Can A New Garage Door Really Lower My Energy Bill?
Posted on: 17 June 2020
Homeowners are always looking for ways to save money, but one of the places that they never think to look is in the garage. Your garage door represents the largest single entry or exit point in your home, which means there is more of an opportunity for air to escape through it than any other place in your home.
Because of that, your garage door also represents the best opportunity to maximize your energy savings. A properly installed door can lower your energy bill significantly, plus allow for other opportunities that you may not have thought about. Sounds great, right? If you're thinking about a new garage door installation, there is one major factor you need to consider
Make Sure It's Insulated
You don't necessarily need to "go green" to take advantage of the massive energy savings from a garage door installation; all you really need is one that is completely insulated. You can do that by checking the door's R-value — a term that refers to the door's thermal efficiency rating. The higher the value, the better insulated the door is.
The benefits of an insulated garage door are enormous. First, your garage's temperature will stay more consistent with the temperature of the house, which means it'll stay warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. This will help your energy bills stay lower since your HVAC unit won't have to work as hard to keep the temperature regulated near the door to the garage, such as the laundry room or a shared wall.
Contrary to popular opinion, a window may also improve your garage's efficiency — assuming it's properly insulated, of course — by allowing sunlight to create extra heat in the winter, but also by lighting the space so there's less of a need to flip the switch every time you enter the garage. Also, make sure you perform regularly scheduled maintenance on your opener. If the opener isn't maintained, it will put extra strain on the opener and drain extra energy trying to open and close your door.
One Other Benefit to an Insulated Garage Door
Though the energy savings to your home are a huge bonus, there is also some evidence that an insulated garage door improves your car's battery, making it more efficient. If the temperature fluctuates to different extremes, it can cause strain on your battery, forcing it to work harder and fail faster.
For more information about garage doors, go online to sites like https://shankdoor.com.
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