Because many of us just use our garages for storage, we fail to realize the importance of having insulated garage doors. If your home is like most homes in America, then your garage is attached to your home. In fact, the common wall between the garage and home probably accounts for almost ¼ of your home's entire wall space. By not having an insulated garage door, you are exposing your garage and your home to the elements.
Insulated garage doors aren't really a concern in climates which are neither too cold nor too hot. If you live in an area where the temperature doesn't get above 80 degrees or below 50 degrees, then you probably don't need to concern yourself with an insulated garage door. Since this temperate zone only accounts for a small part of America, the rest of us should be investing in insulated doors.
Highest quality insulated garage doors are made from two pieces of steel with the insulation located between. The amount of insulation is labeled by the R-value. The higher the R-value is, the more thermal protection the garage door will provide. A level of 9 or above is very good. Of course, as the R-value increases, the price of a garage door does too. High quality insulated doors are also much more secure against security break-ins. A lower cost and lower quality type insulated door is available with just 1 layer of steel, plus a layer of insulation with a plastic covering. Non-insulated garage doors only have one layer of steel.
Even though insulated garage doors are more expensive, they are a good investment towards going green. If you live in a moderately-cold area, the amount of money saved on your heating bills will, over time, offset the price of an insulated door.There are other benefits to an insulated garage door, other than just saving on heat bills and going green. Because the rooms in your house which are next to the garage usually are colder, an insulated garage door can help reduce this temperature difference. The temperature of your garage will also stay more consistent. Since fluctuations in temperature can cause moisture, insulated garage doors can help protect against mold growth and damages to items stored in your garage. Also, insulated garage doors significantly reduce outside noise.
If you are shopping for a garage door on a budget, you can get a non-insulated garage door for as low as $350 for an 8x7. However, you will see the bad effects on your heating bill in the winter. For around $500, you can get a garage door with an R-value of 6 or better. For about $600, you can get the highest quality insulated garage door with an R-15 insulation value. It is important to not, since an insulated garage door tends to be of higher quality, they usually will come with better warranties than non-insulated doors.
