1. Hot as an Oven, Cold as a Freezer
Metal is useful structurally as beams and posts. As a surface material tin roofs are very efficient. Metal is usually the least ideal material that would be used as a wall surface material. This is because metal is a conductor of heat and cold.
To get a container up to par for energy efficiency in winter, you would have to insulate it. Cover every bit of the metal so it doesn’t act as a thermal bridge.
In order to achieve even an ounce of energy efficiency, we will need to build an additional structure to house the insulation. We would also have to install external cladding so the sun doesn’t heat up the walls during summer. Hence, the exterior attractive metallic look is gone. The other option is to put the insulation into the inside of the shipping container. To have a good amount of insulation we would reduce the usable interior space drastically.
Stacking containers are no good either. This is because we don’t have an external envelope. Metal can transfer heat easily from exterior to interior. It is necessary to insulate every external wall exposed to the weather, or we lose heat through thermal bridging.
This would now add more material and cost to lower down the heat loss or gain.
For more information Folding Container House, please get in touch with us!