With the holiday season upon us, it’s more important than ever to save as much as you can. Instead of clipping coupons and looking for Black Friday sales, look to your own home to save money. The Overhead Door Company of Western Kentucky has energy-saving garage door options that can shave hundreds of your annual heating and cooling costs. Find out about some of our models and other garage updates you can make to cut your energy bill.
Look At The R-Value Of Your Door
R-value is a measure of thermal efficiency (the “R” stands for resistance to heat flow). The higher the R-value the greater the insulating properties of the door. If you want an energy-saving garage door for your home, look for a door with an R-value of 12. That number drops to 10 if your garage door is detached.
Several factors affect the R-value your home needs:
- Where you live: You’ll need insulated garage doors with a higher R-value if you live in a cold climate like the Northeast than if you live in a warm climate.
- How your home is built: Is it a single-level or multilevel structure? Do you have cathedral ceilings? Is there a basement? Each of these factors helps determine the level of insulation your home needs.
- How you heat and cool your home: Whether you have a furnace, central air conditioner, or a heat pump can make a difference in your garage door insulation decisions.
No matter the factors, OHD has the perfect door for all situations. Our Thermacore®️ Wind Load insulated garage doors have some of the highest R-values on the market – as high as 16 in some cases.
Look For A Positive Outlet
Do you feel a draft coming from your outlets? More often than not, outlets and wall switches are left out when insulating a home. This can lead to a sneaky amount of heat loss. Anywhere from 2-5% of all residential heat loss comes from electrical outlets and wall switches. Behind the wall socket is an electrical box that penetrates into the wall cavity. This causes air to leak into, and out of, the home. Electrical outlet insulation is installed by simply fitting foam padding behind the outlet and switch covers. The padding blocks drafts coming from outside without interfering with electricity flow. Foam electrical outlet garage door insulation is affordable, costing just about 10 cents per unit.
Window Pain
The most susceptible areas for heat loss in your home are the windows. Often, water leaks at a window as a result from a breakdown in the connection between the window frame and the wall. To prevent leaks, caulk the window where it meets the exterior siding. If the window is surrounded by wood trim, use a high-grade polyurethane caulk to seal all gaps between the trim and the siding (and the trim and the window).
For a cheaper alternative, most home improvement stores carry draft-stopping tapes and weather stripping similar to what you would find on the bottom of your energy-saving garage door.
For more info on how to draft-proof your home — or to set up an appointment to get your very own energy-saving garage door — contact the Overhead Door Company of Western Kentucky.
