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power pylons at sunset

Light Gauge Steel Construction (LGSC) provides a sustainable method for building high quality structures in a quicker and more cost-effective manner. What you may be less aware of is how LGSC can be used in ways to reduce your electricity bill at home. With this in mind, let’s take a look at the main ways to reduce your electricity bill at home using this innovative construction technology. 

Enhancing Thermal Insulation

One of the main ways to reduce your electricity bill at home is by making the most of the thermal properties that light gauge steel has to offer. As LGSC systems are light in weight they do not suffer from overheating in hot and arid climates, reducing the amount of money that you need to spend on keeping your property cool through air conditioning. The thermal properties of these structures are also influenced by their airtightness which can be further enhanced by the use of sheathing boards and membranes. This is an efficient way to reduce your electricity bill at home by enhancing the thermal properties of this versatile construction resource.

Reducing Thermal Bridging

A thermal bridge is an area in a building structure where heat can transfer more easily from outside space to inside space. This means that during hot weather, heat from the outside air makes its way more easily through to your air conditioned spaces, whilst in cold weather, heat from inside the property leaks out, wasting energy. So, one of the ways to reduce your electricity bill at home is to reduce thermal bridging by using LGSC which prevents the occurrence of thermal bridges where heat can move around too easily.

Installing Cool Metal Roofing

Roofs can have the biggest impact on the energy usage of a building. That’s why one of the best ways to reduce your electricity bill at home is to install light gauge steel roofing. Cool metal roofing can be installed with above-sheathing ventilation that allows heat to dissipate in hot weather whilst providing an extra layer of thermal insulation for when the weather is cold. One of the reasons this type of building material is so well suited to hot climates is because it reflects the heat rather than absorbing it. At Al Manaratain we use CAD design and engineering software to apply our light gauge steel to a range of functions including lightweight roofs and roof extensions. Reducing the need for air conditioning or electric heating, focussing on constructing a roof with thermal properties is crucial if you’re looking for ways to reduce your electricity bill at home.

Al Manaratain Light Gauge Steel Construction Ceilinglight gauge steel on a white backgroundinternal structure using light gauge steel

 

Reducing The Heat Island Effect

The heat island effect refers to when urban structures, including buildings, roads and other infrastructure absorb heat from the sun and re-emit it, raising the surrounding air temperature. ‘Heat islands’ as they’re sometimes referred to, are urbanised areas where temperatures are higher than less populated and more rural areas. What’s this got to do with light gauge steel construction and ways to reduce your energy bill at home? Well, the materials that are used to create building structures have a huge impact on how heat is absorbed and re-emitted. So by using steel in building structures in urbanised areas, particularly for roof building, heat is reflected rather than being absorbed, reducing the impact of the heat island effect. The more buildings in the area that are built in this way, the less heat that is re-emitted, making the area cooler and ultimately providing less need for air conditioning. This is why one of the best ways to reduce your electricity bill at home through LGSC is by using it to reduce the heat island effect. 

Integrating Solar Heat Recovery Systems

One of the main ways to reduce your electricity bill at home is by finding more energy efficient and renewable options for fuelling your property. One of the ways you can do this is by installing wall and roof solar heat recovery systems. A huge benefit of using light gauge steel as a building material is that it makes it very easy to integrate heat recovery systems into the structure. Heat recovery systems extract heat that already exists in the outside air and transform it into usable heat for the home. Not only is this a lot healthier for the environment, it also reduces your energy usage, which in the long term will enable you to make huge savings on your energy bill.