You know how Canadian winters last forever, right? It’s no surprise that around 60% of the energy used in a Canadian home is spent on heating. To help save energy costs, you can invest in energy efficient exterior doors at the key points of heat transfer and air leakage in the house.

You can take different steps to make heating your home more cost-efficient, like changing your heater’s fuel type and ensuring that the windows are energy efficient. But one of the best ways is to lower the use of heaters by installing energy efficient exterior doors.

What is an energy efficient door?

Replacing your existing doors and windows to incorporate energy efficient materials is one of the best things to do to cut your heating costs. Having your exterior doors made out of energy efficient materials can add to the value of the property and give comfort to the residents during winter.

When your doors are made of property insulated materials, they can keep the heat out with their ability of thermal reflection. The temperature remains warm and consistent inside the house, and you won’t need to spend too much heating. This entire process is also helpful for the environment.

What is the best material for an exterior entry door?

Choosing the right material for your energy efficient exterior doors is highly essential. Sometimes, fiberglass, steel, and wood are used together in making the best budget doors.

 

Let’s check out the importance of these materials before making a purchase on energy efficient doors…

a) Fiberglass Doors

Fiberglass doors are a popular choice as they don’t demand a lot of maintenance. Besides, they offer high insulation to increase energy efficiency. They can be designed with wood grain texture for a wooden finish. They also resist wear and tear better than other materials. But if you choose low-quality fiberglass, it can crack in the cold. High-quality fiberglass won’t break till it gets a hard impact.

b) Steel Doors

When it comes to doors steel is inexpensive, but it offers high energy efficiency. It’s also strong, making it one of the popular materials exterior doors in harsh weather conditions. The only maintenance it needs is occasional painting over scratches to prevent rust. You should also get new steel doors and windows painted. The dents on steel are difficult to repair, but you won’t see cracking or warping.

c) Wood Doors

A wooden door is the type of door that is preferred for its beauty. At the same time, this door material is heavy and safe and does not get damaged easily. That’s why it is quite expensive. Wood may develop dents and scratches, but these problems are not challenging to fix. But you must repaint or refinish wooden doors regularly and resort to weatherstripping to protect them from weather elements.

d) Vinyl Doors

Vinyl is energy efficient exterior door material that people choose these days. It needs the lowest maintenance and doesn’t give in to corrosion or termites. It offers excellent insulation. But it’s not as strong as other options, and no matter what style or design you pick, it doesn’t look good for external doors like home entrance or patio doors. Long exposure to direct sunlight can also make it deteriorate.

What is the R value of an exterior door?

At the time of choosing the right materials for exterior doors for your home that can lock the heat in the house, it’s not enough to order wooden, fiberglass, or steel doors. Homeowners must also look into the R value or Reflectivity value. This value denotes amounts of energy the door can reflect.

R value is measured on a scale of 1-9. Ideally, your door should have a value of 7-9 to give you the best energy efficiency. It is advised that you do not go below 5. This value is not to be confused with the U value, which indicates the insulation capability of window panels to maintain heat levels in your home.

Which doors are the best for a home?

From grille patterns to glass panels, the options for stylish door designs are many. In your attempt to prevent air leakage and heat loss, you don’t need to compromise on style. Here’s how you can maintain a balance of stylishness and effective energy efficiency –

a) Glass: 

Glass inserts can be attractive, but to prevent it from reducing the insulating value, always go for glass with double or triple panels.

b) Adjustable Threshold:

These can keep the door sealed against weather elements – and since they are adjustable, they will not leave an undesirable impact on the appearance.

c) Stiles and Rails

These are braces that can keep wooden doors from warping or bowing. Laminated wooden stiles and rails with veneer covering offer the best resistance.

Other tips for external doors

Here are a few other things to do to cut energy costs –

a) Weatherstripping

Besides installing energy efficient doors, homeowners also resort to weatherstripping that acts as a seal to prevent heat loss or air leakage. This is a great solution to increase the energy efficiency of the doors in homes. An insulating strip is placed around the door frame for the purpose of sealing the gaps.

b) Removing Storm Door

You should rethink the storm door in front of entry doors or patio doors with glass panes. Storm doors usually have glass panels that can trap heat and cause damage to the entry door. Since they are designed to allow air to flow freely for better ventilation, it will also cause heat loss from inside.

c) Energy Star

Don’t forget to check the Energy Star rating of the materials of doors and windows. Be it a steep door, a fiberglass door, or a wood door: the logo is proof of the effectiveness of the door materials. Expect to shell out a little more for energy efficient doors that are tested and Energy Star-qualified.

Final Words

For the best advice on the right energy efficient doors for your house, contact Traux Design Centre, the best in the business of doors and windows for your home.

 

 

We have a stock of the best products, be it fibreglass doors or designer windows with classy glass panes. Just call us or get in touch with us at our email address to know more.