IMPROVED ENERGY EFFICIENCY Better Indoor and Outdoor Air Quality
There is a strong need to create structures that reduce energy consumption. The rising cost of energy, the need to limit greenhouse gas emissions and the need to improve air quality have become increasingly important around the world.
Wood helps to minimize energy consumption in several ways. In terms of embodied energy, which includes the energy required to extract, process, manufacture, transport, construct and maintain a material or product, life cycle assessment studies show that wood significantly outperforms steel and concrete.
Wood also has better insulating properties – 400 times better than steel and 15 times better than concrete. Wood’s cellular structure contains air pockets, which limit its ability to conduct heat and help to minimize the energy needed for heating and cooling. Concrete and steel are solid throughout and, as a result, facilitate heat loss in many climates and increase energy consumption.
In many regions of the world where temperatures vary between –40 and +40 Celsius annually, wood frame construction is the primary building choice for single and multiple family housing.
Wood is a natural insulator with thermal performance surpassing steel, concrete and masonry. Wood-frame construction is easier to insulate and requires less insulation than steel and concrete. The superior insulating ability of today’s wood structures allows homes and buildings to stay warmer in winter and cooler in summer, reducing the use of energy and keeping energy bills low for heating and cooling.
CAPTION : In Mongolia, well-insulated wood-frame homes will make it very cost effective to use new, energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly heating systems. These energy-efficient heating systems help to both improve indoor air quality, but also reduce winter pollution outside – making for a much healthier living environment.
Burning fossil fuels such as oil, gas and coal, as well as raw wood, releases large amounts of greenhouse gases and negatively affects outdoor air quality. Reducing the use of these fuels is a priority in order to have cleaner air and minimize the impact on local and global environments.
Building well-insulated homes makes it very cost effective to use new, energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly heating systems. These energy-efficient heating systems help to improve indoor air quality and reduce winter pollution outside – making for a much healthier living environment.
With wood frame construction, building occupants save money through reduced energy costs and stay comfortable in any season.
CAPTION: Wood is a natural material that provides a healthy indoor environment for building occupants. Indoor air quality is dependent on the occupant’s own awareness of smoke and gas hazards.