Everyone knows the importance of insulating the doors, windows and walls inside your home but how much consideration have you ever given to whether or not you have properly insulated garage doors? Probably not a lot, especially if your garage is not directly attached to your home. Garage door insulation, or a lack of it, impacts your utility bills because your garage door is typically the largest opening in your home, as well as a place that some people like to hang out in . For those reasons alone, a well insulated garage door is important, whether or not is located next to your home or not.
Is your Garage Door Already Insulated?
Many newer garage doors are already adequately insulated straight from the manufacturer. If yours is just a few years old and you are not sure you should see if you can find its “R” rating. The higher the number, the better the insulated garage doors are performing to even out temperatures and keep energy in. An R rating of around 4.6-5 is adequate but some newer doors have an R rating of 8 or 9, making them some of the most efficiently insulated garage doors on the market.
R Ratings Considerations when Purchasing Insulated Garage Doors
There are lots of things to consider when purchasing new garage doors. Size, function and style all play important roles in your decision but the garage doors R rating should also come into play when you are making your choice.
Doors that are insulated garage doors right out of the “box” are made up of at least two layers, designed to stop heat from escaping in the winter and keep the garage at a cooler, more even temperature in the hot summer months.
Insulated Garage Doors – What to Do about Older Doors
If you have older garage doors, especially metal ones, chances are that their R rating is not very good. This does not have to mean that they have to be replaced in order for you to have well insulated garage doors. There are a number of companies that sell garage door insulation kits that can be installed to improve the R rating of an existing garage door.
You do not have to go to a specialist store to find these kits to fit a standard size garage door. For example the Owens Corning Garage Door Insulation Kit is a simple to use and install kit to turn garage doors of a standard nine feet into properly insulated garage doors. The kit is readily available in stores and on-line and costs well under $100.
The installation process should only take a few hours and you do not particularly need any special tools or skills to get the job done. The savings in energy bills, especially if your garage is attached to your home, should mean that the kit pays for itself in a very short amount of time.
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