As interest and efforts to create environmentally conscious structures increase, polycarbonate (PC) sheeting has found popularity in recent years with environmentalists, architects and designers. Beyond its high tensility, PC sheets offer builders the opportunity to create buildings and other structures that are environmentally friendly. Some of these benefits are: potentially improved energy efficiency, reduced greenhouse gas emissions and a lowered carbon footprint (when shipping these lightweight materials).
Polycarbonate comes in single, double and multiwall panels. Twin-wall polycarbonate sheets are typically sold in several thicknesses. AC Plastics sells 6, 8, 10, 16 mm and other thicknesses. With advances to polycarbonate filming, you no longer need to worry about it yellowing when exposed to sunlight.
While multiwall sheets filter around 5% of sunlight, you can save about 30% more heat than single wall panels. For greenhouses, white double-wall panels (opal panels) will block out about 50% of sunlight and diffuse the remaining light. Use these panels to protect plants in your greenhouse that don’t grow well in direct sunlight.
The lightweight material makes polycarbonate-made greenhouses easy to create yourself. It just takes an attention to detail. When assembling polycarbonate sheets, make sure you’re getting the benefits of the material. For example. It’s important to have the UV-resistant panels assembled in a way that ensures the UV-resistant coating is facing outward. In addition, the ribs of the sheet’s layers need to be in a vertical position for proper drainage flow as well as cap the ends of the panels to keep out damaging excess moisture.
Colored Polycarbonate Sheets
Colored polycarbonate sheets enhance both your aesthetic capabilities and energy efficiency. For example, a white polycarbonate sheet will help maintain your structure’s internal temperature when facing the sun. From an aesthetic perspective different colors will affect the light that enters in your building which can create a pleasing ambiance.
Polycarbonate sheets work well to diffuse light, and they can also control the internal temperature of a room. Multiwall sheet can keep heat in for additional thermal insulation. Polycarbonate sheet can also reduce overheating in certain parts of a building by absorbing a significant amount of the infrared spectrum that carries heat.
Not only will using polycarbonate for temperature maintenance help lower carbon emissions you’ll also save money on air conditioning and heating.
With recent advances in polycarbonate production, the material can last longer and keeps its appearance consistent with your design. Because it’s shatter-resistant, polycarbonate sheet is great for outdoor applications like roofing because it’s difficult to break.
AC Plastics has tinted, mirror, colored, clear and other variations of polycarbonate sheeting for any application as well as polycarbonate profiles and hardware. Order our polycarbonate sheet to go green and save money today.