Investing in energy-efficient garage doors is a good choice for people that want to optimize their homes or businesses for energy efficiency.
Although the garage room is rarely connected to a property’s heating and cooling system, garage doors can significantly affect the overall thermal efficiency of the home or business. Investing in energy-efficient smart garage doors can help you lower electricity use, control indoor temperature, and increase thermal comfort.
Why Do You Need Energy-Efficient Garage Doors?
The garage door is often the largest and most used opening in any residential or commercial property. For this reason, it is important to have a well-insulated door that helps you maintain your indoor temperature stable.
A garage that doesn’t have insulated doors, absorbs heated air during the summer and cold air during the winter. When this happens, the garage air temperature transfers to the walls and ceiling surrounding the room. This destabilizes the overall temperature of your house or business and forces your cooling and heating systems to work harder and draw more power.
Check Insulation Levels
The first thing to do when optimizing your garage for energy efficiency is evaluating the garage door´s insulation levels. The R-Value and the U-factor are two methods commonly used to check insulation levels.
Garage door R-Value
Garage door technicians use the R-Value to measure the insulation capabilities of your garage door. The higher the R-value, the more the door resists conductive heat. If your garage is connected to your home and business, then you should have an R-value above 10.
Garage Door U-Factor
The U factor measures the flow of heat through the door. A high U-Factor means that heat can move easily through the door’s material. The lower the U-Factor the higher the thermal efficiency of the room.
To keep thermal comfort in your garage, professionals recommend a value of .35 or less.
Choosing The Right Material
Choosing the right material for your garage door can help you maintain the indoor temperature you want in your home or business. Steel, aluminum, wood, and composite wood are the most common materials for garage doors.
Steel
Steel is one of the most popular materials used for garage doors. Although a garage door made out of steel offers little thermal protection on its own, it is a very efficient option when paired with a layer polyurethane insulation. Together, both materials can reduce air infiltration, and keep your air temperature at optimal levels.
Aluminum
Aluminum conducts heat easily. Aluminum doors are poor insulators and don’t make an efficient garage door.
Wood
By itself, wood doesn’t provide much isolation. However, when paired with foam boards, steel, and other materials wood doors can achieve optimal thermal levels during both hot and cold seasons.
Vinyl
Vinyl doors are well known for their beautiful finishes and low maintenance features. These doors resist rust and corrosion, are great insulators, and protect the property from outside noises.
Composite wood
These doors combine steel and artificial wood to achieve insulation. They are a very popular alternative to wood due to its low maintenance features.
Other Details
When optimizing your garage for energy efficiency you should also pay attention to little details, such as small gaps or windows that could affect the temperature of your indoor space.
Air Leakage
Make sure that there are no gaps between your garage doors and walls. Your garage door must have its seal retainers and hardware installed properly to avoid air leakage.
Windows
Windows enhance the look of garages and allow natural light into them. If you choose to have windows on your garage door, ensure that they are sealed so they aren’t a source of energy waste.
High-Quality Garage Door Brands
If you want to learn more about the best energy-efficient garage options for your home or business, contact Rose Quality Garage Doors. We are a local company with over 10 years of experience delivering excellent garage door repairs and installation services in Murfreesboro.
We work with trusted garage door brands and highly qualified technicians. Our top-rated products offer insulation features that will reduce your waste of energy, and help you save money. Our energy-efficient garage doors are available in a wide variety of sizes, styles, designs, and colors. Visit our page, and choose the one that works best for you.
