Commercial buildings, residential apartments and hotels have led the way towards energy efficient green buildings. We’ve seen dramatic advances in these industries, but what’s the next big thing in green building?

Believe it or not, self-storage facilities and steel buildings are quietly but decisively moving toward environmental awareness and energy efficiency.

Here are a few examples: A shed can be an attractive addition to your backyard or just a quick-build structure to store your stuff. While building exteriors can differ greatly, all interiors serve the same purpose: storage.

Storage Sheds – Solve Your Storage Problems! Sheds are great storage places for sporting goods and equipment, gardening tools, or firewood. Store just about anything from your backyard and garden in a storage shed.

Workshops – Build a separate workshop in your backyard with a spacious interior. Add tool racks, a workbench, storage shelves, good lighting, and voila! instant workshop! Plus, with a new garage, you can provide the extra space you need for your car. Build a garage for one or two cars! There are many green options to make your storage facility green.

If you own a storage facility yourself, here are some tips that can help you reduce the costs of running your business.

Prefabricated buildings are quite easy to install and are the best storage facilities. Storage facilities that are expanding are turning to prefabricated steel buildings, due to their space-saving and energy-efficient qualities. Not to mention that they are easily customizable.

Some steel buildings and their owners are now receiving environmental awards for implementing green ideas, such as one owner who created garden areas for runoff water to purify naturally. This is much better than letting the toxic water go directly into the sewer system.

If you can’t invest in solar panels, you can replace your current lighting with fluorescent bulbs. They consume much less electricity and will even give a retro and relaxed atmosphere to the storage rooms of your clients. Another option is to use light bulbs with motion sensors to save energy. This will also prevent your customers and employees from having to constantly turn the light on and off.

Several storage facilities have gone the extra mile and built facilities made from recycled and reusable materials. This may take a bit of effort, but it’s worth it because the setup will not only be cheaper to install, but also cheaper to maintain.

Prefabricated steel buildings have always been greener than other alternatives, but have only now become associated with the popularity of green building practices. And with innovations in building accessories, these buildings will be even more environmentally friendly.