Skip to content Access Site map
truck loading bay truck loading bay

Building Envelope

The building envelope separates heated areas of a building from unheated areas, such as the outside and unheated storage areas.

Building Envelope

The building envelope separates heated areas of a building from unheated areas, such as the outside and unheated storage areas. The building envelope includes a number of components, such as roofs, walls, windows and doors. The amount of energy used in your building is directly related to the condition of the building envelope. For example, if you have air leaks, low levels of insulation, and inefficient windows and doors, you may have high heating or cooling costs.

However, unlike your home, the envelope for non-residential buildings can vary greatly depending on the function of the building and its design. For example, a typical retail business, office building, garage or manufacturing plant would all have unique design features and layouts. This means your options for improving your building envelope will likely depend on the specific building.

Nonetheless, improving the energy efficiency of your building envelope is related to two key factors: