Looking for ways to cut back on energy costs is the eco-friendly wave of the future for self storage companies. It’s good for the environment, it’s easy on the wallet and customers like the idea of doing business with a company that is sensitive to the growing need for environmentally-friendly design and construction. More self storage facilities are going green and seeking LEED status or simply making modifications in new construction or additions that will help preserve energy.
An Arkansas self storage expansion project will be the first to incorporate a new kind of green technology in its design. AA Storage at Shackleford is constructing a 31,050 sq. ft. addition that will include one climate controlled building that incorporates an energy-efficient metal roof system that can reduce radiant heat by up to 40 percent while doubling the life expectancy of traditional composite roofs. Construction begins this month and includes two conventional, non-climate controlled buildings. The addition will complement the company’s already existing facility at 4324 South Shackleford Road and is expected to be completed by July 2011. The climate-controlled building will be built as an engineered steel structure designed by Paramount Metal Systems.
“The climate-controlled building design incorporates new roof technology using a combination of THERMAXTM rigid foam insulation and FROTH-PAKTM Foam Sealant products from Dow Building Solutions, cool metal roofing-reflective paint, and controlled ventilation,” said David Dodge, president of Paramount Metal Systems. “Energy usage will be reduced significantly.”
By reducing thermal requirements, the roofing will also reduce the size of the heating/cooling and ventilation systems and well as reduce costs and enhance the return on investment. Paramount Metal Systems is a design/build contractor specializing in pre-engineered structures and metal-roof systems for new and existing buildings. The company has offices in Arkansas, Tennessee and Texas.
Energy efficiency is becoming more prevalent in new self storage facilities or expansions as demand for climate-controlled facilities increases and the cost benefits become more apparent. Some sustainable-building systems may qualify for both federal and state tax incentives. Besides construction, certain devices on the market can help reduce energy costs. Thirteen self-storage facilities operated by Veritage Management Inc. recently began using a new retrofit device that will help save money on the energy used by air-conditioning and refrigeration units with one or two compressors. It can save about 15 percent of the energy used by the existing system. The ECO3, produced by Smartcool Systems Inc. and distributed by Global Energy Services (GES) can be installed quickly and saves energy on the cooling and heating cycles of compressor-driven heat pumps. Global Energy Services, headquartered in St. Petersburg, Fla., specializes in sustainable energy, conservation, green initiatives and new technologies. Smartcool Systems manufactures and distributes the Energy Saving Module (ESM) and the ECO3, which make refrigeration and air conditioning systems more efficient. More than 26,000 units have been installed worldwide for customers such as supermarkets, food distributors, telecom, hospitals and hotels.
Some self storage companies are going after LEED certification, the supreme prize in eco-friendly design and construction. Rated by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), LEED is an internationally-recognized green building certification system, providing third-party verification that a building was designed and built using strategies aimed at improving performance across all the metrics that matter most for eco-friendly sensitivity: water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts.
In January, owners of a newly-constructed ezStorage facility located in Elkridge, Md., received Gold LEED certification, the second-highest ranking. It will likely result in 20 to 30 percent in energy savings and reduce the energy bill by thousands of dollars each year. This is the second LEED certification for ezStorage, the largest self storage company in Maryland. Located in Columbia, Md. Its Charles Village facility was also awarded certification. All future ezStorage locations are slated to become LEED certified.
Sources Used:
Gonzalez, Tony. “Maryland Self Storage Company Leading the Way in High Standard LEED Certification.” Self Storage Industry News. Jan. 21, 2011.
“Self-Storage Facility Expansion in Arkansas Uses Green Technology.” Inside Self-Storage. Feb. 7, 2011.
“New Smartcool ECO3 Helps Self-Storage Facilities Cut Electricity Costs.” Inside Self Storage. Feb. 7, 2011.