How to Choose an Energy Efficient Garage Doors
Have you been considering investing in a new garage door? Then choosing an insulated garage door is a wise decision. Other than protecting our belongings from theft, garage doors are an important part of our home’s building envelope and they help protect the interior from extreme weather elements.
Choosing insulated garage doors has an added advantage as they help maintain comfortable temperatures inside your home by blocking out cold and hot air. This also helps you save money on your cooling and heating bills, reducing your monthly expenses. Other benefits of installing energy efficient doors include:
- They are More Durable
Insulated garage doors have an added durability as they are constructed using single layer garage doors. Many of insulated doors today are made with single or dual aluminum or steel frames, with solid-core insulation sandwiched between. This creates an energy efficient, lightweight garage doors that last longer than uninsulated garage doors.
- They are Quieter
Insulated garage doors are much quieter than uninsulated doors. A garage door tends to make noise due to several reasons. It may be because of loose chains, badly lubricated hinges, worn out rollers, etc. You can prevent this by regular servicing of your door.
A lightweight door without insulation makes the most noise and you can prevent this by replacing them with insulated doors. The insulation usually dampens the vibrations reducing noise significantly.
They protect your belongings more Insulated garage doors can protect your car from cold weather, which tends to reduce the lifespan of your car. These doors can also protect your other belongings such as motor oil, fertilizer, and paint cans since they can be destroyed by cold temperatures.
How to Choose Energy Efficient-Garage Doors
When shopping for insulated garage doors, there are a few important factors you need to consider:
- The “R-Value” of the door
When choosing insulated garage doors, it’s important first to understand how manufacturers measure the doors’ insulations. In general, the most common type of rating used is R values.
The R-value is a measure of the insulating qualities of the garage door and is usually determined by the insulation thickness and chemical properties. A higher R-value means better insulation. You’ll also find that different types of insulations have different R-values. For example, garage doors with polyurethane insulation will have a higher R-rating than doors with polystyrene insulation of the same thickness.
- Garage door materials
As mentioned above, the type of garage door material also impacts its energy efficiency. If you opt for steel, then go for thick, low gauge steel as it offers better insulation than thin, high gauge steel. Also, it’s a good idea to choose multi-layered steel which has insulation sandwiched between as it provides greater dent resistance, durability, and energy efficiency.
Aluminum garage doors have great looks but are lightweight, making them poor insulators. Some people may prefer wooden garage doors mainly for their looks rather than their insulation capabilities. If you prefer wooden garage doors, then it’s better to go for composite wood which is paired with steel interiors. This is because it combines the looks of wood with the durability and insulating benefits of steel.
Some garage doors have polystyrene or polyurethane foam as the insulation. It’s good to choose those with polyurethane foam as they have higher values than those with polystyrene foam, assuming thickness is the same.
- Watch out for air leakage
Even if you buy an insulated door with the highest R-value, it will be useless if there’re large gaps between your walls and the door! In order to prevent energy loss via air leakage, choose a top-quality and well-fitting door with a high-quality track, rollers, and frame. Also, invest in high-quality seals and weatherstripping to prevent air leakage. In addition, you need to hire a professional installation company to install the door for you instead of doing it yourself as these experts have the experience to install garage doors properly reducing the possibility of energy loss.
- Choose windows carefully
Garage door windows improve the aesthetics of the garage door but unfortunately, most of them aren’t energy efficient. If you live in a cold area, consider purchasing a door with no windows. And if your door must have windows, buy the one with double or triple-glazed windows.
Buying insulated garage doors will save you on your cooling and heating bills as well as offer more protection to your belongings. Follow the above tips to choose the best energy efficient door.