How Working on the Facade System Can Make a Building More Energy Efficient

Today, everyone is looking to save on his energy bill. The cost of electricity and gas is simply out of control, in many European countries, and there is no end in sight. One of the ways to make a building more energy efficient is to work on its façade system. Here is what can be done to become more ecologically friendly in the construction industry.

Let there be Light

When working on facade systems, one must keep in mind the importance of natural light that comes inside. If it isn’t sufficient, you will need to use more electricity to light it, which is the first issue. But it is not the only one. If you do not choose to position as many aluminium windows as possible on a building, you may find yourself with rooms that are unfriendly to those who have to work or live inside them. This is a problem that new houses usually don’t have, as they all use extra-large aluminium windows, to let in as much natural light as possible, for the comfort of people, as well as for the energy efficiency factor.

Protection from Extreme Natural Events

Choosing the right materials for a façade system is crucial in the way that it will protect the house against natural events that can occur. When a storm comes in, it will hit the building with high winds, rain and snow. It may even throw the garbage that it will find along the way onto its walls and windows, as well as other natural elements, such as leaves and branches. The building needs to be built, so that it can protect itself against them. First, to sustain the attacks, but most importantly so that it doesn’t affect the temperature inside. Otherwise, the property will need to consume more energy.

Layers of Insulation

When you are building the façade system or renovating it, what you want is to add layers of insulation, one on top of the other, so that it is able to keep the warm air in winter time inside the house, without letting any of the cold come in. The same is true in summer time, when the air conditioning is used inside the house. Good insulation will keep the heat outside and the fresh air inside. Insulation needs to be handled inside the walls of the building, but also on the roof, where the sun beats down, during the warm months of the year.

A Façade System that is Airtight

What can be the weak points of a façade system? The ones that come to mind first, are certainly doors and windows. That is because they can let in some air from the outside to the inside, if they are not airtight. However, the new technology used in aluminium windows and doors has solved this problem. Nowadays, the glass panes that are used have been produced for optimal thermal protection. Therefore, adding more windows on a house to façade systems, in order to let the natural light in, is not an issue anymore.

Salman Zafar

Salman Zafar is the CEO of BioEnergy Consult, and an international consultant, advisor and trainer with expertise in waste management, biomass energy, waste-to-energy, environment protection and resource conservation. His geographical areas of focus include Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Salman has successfully accomplished a wide range of projects in the areas of biogas technology, biomass energy, waste-to-energy, recycling and waste management. Salman has participated in numerous national and international conferences all over the world. He is a prolific environmental journalist, and has authored more than 300 articles in reputed journals, magazines and websites. In addition, he is proactively engaged in creating mass awareness on renewable energy, waste management and environmental sustainability through his blogs and portals. Salman can be reached at salman@bioenergyconsult.com or salman@cleantechloops.com.

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