Insulated garage doors are a good idea for homes that experience very high or very low temperatures. Insulated doors can be made with steel-polyurethane-steel (sandwich) along with between-section seals that have thermal breaks that will help reduce air infiltration. These doors can come in different designs, flexibility, durability and thermal efficiency that will allow your home to be more comfortable in hot or cold climates.
Five Reasons to Upgrade to an Insulated Garage Door
1. When you have a garage door that is insulated, you can conserve energy and your home will lose less heat because the garage remains warmer.
2. Having a warmer garage is more comfortable for homeowners when you’re working in the garage or just getting into it.
3. An insulated garage door is structurally better and less likely to come out of alignment due to flexing.
4. Garage doors that aren’t insulated are louder than insulated ones.
5. Your garage door opener and all working parts will work better when they’re exposed to moderate temperatures. They’re also under added stress in extreme cold or heat, and that can lead to problems.
Energy Efficient Garage Door R Ratings
You may wonder how much insulation you need. Insulated garage doors are assigned an “R rating” from 0 to 19 to establish the doors resistance to heat transfer (in or out), with 0 meaning no insulation whatsoever. A zero rating is a steel door that’s uninsulated. An R rating of 0-5 is minimal to none, 5-8 nominally insulted and ideal for areas where the climate doesn’t get very high or very low temperatures. A 9-13 rating is good insulation and 13-19 is excellent insulation. These ratings are good for those that heat their garage to work in it. This R-rating will also make sure that heat isn’t being lost through the garage door.
Insulating an Existing Garage Door
There are three popular types of insulation.
1. Batt insulation is flexible and is used in many exterior walls. It’s commonly made of fiberglass and is typically backed with paper or foil which helps as air and vapor barriers. R-values range from 3-4 per inch of thickness and the average cost is 30 cents per square foot.
2. Foam board insulation are rigid panels made from polystyrene and give a high insulating value for not a lot of thickness. A 1/2 inch panel will have a 3.3 R-value to 1 inch having 6.5. They can be faced with vinyl or aluminum and a 1 inch 4 by 8 foot sheet will average $20.
3. Reflective insulation comes in rigid boards and rolls of reflective insulation with a high reflective aluminum foil that can be on one or both sides of the material used to insulate. Made from cardboard and polyethylene bubbles. This insulation is excellent at reflecting radiant heat that is great for garages that really heat up in hot summer climates. The R-value is 3.5 to 6.
Garage Door Services in Las Vegas, Summerlin, North LV & Henderson
There are many benefits to upgrading to an insulated garage door. Contact Quality Garage Door Repair today for all your residential garage door needs.