Insulated storage slows heat down. Climate controlled storage actively heats and cools. An insulated unit has walls and a ceiling that keep the sun's heat from pouring in, but no equipment running. A climate controlled unit has HVAC that holds the temperature, and sometimes the humidity, within a set range all year.
Which one you need depends on what you're storing, and in Bakersfield the answer for a lot of people is less expensive than they expect. Here's how to tell.
| Uninsulated metal unit | Insulated unit | Climate controlled unit | |
| How it works | Bare sheet metal | Insulation in walls and ceiling slows heat transfer | HVAC holds a set temperature range |
| In a Valley summer | Can run hotter than the outside air | Much cooler than an uninsulated unit, with smaller day-to-night swings | Held near room temperature |
| Typical layout | Drive-up | Drive-up, including vehicle-size units | Usually interior hallway units, smaller sizes |
| Best for | Things heat can't hurt | Vehicles, RVs, boats, trailers, tools, most inventory | Documents, electronics, art, instruments, heat-sensitive goods |
Summer highs here regularly reach the upper 90s and push past 100 for stretches at a time, with strong sun nearly every day from late spring into fall. An uninsulated metal storage unit absorbs that sun all afternoon, and inside it can get hotter than the outside air.
Bakersfield's air is also dry most of the year, so humidity, the other half of what climate control manages, matters less here than in coastal or humid climates. For most things people store, heat is the main concern, and insulation handles most of it.
Insulation is measured in R-value: the higher the number, the more it resists heat moving through. Elite's units have R30 insulation in the ceiling and R19 in the walls, comparable to what you'd find in a home's attic and walls.
If you see a storage unit advertised as "temperature controlled" or "climate controlled," ask what's actually installed. Some facilities use the terms loosely for spaces that are only insulated or ventilated.
Pay for true climate control if you're storing any of these for more than a short time:
Elite's units are insulated but not climate controlled, so for a unit that's mostly the items above, a climate controlled facility is the better choice.
These are built to live outdoors or handle heat. What hurts them in Bakersfield is direct sun, blowing dust and exposure, and an enclosed, insulated unit fixes all three:
Climate controlled units also tend to be smaller interior rooms off a hallway. A climate controlled unit big enough to drive an RV or a truck into is rare and expensive, which is part of why vehicle storage is almost always drive-up.
If a unit is mostly a vehicle or equipment with a few boxes of records or electronics, the usual answer is to store the big items in an insulated drive-up unit and keep the small, sensitive box at home. That's cheaper than paying climate controlled rates for space a truck takes up.
Insulated storage has walls and a ceiling that slow heat coming in, with no equipment running. Climate controlled storage has HVAC that keeps the temperature, and sometimes humidity, within a set range.
For documents, electronics, art, instruments and heat-sensitive goods, yes. For vehicles, RVs, boats, trailers, tools and most household or business items, an enclosed insulated unit is usually enough.
Usually not. Sun, heat build-up and dust damage a stored car; an enclosed, insulated unit handles all three.
Much cooler than an uninsulated metal unit, especially on summer afternoons. It won't be as cool as an air-conditioned space.
No. They're insulated, with R30 ceilings and R19 walls, but they don't have heating or cooling.
It's worth it for anything heat or humidity will damage. For things that are built to handle heat, it's money spent on a feature you don't need.
Tell us what you're storing and we'll give you a straight answer, including if a climate controlled facility is the better fit. Contact us, check the current move-in special, or reserve online.
