Reasons to Install Insulated Garage Doors

With the increase in demand for what is in effect a finite global resource, over the last few years there has been a significant increase in the cost of energy. With prices now at a point where homeowners are looking for effective ways of reducing energy consumption, the rise of the insulated garage door has become apparent.

Whilst installing loft insulation and double glazed windows may seem like an obvious solution, many homeowners are not aware of the fact that heat is escaping out of the garage opening at an alarming rate.

Where the garage is attached to the house, this heat loss means that heating systems need to work harder than they otherwise might should the space be adequately insulated from the elements.

If we consider the fact that the garage opening is the largest structural opening within the home, then it is obvious why insulation is important. You would not leave a window open on a cold winter`s night, so why settle for a rattling old garage door that in effect creates the same amount of heat loss.

Unlike a traditional garage door that is constructed from only a single sheet of thin metal, the thick energy efficient foam filled core of an insulated garage door acts as a really tough barrier against not only the heat escaping but also the cold from entering the inside of the garage in the first place.

Once installed across the garage opening, an insulated garage door will make the inside of the home considerably warmer and therefore more energy efficient leading to savings off energy bills.

Whilst traditional garage doors are available in many forms, the most popular form of energy efficient doors is either an insulated sectional garage door or an insulated roller garage door.

These two types of design are great at insulating due to their design and the way in which they are installed. Because they are fitted to the inside face of the opening with the door panel overlapping  the brickwork, a really tight weather seal is formed preventing draughts getting in. In addition to this the bottom of the door is fitted with a rubber strip to prevent draughts getting under the door.

Roller Garage Doors

These are really popular where homeowners are looking for a simple to operate unit that not only offers a level of insulation but also allows for additional storage space to be created inside the garage roof space. As the door opens, the material coils around a drum wheel located above the lintel and is housed inside a neat and compact box that takes up little room.

The drawback to insulated garage roller doors is that they cannot be overly thick otherwise the door would simply not roll up. For this reason the maximum thickness tends to be 18mm thick. Whilst pretty good at insulating, they are really a trade off in terms of storage space / energy efficiency.

Sectional Garage Doors

Unlike insulated roller garage doors, the design of a sectional door means that the panel thickness can be much greater leading to increased levels of thermal performance. Whereas a roller door coils up, the panels of a sectional garage door retract back inside the garage and are housed in the ceiling space when the door is opened. Whilst no additional storage space is created, the door can now be made up to 42mm thick which will seriously protect the garage space from the elements no matter how cold it gets.

In conclusion, replacing the old garage door that was probably fitted to your home some time ago when energy conservation was not an issue for a modern and up to date insulated garage door is a really sensible option and costs far less than you may first imagine.