Your Metal Building Can Be Your Energy Provider?

by Brian A Schmidt
(Sebringville, Ontario, Canada)

Politics? I Think Not!

The recently announced awards for President Obama’s Clean-Tech Manufacturing Tax Credits of some $2.3 billion should be applauded by everyone concerned about our environmental and economic future whether you live in the U.S. or not.

The technology, research and development that this money is supporting will be a benefit to everyone. The manufacturing support that this sum is providing will spur growth and expansion in industry. And to a certain extent, as the American economy goes so goes the economies on the rest of the planet.

Now I’m not saying that the United States is the center of the world’s economic engine, just that any of the major traders in the world economy can spur all other economies. But this article is not meant to be a political or economic publication.

Some of the awarded funds will support the manufacture of solar, wind, and geothermal equipment. Everything from energy efficient electric cars to “Energy Star” appliances to construction materials will benefit.

How Does The Metal Building Industry Fit In?

The construction industry and specifically the steel and metal building industry can benefit greatly – in the short-term and also in the long run. In the short-term, new facilities will be required and constructed as well as upgrades to existing facilities. In the long term the pre-engineered metal building systems industry will become an even more desirable construction method for all sectors of the building industry.

One of the companies benefiting from the awards is working on producing photovoltaic cells that will be built into roofing and siding products for commercial and residential applications. Just think of the possibilities…

Your roof could be providing you with some of the electricity you require. The siding on your home could be an energy provider as well. Imagine; your back yard metal storage shed could be generating free energy for your use in the shed, garden and elsewhere.

The Bigger Picture?

Your home consumes a relatively small amount of energy in the over-all scheme of things. But together as a large community homes can use a tremendous amount of energy on those hot muggy days when air-conditioners are cranked.

Taking some of the load off the electric grid could prevent massive outages such as the one that hit the north-eastern United States and Canada.

If we were all providing at least some of our electrical energy needs the high polluting (and even the cleaner ones) would be required much less – Great for the environment, Great for our pocket-books.

It’s the old story about money. Give me a few dollars from a throng of people rather than all of the money from just one person. In the same way, more can be gained by saving a little energy from a lot of people than saving all of the energy from just one person.

An Even Bigger Picture?

Now let’s take it to another level. Consider the commercial and industrial applications of this new technology…

Industrial users of electricity put tremendous strain on the electric grid at peak times. What if these industries were generating some of their own energy requirements from their roofing materials?

Consider the large distribution warehouses. These monstrous steel and metal buildings – some of which can be hundreds of thousands of square feet in size – would be perfect for this technology. They could conceivably generate enough energy to provide all of their needs with perhaps a surplus to put back on the grid.

Warehouses generally do not require huge amounts of electricity. They do however have large square footages of building. The ratio of roof area to energy consumption is much greater than that of a residence or manufacturing facility. These huge warehouses could generate a new income stream for their owners.

Many of today’s new manufacturing and commercial buildings are metal building kits. With the option of using energy producing roofing and siding products this type of building may become even more popular.

What Could the Over-All Benefits of this Technology Be?

This is an important question and must be answered on a variety of levels.

First, on the environmental level this technology would be providing greener energy and reduce the load on more traditional “dirty” energy sources. (Add to that the green benefits of metal building kits and pre-engineered buildings and the environment benefits double.)

Second, as the overall energy usage increases, energy producing building materials could off-set the increases and perhaps even lower the grid demand.

By generating some of the energy requirements for manufacturing and other commercial enterprises it is conceivable that product costs would be reduced. This means that those products could have lower costs to the consumer making them more affordable. On the flip side of this, the industries involved would be profitable and be able to provide lasting jobs and pay taxes to lower the national debts.

Residences generating some - or all - of their energy requirements would leave more money in the pockets of their home-owners. More expendable income means a better, more vibrant economy.

The Final Word

Now I know that much of this comes at a cost. Obviously a metal roof with this technology added would be more costly up front than a similar product without the ability to generate energy. However moving past the initial potential cost increase takes us to a better place now and for the future.

More Energy. Cleaner Energy. Economical Energy. These all add up to a better environment in which to live. Coupled with the environmental benefits already bestowed upon pre-fab metal buildings and you can see why we said “the pre-engineered metal building systems industry will become an even more desirable construction method for all sectors of the building industry”.


Brian A Schmidt is author and publisher of www.PrefabMetalBuildingKits.com. He has been in the construction industry for over thirty-five years. As Project Manager for a number of construction companies and president of his own contracting firm he has had extensive experience in all sectors of the construction industry. Included is his expertise in commercial metal buildings, industrial buildings, residential buildings agricultural and institutional building. His “free time” is taken up by gardening, working in his wood and metal hobby shop and cruise vacationing with his wife Carol.