naturally ventilating your metal building is another important method for maintaining good indoor air quality. For natural ventilation install adequate numbers of openings in the building, windows or even doors. The number and placement of these openings will dictate the air movement inside the building. The best way you can circulate air to cool a metal building is to create cross ventilation in the room. Windows and other openings should be placed along the direction of the predominant wind to have the maximum cooling effect.
Cooling the Building with Lighter Roof Color
A roof is the most exposed portion of a building to the sun. It receives direct sun-rays during hot summer days and hence is most responsible for the high indoor temperature. You can minimize the heat transfer through the roof by selecting a lighter color of the roof metal panels. Lighter colors, instead of absorbing heat energy, reflect it back into the atmosphere. That way the inside of your metal building can maintain that cool indoor temperature. For hot climates, it is better to have lighter colored metal sheets even for side and end panels.
Shading the Sun with Vegetation and Shading Devices
Providing shade to your metal building where necessary will also help to keep the metal building as well as the interior of the metal building comparatively cool. You can increase the performance of the windows and other openings by providing awnings, canopies or roof overhangs. Carefully designed and properly installed shading devices will not only offer you weather protection but will also add a touch of style to your metal building. These shading devices are most effective when installed in the southern faรงade of the building.
You can also use natural vegetation to provide shades to your metal building. If your area remains considerably warm throughout the year, then you can plant evergreen vegetation near the facades that receive more sunlight. However, if you only want to shade the building in summer, then you can plant deciduous vegetation. These plants will effectively shade your building in summer while in winter they shed their leaves to let sun-rays enter the building.
The above-mentioned methods will help to keep any of your metal building cool during summer. You can buy a metal carport, garage, barn, RV cover and commercial building from carport1.com and enjoy the summer inside your metal building. We offer various customization options for each of our metal building product so that you can buy one that fulfills your specific requirements.
