Building a Steel Frame Home? Here’s How to Improve Energy Efficiency
Steel frame homes have many advantages for construction. They offer incredible strength and durability, plus circumvent some of the risks that timber pose, such as termites. However, they can present unique challenges when it comes to energy efficiency.
Energy efficiency is not only important for year-round thermal comfort; it’s also a matter of compliance. With the latest version of the National Construction Code (NCC) 2022, all new homes in Australia are now required to reach a 7-star NatHERS rating.
Installing Thermotek uPVC windows and doors can offset the high heat transfer of steel, leading to greater energy efficiency and compliance with the NCC. Let’s take a look at how
Why is Steel Challenging for Energy Efficiency?
Steel is a highly conductive material, meaning it transfers heat much more quickly than wood. This can lead to significant heat loss in colder climates and heat gain in warmer climates through the steel components of the home. This phenomenon is known as “thermal bridging,” where heat travels through the steel studs, reducing the overall insulation effectiveness of the walls, roof, and floors.
In addition, steel expands and contracts more with temperature changes, which means that gaps and cracks can be created in the building envelope, allowing air infiltration and further reducing energy efficiency. Proper design techniques are required to accommodate this movement and maintain a tight building envelope.
Attaining a 7-star NatHERS rating and improving energy efficiency in a steel frame home involves various strategies that encompass advanced materials, insulation techniques, and smart design practices.
Choosing the Right Materials
Integrating steel framing with other building materials and systems designed primarily for wood framing can pose challenges. For instance, standard insulation products and methods might not be directly compatible with steel frames without modifications, adding to the complexity and cost of construction. To address these challenges, builders and designers can employ various strategies, such as using continuous insulation on the exterior of the steel frame to reduce thermal bridging. Window and doors also play a big part.
High-performance uPVC windows such as the Boutique Series manufactured by Thermotek can be instrumental in this regard, enhancing airtightness and thermal efficiency, while also offering stylish design.
uPVC Promotes Superior Insulation
For steel frame homes, insulation and cladding should be installed in walls, roofs, and floors to minimise heat loss in winter and heat gain in summer. Using high-performance insulation materials like spray foam, rigid foam boards, and fibreglass can provide excellent thermal resistance.
Additionally, exterior insulation can be applied to reduce thermal bridging and improve the overall thermal performance of the building envelope.
Installing windows that use a thermally efficient material like uPVC in their profiles can make a huge difference. uPVC, or unplasticised polyvinyl chloride, is a robust material that has low conductivity. This inherent property makes uPVC frames highly effective in maintaining indoor temperatures by preventing heat transfer.
Thermotek’s uPVC Window Profiles are engineered in Germany and manufactured in Australia. Our windows harness Aluplast uPVC profiles, which offer superior thermal performance. With their advanced design, they can significantly enhance the thermal performance of steel frames, helping them achieve a 7-star NatHers rating.
Double and Triple Glazing
Thermotek also offers windows with double or triple glazing options, which are pivotal in enhancing energy efficiency.
These windows consist of multiple layers of glass separated by argon gas, providing excellent insulation. This creates an insulating barrier and reduces heat transfer through windows.
In steel frame homes, double or triple glazing mitigates the concern of thermal bridging, playing a crucial role in improving overall energy efficiency, contributing to lower energy bills, increased comfort and meeting compliance requirements.
The inclusion of Low-E (low emissivity) coatings further improves thermal performance by reflecting heat back into the interior during winter and blocking heat in summer.
Airtightness and Sealing
Thermotek windows and doors are designed to ensure an airtight seal against air, wind, and rain.
Airtight construction is also essential for energy efficiency. This involves meticulous sealing of all joints, openings, and penetrations in the building envelope. High-quality sealing materials and techniques should be used around windows, doors, and other potential leakage points.
The innovative locking mechanisms and high-quality sealing materials used in Thermotek products contribute to the overall airtightness, preventing drafts and energy loss. This airtight construction is essential for reducing the reliance on heating and cooling systems, thus enhancing energy efficiency.
Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR)
To maintain indoor air quality while minimising energy loss in steel homes, it is also desirable to install a mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery. This is a fundamental of passive design, which has become more popular in Australia thanks to its ability to enhance energy efficiency through the building envelope.
MVHR systems extract stale air from inside the home and replace it with fresh outdoor air, recovering heat from the outgoing air to warm the incoming air. This process ensures continuous ventilation without significant energy loss.
Integrate Renewable Energy
In addition to Thermotek’s high-performance uPVC windows, integrating renewable energy sources into steel frame homes, such as solar panels, can reduce a home’s reliance on external energy.
Solar panels convert sunlight into electricity, which can be used to power household appliances and systems. For steel frame homes, roof-mounted solar panels are an effective solution, as the steel structure can support the additional weight.
Solar water heating systems use solar collectors to absorb sunlight and heat water for domestic use. These systems can significantly reduce the energy required for water heating, one of the largest energy expenses in homes.
Landscaping for Energy Efficiency
Planting trees and shrubs strategically around the home can provide natural shading and wind protection.
Deciduous trees, which lose their leaves in winter, can block sunlight in summer while allowing sunlight to warm the home in winter. Evergreen trees and shrubs can act as windbreaks, reducing heat loss from cold winds.
Sustainable Building Materials For Lower Embodied Energy
Selecting building materials with low embodied energy—such as recycled or sustainably sourced materials—contributes to the overall energy efficiency of the home. These materials require less energy for production, transportation, and installation, reducing the home’s carbon footprint.
Using recycled steel for the frame of the home can reduce the environmental impact of construction. Recycled steel requires less energy to produce than new steel and helps conserve natural resources.
In addition to its thermally efficient properties, uPVC is also a sustainable material due to its durability and strength. It requires minimal maintenance, which also enhances energy efficiency and lowers greenhouse gas emissions. It is fully recyclable, minimising the need for new materials and reducing landfill waste. Thanks to this it has a lower environmental impact than other materials and is also free from harmful chemicals like BPA.
Thermotek’s uPVC windows and doors are manufactured in a sustainable facility in Melbourne, employing low-waste manufacturing techniques. This ensures minimal material wastage during production, thereby reducing environmental impact and promoting energy-efficient construction.
Choose Thermotek Windows For Energy Efficiency in a Steel Frame Home
Improving energy efficiency in a steel frame home involves a holistic approach that includes advanced insulation, airtight construction and sustainable materials. High-performance windows and doors from Thermotek are a crucial pathway to ticking many of these boxes. They can be complemented by other mechanisms such as cladding, renewable energy and strategic landscaping.
Thermotek’s uPVC window profiles, combined with double or triple glazing and superior sealing, can ultimately help a steel frame home reach a 7-star NatHERS energy rating, ensuring that it is compliant under the National Construction Code.
Create a comfortable, energy-efficient steel-frame home that also minimises the carbon footprint of the building. Get in touch with the dedicated team at Thermotek today.
