fbpx
loader

How a Steel Cannabis Cultivation Building in Colorado Can Save on Energy

Indoor Cannabis Cultivation

LOCAL LOOK – WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOU

For those running a cannabis cultivation facility in Colorado, operating costs are a huge deal.

The amount of energy required to maintain ideal cannabis growing conditions is expensive, and every effort is being made to use cultivation facilities that are energy-efficient. By now, cannabis cultivators in Colorado have learned that special-purpose steel buildings provide a wide array of benefits related to reducing operating costs. Now that the word is out, it’s actually becoming rare for new cannabis cultivation facilities not to be built using steel.

It’s a fact: Colorado cannabis growers are using steel to save money. The same thing is happening elsewhere in the US; is your state next?

Indoor Cannabis Cultivation

The indoor cannabis cultivation industry is booming in Colorado; you don’t even have to look beyond Denver to see the signs.

As cannabis growers continue expanding their cultivation operations throughout Colorado, they’re growing increasingly stingy about their energy usage. This is for good reason, as indoor cannabis cultivation is notoriously expensive to power. After all, a single grow light for four cannabis plants can consume as much electricity as 29 refrigerators.

The load that this kind of energy consumption puts onto public power grids is significant, too. Because cannabis growers want higher yields with lower operating costs, they’re looking to steel buildings for new cannabis grow facilities.

This is an image of a cannabis cultivation facility built to last. Choosing a fly by night contractor will create problems.

The "Secret" About Steel

What most people don’t know about steel as a construction material is that it is exceptionally energy efficient, in more ways than one. This makes it an outstanding choice for ‘Greentrepreneurs’ who want more topline profits from every harvest.

The things that make steel such a great choice for cannabis growers in Colorado are the same things that make steel buildings superior for many other purposes (churches, gymnasiums, warehouses, etc.).

Top Reasons Steel Is A Great Choice

Low cost/capital expense. Steel refining and manufacturing is very lean. Modern advancements in manufacturing technology have significantly reduced the amount of energy that is required to produce steel. This has driven the price of steel sharply down in recent decades, making steel buildings the ideal choice, cost-wise, for business owners.

Steel buildings conserve energy better and are easier to regulate. Did you know that buildings constructed using Cold-Formed Steel (CFS) can be among the most energy efficient building types across-the-board? When a steel building is constructed according to LEED and Energy Star requirements, it makes much better use of the energy required to maintain indoor temperatures, humidity levels, and lighting conditions.

Consider this scenario. You’re a cannabis grower who is considering investing in a new cultivation facility. You’ve already got the licensing issue figured out, and you’re developing a game plan for locating a contractor, finalizing the blueprint, and hopefully breaking ground sooner than later.

In a perfect world, you’d like the entire process to take less than 6 months and for the new, energy-efficient cultivation facility to start yielding a harvest within a year. This isn’t too optimistic of a timeline, but what about the ‘energy efficiency’ part?

Price Your Project

Climate Controlled Growing

Winters get harshly cold in many parts of Colorado. This presents a climate control challenge for cannabis cultivators. Steel buildings address this challenge head-on by offering superior protection from the elements, including the cold.

This is because of the deep wall cavities that are a design feature of most steel-framed buildings. These cavities allow for the use of higher-than-normal amounts of insulation, with room to spare for whatever indoor covering the owner wants. This combination of great aesthetics and industry-leading energy efficiency sends steel to the top of the ‘Best Of’ list.

Less energy spent on heating and cooling makes for a happier cannabis cultivator.

climate controlled indoor cannabis grow facility

Other Advantages to Choosing Steel Buildings for Cannabis Cultivation

In addition to the obvious benefits of added insulation, outstanding wind resistance, and optimized HVAC layouts, steel buildings in Colorado have other features that make them an especially attractive option for cannabis cultivators.

SEE MORE BUILDING TYPES

These Include:

1. Reduced insurance rates. Cannabis cultivators already have their hands full with making business loan payments, keeping the lights on, and paying employees. Steel buildings are cheaper to insure compared with other commercial or industrial building types, a cost-savings feature that growers love.

2. Low ongoing building maintenance. When you choose a steel panel, brick, stone or similar exterior for your steel building, you don’t have to worry about many of the common concerns of UV damage or rodent and termite infestations. Eliminating these threats means you don’t have to pay for preventative treatments and/or repairs for premature degradation.

3. Longer-term foundation stability. Compared with wood-framed structures, steel buildings apply less weight to the foundation. When there’s less weight, there are fewer developments of cracks, splits, or sagging concrete. Over a period of decades, this can prove to be especially valuable for property owners.

As you can see, there are many great reasons why steel-framed buildings are an excellent choice for cannabis cultivators in Colorado. With the right design help and a trained, professional CSI-certified steel building contractor working with you, a high-quality, energy-efficient steel building can also become a high-performing asset for your overall organization.

To learn more, or to get connected with a local CSI steel building contractor in your area, contact us today.

Local Steel Buildings

No matter where you are in the process of building, CSI has a solution for you. From our simple 3 step building quote to our growing library of project resources.
PRICE YOUR PROJECT