Chattanooga metal building insulationFor some clients, metal building construction offers cost-savings and greater flexibility than other materials. Not only can they save time on installation but also realize decreased heating and cooling expenses.

The Importance of Steel Building Insulation

When it comes to metal building insulation, we aim to achieve a stable temperature inside, as well as keeping moisture from getting inside to form unhealthy mildew, mold or damage.

Condensation will happen when temperatures vary noticeably between inside and outside, and your construction contractor does need to offer protection to keep water vapor from condensing onto the interior building surface or dampening insulation fibers. Another culprit of moisture + time = rust and corrosion.

The cost-savings you realize from metal construction come back to bite you later if you aren’t properly insulated and your AC/heat system is forced to function in inefficient ways. To ensure the comfort of anyone working inside of a metal structure and to protect materials inside from exposure to the extremes of the exterior weather, it can be a wise investment to make sure your contractor not only knows how to erect a metal building but also understands and recommends best practices for metal building insulation.

Insulating such buildings is vital because of the way metal conducts heat. If you’ve ever stood inside of a storage shed in the winter, you’ve probably experienced how a metal structure fails to retain heat, and vice versa during the summer, when being inside of one can feel rather stuffy. As we described in our last blog, reflective roofing can offer greater energy efficiency.

Another Benefit of metal building insulation? Limiting Noise

Vibrations from loud sounds can cause metal structures to rattle more than some other building materials, making proper insulation even more critical in terms of absorbing noise emitting from inside while helping to deaden noise from the outside.

Although the sound of rain on a metal roof can be pleasing when we are drifting off to sleep, the noises from hail, traffic, or heavy machinery are less appealing. Proper insulation serves to muffle such sounds from getting out or coming in.

And it’s not just the ears that delight — insulation can also, in some cases, improve the efficiency of lighting fixtures by enhancing surface brightness and reflectiveness.

Types of Insulation Used in Metal Buildings

When discussing your project with us, we can offer options for insulation materials used for metal buildings, which vary by costs and benefits. They include:

  • Fiberglass Insulation (what most people are accustomed to because it can be installed by non-professionals, yet it’s important to add a protective facing or vapor barrier to discourage bug and rodent infestation)
  • Reflective Foil (clean and easy to install with glue, nails or staples)
  • Loose Fill (usually loose fibers or fiber pellets blown into building cavities that can reach corners where a blanket may not fit)
  • Batt and Blanket (typically mineral fibers of rock wool or processed fiberglass cut from rolled insulation to fit specific widths)
  • Spray Foam Insulation (similar in concept to loose fill, added as a liquid foam agent combined with polyurethane that hardens into a solid plastic in nooks and crannies, particularly beneficial in spaces with obstructions that make the conventional fitting of rolled insulation more challenging)
  • Rigid Boards (polyurethane, fiberglass, or polystyrene installed with accommodations for fasteners and panel lengths for metal buildings)
  • Insulated Panels (foam core sandwiched between two metal panels for exceptional insulating properties)

How to insulate a Metal Building

This really depends on your needs and budget. The Insulated Panels tend to cost more but the trade-off is faster installation time and improved appearance over some of the other options. Whatever form of insulation goes in your metal structure, you’ll see a return on that investment when it stays in prime condition for a longer time, protects the health of people or possessions inside, and saves on heating and air conditioning costs.

Call Tennessee Roofing & Construction, Inc. for more information about our new or retrofitted metal building design, fabrication, and erection in East Tennessee, North Georgia, and North Alabama. We can help you with structural steel design, fabrication, and erection, as well as custom metal fabrications for commercial and residential use in Chattanooga, Hixson, Cleveland, Dayton, Dunlap, Knoxville, South Pittsburg, Kimball, Dalton, Trenton, or Bridgeport AL. In a short time, we can create buildings that are stylish, durable, and affordable, in a wide range of shapes, sizes, textures, and finishes.

To learn more, call Tennessee Roofing & Construction, Inc. at (423) 842-8826 or contact us online.

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Written by Steven Stiefel