Steel buildings are among the strongest and most durable structures largely because of the remarkable properties of steel. Unfortunately, like most metals, steel is a very good conductor of heat. In hot weather, steel framing and sheeting rapidly transfer the sun's heat into a building, and in cold weather, they rapidly transfer heat out.

Steel buildings are also extremely susceptible to condensation, which can be a bigger problem than temperature. All these problems can be solved with the proper insulation and/or vapor barrier system.

In even moderately humid climates, condensation can cause serious problems in a closed, unprotected steel building. To avoid this problem, make sure your building is adequately ventilated and install a vapor barrier even if you do not plan to insulate. All the insulation products we sell have facings or backings that perform this function to some degree. For more information about their respective capabilities, see the sections on fiberglass and reflective insulation.

The location and purpose of your steel building will greatly influence the type and amount of insulation you need. If your building is in a moderate climate and you only plan to store equipment in it, you may not need to insulate at all. If people are going to work in the building, you will probably need some insulation, especially in areas where it gets fairly cold or hot. If you intend to heat and/or cool your steelbuilding, even part of the time, you should insulate because the energy savings will quickly pay for the insulation and continue saving you money over the life of the building.

Insulation can do a lot more than regulate temperature. It also helps deaden sound, which can be an important benefit in a commercial or agricultural steel building with metal walls and roof. Installing insulation with a white facing (or foil) makes it easier to illuminate the interior of a building because the bright material reflects light very efficiently (some people use a dark facing to create the opposite effect -- for example, in a nightclub).