Timber is a popular construction material for many reasons. It’s strong, durable and looks great. But there are also many environmental benefits to using timber in your home that you may not have considered.
The natural insulating properties of timber make it extremely energy efficient.(i) It has 400 times better insulation value than steel, 2000 times that of aluminium and 8 times that of concrete. (ii)
Timber is also a lightweight material that has low thermal mass which allows it to respond quickly to climate changes. (iii)
This means it can help keep you warm in winter and cool in summer. As a result, you’ll use less air conditioning and heating which will reduce your household energy consumption as well as your bills.
Over recent years, there has been a huge focus on reducing single use items like plastic bags and coffee cups that are harmful to the environment. This awareness of our wastefulness as a society has trickled through to many industries including construction. Architects and builders are now looking at durable materials that can last longer when designing homes.
With good care and regular maintenance, timber can last a lifetime which makes it an environmentally responsible choice for your home. Timber can also be treated and painted to suit the aesthetics of your home, so if you decide to redecorate in five, ten or even twenty years’ time, you can still keep the same timber in place.
At the end of their life, wooden structures can be deconstructed and the wood reused in other buildings or products.
Most of the timber used for construction in Australia is sourced responsibly. The bulk of Australia’s production forests are certified under international schemes like the F.S.C. (Forest Stewardship Council). (iv) New trees are planted to replace the ones used which makes it a highly sustainable material, unlike aluminium which is a finite resource which contains a great deal of embodied energy in its manufacture.
Re-growth forests and plantations take in large amounts of carbon dioxide from the air and as they mature, act as a long-term storage for carbon. For every tonne of timber used instead of steel or concrete, a tonne of carbon dioxide is saved from the atmosphere. (v) Furthermore, the more timber we use from sustainably managed forests, the more trees are planted to store more carbon inside building products. (vi)
Timber is a solid choice not only for your home, but for the environment. You can take advantage of its beautiful aesthetics and unique properties whilst also taking pride and comfort in the fact that you’re doing your bit to save the planet.
Want to learn more about the benefits of timber? Or perhaps you're thinking of using aluminium frames for your next project. It is important to understand that timber and aluminium frames both have their advantages and disadvantages. To find out more about each material you can download our comparison chart to see how they measure up against each other.
To find out more about our range of timber window and door frames, contact our team today.
