Before delving into the whole argument of whether shipping container homes are energy efficient, we need to truly understand what energy efficiency means. In most cases, energy efficiency simple refers to energy conservation or using alternative sources of energy to power your home.
Energy efficiency has been around for as long as the invention of electricity; it’s not a concept that we’re unfamiliar with. But what people don’t really understand is the connection between shipping container homes and energy efficiency.
Shipping container homes can be energy efficient
To put it simply, yes. Shipping container homes can definitely be energy efficient. With the inclusion of green energy sources and proper insulation, a shipping container home can definitely be energy efficient.
However, that’s not the only way that a shipping container home to conserve energy. Even tiny little things like turning off the lights when you’re not using them contributes to your home’s overall energy efficiency. It’s not so much about the features that your home has, but the habits that its occupants cultivate.
Conventional homes are no different
So, since shipping container homes can be energy efficient, it should be safe to say that they’re better than conventional homes, right? Absolutely not.
A conventional home has the exact same capacity as a shipping container home to be more energy efficient. As we’ve already established, saving electricity will cut back on your utility bills in the long run. Similarly, using tinted windows can amplify the effect of your home’s insulation.
Here are a few more features that both conventional homeowners and shipping container homeowners can install in their homes to make them more energy efficient:
- Replace metal window frames with vinyl
- Substituting lamps with sunlight
- Minimizing usage of electrical appliances
- Change the air filters on your furnace
- Use fluorescent light bulbs instead of incandescent
- Growing a tree right beside your house for additional shade
- Construct a rainwater collection system for your plants
The truth behind shipping container homes and energy efficiency
Many potential shipping container home owners are under the impression that their preferences are superior because they’re more energy efficient. This is nothing more than a marketing ploy that insulation installing companies and shipping container home contractors pull off to differentiate themselves from their competitors.
They implant this false idea of shipping container homes having energy efficiency properties to coax eco-friendly individuals into opting for their unconventional methods instead.
Logically speaking, shipping containers are made out of steel, which is an excellent conductor of heat. Theoretically, they’re meant to be more energy consuming than conventional homes, which completely debunks the myth of shipping container homes being more energy efficient
Final thoughts
To conclude this post, shipping container homes can definitely be energy efficient, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re better than conventional homes. Both homes have the exact same capabilities of being just as energy efficient as one another.
If you’re struggling between the two housing options, just don’t let energy efficiency be any part of your decision process. There’s practically no difference, and even if there was, it would be too marginal to tell.