The rising costs of energy, has made insulation an integral part of pre engineered steel building projects. A properly installed insulation system for your steel building will return more on its investment when compared to any other building component.

Heat Transfer

Understanding the concept of heat transfer is important, for you to realize the value of insulation to your pre-engineered steel buildings.

When there is a difference in temperature in the steel building’s environment, heat will work its way from warmer areas to colder areas until the interior temperature stabilizes. Warmer air rises at the roofline while cooler air is present at lower elevations. Insulation is installed to help stabilize interior temperatures at more comfortable levels.

How does heat transfer occur? In our environment, the transfer of heat occurs from the hotter object to the colder one. Heat transfer occurs in three ways:

- Conduction is the transfer of heat between solid or liquid objects that are in direct contact with each other. The better the conductor, the more rapidly heat will transfer. A concrete example of this occurs when a pot heats up after it is placed on top of an oven’s heated electric coil.

- Convection occurs with the physical movement of gases and liquids in the air, caused by heat transfer.

There are two types of convectional heat movement, natural and artificial. Natural convection occurs when hot air rises and forces cold air to move down. An example of artificial or mechanical convection is when an object such as an electric fan, which physically moves or forces the air to move.

- Radiation occurs when there is a temperature differential between an object and its environment. A concrete example is the heat of the sun that is either absorbed by or reflected by the surface of your pre-engineered steel building.