The garage is one of the main entryways to the house for many homeowners. It is often the biggest entryway on the outside of your property. As a result, the garage may be one of the most problematic sites for heat loss in your house, negatively compromising its energy efficiency.
Installing an insulated garage door is the greatest approach to decreasing heat loss through your garage. Garage door insulation provides other advantages in addition to enhanced energy efficiency, such as quieter operation and better overall door strength and longevity.
What Is An Insulated Garage Door?
Insulation inside an insulated garage door frame serves as a barrier between the exterior and interior temperatures.
During the building of a house, workers seal the walls with fibreglass insulation to produce an airtight seal. Thus, the weather outside will not impact the inside of your house. This reduces your heating costs and maintains your home’s comfort. The same may be said for your garage, thanks to its insulating properties.
Uninsulated garage doors typically consist of a single sheet of metal or wood and provide little advantages beyond serving as a barrier. However, insulated garage doors have two panels or a hollow door frame filled with insulation. This insulation material is the finest in its class for insulating garage doors.
What Are the Perks of Insulating Garage Doors?
Here are five reasons why you should consider garage door insulation for your home:
Saves Energy
The majority of energy-saving suggestions pertain to the inside of the home. It makes sense! Insulation, energy-efficient windows, and improved heating systems are all ways to prevent energy loss.
Consequently, it is not unusual that the bulk of energy-saving advice overlooks the garage. Garages are not typically considered home additions. However, garages often have air-conditioned chambers above them. Many also feature a door leading right into the home.
More Durable Doors
Durability is another advantage of an insulated garage door. Both home and commercial insulated garage doors are designed differently than single-layer doors, making them stronger. Given that your door must withstand automobiles, children, and equipment, it is sensible to have this increased durability
Many insulated doors manufactured nowadays have a steel or aluminium frame. The frame is stuffed with solid-core insulation, which is placed between single or double steel panels. This method of construction produces a door that is lightweight, energy-efficient, and less prone to be dented than older, uninsulated doors.
Reduced Heat Loss In Your Garage
In the wintertime, an insulated garage door reduces heat loss through the garage, thereby lowering the amount of energy used to heat your home. In warmer regions or seasons, insulation prevents excess heat from entering your garage, resulting in reduced cooling expenses and better comfort.
Better Sound Isolation
Insulation also minimises noise, which results in a quieter garage door operation. This will be quite a pleasure if you want to spend time in areas immediately next to or above the garage, where you are most likely to be disturbed by outside sounds.
Protects Your Vehicle And Belongings
Additionally, insulated garage doors may safeguard your vehicle. A vehicle housed in a garage with an insulated door is less likely to be exposed to cold temperatures. Since cold weather may influence your vehicle in a variety of ways, an insulated door can have a significant effect on its longevity.
Some of the ways that cold weather might impact automobiles are as follows:
- reduced battery life span or dead batteries
- transmission, engine, and braking fluids that are thickened
- low air pressure in tyres
- faulty ignition coils and wiring
The colder it is, the less probable it is that your vehicle will operate correctly.
Comparing Insulated Garage Doors
If you are looking for an insulated garage door, you may see a variety of statistics that indicate the insulation’s efficacy. Here is a concise explanation of each term:
R-Value
A garage door’s R-value indicates its capacity to prevent heat leakage. A greater R-value implies a slower heat transfer, which results in less warm air escaping in the summer and less cold air entering your garage in the winter. The greater the R-value of garage door insulation, the better! R-value is the most used energy efficiency measurement for garage doors.
U-Factor
U-factor is a second figure you may see while searching for a garage door, albeit it is not as common as R-value. U-factor reflects the heat flow through a material; hence a lower U-factor is preferable. Not all residential garage door manufacturers use them.
What Is The Best Type Of Garage Door Insulation?
There are many types of garage insulators to choose from on the market, but we have listed below the most common insulators you should consider in choosing and finding which one will provide you with the best result for a long period of time.
Fibreglass Insulation
Also known as glasswool insulation, fibreglass insulation is made of recycled fine glass material and spun into long fibres.
| Pros | Cons |
| sustainable | can only be installed into open cavities |
| fire resistant | can only reduce but not prevent airflow |
| acts as soundproofing | can cause irritation when it touches your skin or when inhaled |
| available in pre cut panels | loses insulation properties if poorly maintained |
| easy installation and can be self-installed | |
| inexpensive | |
| blocks heat and cold well |
Cellulose Insulation
Cellulose insulation is created from recycled paper, such as newspapers and cardboard, and is then used as insulation. It is applied with a spray on your garage door.
| Pros | Cons |
| sustainable | requires drywall |
| fire resistant | fairly expensive |
| does not block heat and cold well |
Rigid Foam Insulation
As the name suggests, rigid foam insulation is a thick sheet made of a styrofoam-like material.
| Pros | Cons |
| best for thin walls | if you always open your garage door, it is vulnerable to wear and tear |
| acts as soundproofing | most options are not fire resistant |
| customised size can be ordered | less flexible |
| blocks heat and cold well | actual cost varies and is based on the thickness of the board |
Takeaway
When searching for a new insulated garage door, there are a number of variables to think about. Nowadays, you must choose door section thickness, insulated windows, metal thickness, foam type, conventional or carriage house, and so forth. Garage insulation choices have evolved as a result of the increased demand for new homes in major cities throughout the globe.
Garage door insulation may provide several advantages, such as energy efficiency, quietness, strength, and extra inside protection, as seen on steel back garage doors. This post should have answered any queries you had when looking at insulated garage door choices for your house.
