When designing a home or building that aligns with green building practices, the garage is easy to overlook. Since a garage's main function is storage, many people can forget that it still impacts their energy usage and environmental impact. When creating an eco-friendly home or building, you can design the garage to reflect a better, more sustainable lifestyle. Everything — from the garage door to the floors, windows, walls, lighting and insulation — can improve the eco-friendly status of a garage.
You'll need to consider each part of the garage to find the options that meet your budget, needs and sustainability preferences. Research is essential for any successful sustainable project. With the right tools and information, you can build an eco-friendly garage that looks great and lasts years.
Choose Sustainable Building Materials
Choosing sustainable building materials for garages is a core way to contribute to an eco-friendly space. Materials make up the foundation of a garage — without them, you couldn't build anything. Picking from eco-friendly garage flooring material and other options will reduce the garage's environmental impact and help reduce waste. Finding the right material gives you a sustainable garage without sacrificing quality.
Wood
Wood is an excellent material for promoting sustainability. Trees are an incredible renewable resource, and they work to absorb carbon dioxide from the air. Selecting a garage door made from sustainably-sourced wood provides you with a durable, attractive garage door that is eco-friendly. Using wood from responsible sources gives back to the environment and keeps your project from using non-renewable sources.
Steel
Steel is one of the most recycled metals in the United States. Recycling steel does little to damage its strength and quality, allowing manufacturers to use old steel for new projects repeatedly. Like new steel, recycled steel offers homeowners and business owners high durability, low maintenance and cost-effectiveness. It's a sleek, recyclable material that can be turned into a new product once its life as a garage door is over.
Aluminum
Aluminum is another metal with high recyclability. It's more affordable than steel and is also great for reuse. Aluminum garages and components are popular thanks to their lower cost and durability. Like steel, aluminum can be recycled and reused over and over again. Your steel products can be turned into new doors or hardware once they're too old.
Bamboo
Bamboo grows quickly, uses little energy to grow and is less impactful to harvest than ores and other larger woods. It is also incredibly strong, making it an excellent choice for anyone looking for durable materials to build a garage. While it's less common in the West than other traditional materials, it's growing in popularity as builders and homeowners discover its strength and sustainability. With its distinctive look, it's perfect for homeowners and business owners who want a garage that suits their unique style.
Mass Timber
Mass timber is another excellent sustainable building material. Different softwood types are mechanically bonded to create mass timber, forming larger, prefabricated components. This process has a smaller environmental impact than creating steel and concrete, helping to reduce emissions. Mass timber's unique construction also means structures built from it are constructed faster and with less waste. Mass timber is less widely available than other materials, but if you can get it for your construction, you'll greatly improve a garage's eco-friendliness.
Insulate the Garage From Extreme Temperatures
Insulation is essential for maintaining a more efficient space. Without insulation, air travels easily from the garage to the outside and vice versa. If you're constructing an attached residential garage, this can impact the temperature in the homeowner's living quarters. The HVAC system will have to work harder to keep the air inside at a consistent, comfortable temperature. The harder the HVAC works, the more energy it consumes and the higher the energy bills. Investing in high-quality insulation will help reduce energy use for a greener space.
Make sure the garage door, walls and entrance door are properly insulated and weather-stripped. Caulk any cracks to seal them and prevent air from escaping. Good caulking, insulation and drywall can reduce energy usage and keep the home or business comfortable year-round. Additionally, invest in a multi-layer, well-insulated garage door. You'll improve the insulation R-value and increase the garage door's durability and life.
Windows are another excellent way to boost your sustainability efforts. Multiple-pane, low-E glass, ENERGY STAR-approved windows help reduce energy usage without sacrificing visibility. Windows allow homeowners and business owners to use natural light during the day, reducing their daytime electric use. Additionally, windows bring natural light and warmth into the garage during the winter. In the summer, black-out blinds over the windows can prevent the sun's rays from warming the space.
Install Energy-Efficient Lighting
Installing the right LED lightbulbs will also help make the garage more eco-friendly. While many people only use their garages to store vehicles, adding lighting can make the space multi-functional and increase the useable square footage of a home or business. Opt for energy-efficient LED bulbs because they're bright, they last a long time and they help reduce energy usage. Select ENERGY STAR-certified lightbulbs — they last 15 times longer and use up to 90% less energy compared to standard lightbulbs.
Benefits of Eco-Friendly Garages
Aside from helping the environment, homeowners ad business owners gain many benefits from investing in an eco-friendly garage. While the up-front building investment might be higher than a traditional garage, people will save money in the long run. Benefits you can expect from building an eco-friendly garage include:
Energy Saving
You'll use less energy and water when you opt for an eco-friendly, efficient building design. ENERGY STAR-approved products massively reduce energy and water usage, saving you lots of money in the long run. They reduce the amount of energy and water a home or building needs, decreasing its environmental impact along with its energy costs.
Tax Credits
Investing in sustainable products can also offer savings in the form of tax credits. The U.S. government has many tax credit incentives available for homeowners, business owners and home builders investing in energy-efficient spaces. These rebates and incentives will give back some of the money you've spent on energy-efficient components. Investing in larger sustainable options like alternative energy may also net some big savings. Take full advantage of these benefits when building an eco-friendly garage for maximum savings.
Build Sustainably With Cornell Cookson and Clopay®
Clopay and CornellCookson has decades of experience helping architects and builders select the right doors for their projects. We offer dozens of high-quality, durable residential and commercial garage door options from Clopay, a leading garage door manufacturer. Doors made with sustainable, efficient manufacturing and eco-friendly wood and steel mean you can offer your clients an eco-friendly garage door that doesn't sacrifice quality and strength.
Get in touch with our Architectural Design Support team to learn more about our products and how we can make your vision come to life today.
