An insulated garage door is beneficial in many ways, especially if your garage is attached to your house. When a garage door opens, it leaves nearly an entire wall open to the outside, breaching your home’s thermal envelope. Simply adding insulation later won’t help. Initially, you could save with a single-layer, non-insulated door, but it won’t save you in the long run. The benefits of built-in garage door insulation include:
1. Energy Savings
Since garages aren’t living spaces, the standards for insulating them are lower. Gaps and air leakage, though, have impacts beyond the garage since cold air can transfer to nearby rooms. An insulated door moderates the temperature inside the garage, so it’s less likely cooler air will infiltrate your home. Therefore, heating requirements and the energy needed for extra heating are reduced. The temperature difference between having a non-insulated versus insulated garage door can be about 12°F.
2. Durability
An insulated door is built stronger than a non-insulated one. It typically has a steel or aluminum frame with solid-core insulation. In addition to being strong, it is lightweight and stands up to abuse, holding up to cars, equipment, and even kids. Internal components are protected from temperature extremes as well; also, the door resists heat stress and damage from projectiles and weather.
3. Quietness
With insulation, a garage door tends to be quieter. Noise dampening and a tighter construction help reduce vibration and noise from loose chains, worn rollers, and lack of insulation. Even vibrating panels can create quite a bit of noise. An insulated garage door can eliminate this and the infiltration of noise from outside.
4. Protection
Cold air affects cars in many ways. By insulating your garage door, you can protect your vehicle from battery, engine, transmission, and brake wear; low tire pressure; and bad spark plugs and wiring. Garage door insulation can also prolong the life of canned paint, cleaning supplies, fertilizers, and motor oil.
Insulated Garage Door Options in Fresno
Insulation also makes it easier to do things inside your garage. But before you invest in a new garage door, consider the different options you have. Specializing in garage door installation in Fresno, Precision Door Service can offer you:
- Two-layer doors: Insulation behind a layer of steel back by a vinyl layer.
- Three-layer doors: A sandwich-type construction with insulation between two layers of steel.
Garage doors come with two types of insulation; polystyrene similar to the Styrofoam used in a cooler, and polyurethane that fills the entire panel for more solid construction. It’s used in most two- and three-layer garage doors, which operate more quietly and are more resistant to rusting and denting. Polyurethane is usually the most energy efficient material.
The material a garage door is made of also provides insulation. Aluminum, lightweight compared to steel, is a poor insulator, as is wood. Composite wood can be more insulating when it is layered over steel and other forms of insulation. Steel provides moderate insulation while being low maintenance and durable.
Insulation is measured by calculating a material’s R-value. The higher the R-value, the more effective a garage door is at preventing heat loss. However, insulation isn’t everything when it comes to energy efficiency. Other factors include:
- Windows, which can allow heat to escape.
- Improper fitting, which leads to thermal inefficiency.
- Poor quality hardware contributing to air leakage and energy loss.
Insulation therefore has many benefits. To learn more, contact Precision Door Service, a highly trusted Fresno garage door repair company, at 559-212-3305, or contact our customer support team online.
