Benefits of Buying an Insulated Garage Door in Florida
Considering Florida’s mild winters and hot and sunny summers, it is easy for homeowners in Florida to overlook important aspects of the home that help regulate temperature and increase efficiency, such as garage door insulation. Although many homeowners overlook garage door insulation, it is still an important part of any home because of the various benefits it offers.
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What You Need to Know About Garage Door Insulation
If you live in a Florida home with a non-insulated garage door, you may not understand the extent of the benefits of an upgraded garage door, the difference insulating a garage door makes, or you just do not know what information to consider when choosing an insulated garage door. Some important factors that contribute to the quality of your home include the different types of insulation you have and the measurement options of the insulation.
Polystyrene vs Polyurethane Garage Door Insulation
The first consideration to make when thinking about insulation for your garage door is the two basic types available. The two most commonly used garage door insulation materials are polystyrene and polyurethane.
Polystyrene insulation, typically the less expensive method of garage door insulation, is a material made from rigid panels with a vinyl back. This stiff board with padding sits flush against the inside surface of a single-layer garage door or between the layers of a two-layer garage door. Although this type of insulation will quiet the noise from the garage door’s operation and proves more energy-efficient than no insulation, it is not as efficient as polyurethane and it can also fall apart over time with continuous use.
With twice the insulating power of polystyrene insulation, polyurethane insulation is ideal for homeowners living in climates with more extreme temperatures like Florida summers. Polyurethane is more energy-efficient because of its material and method of installation. This type of insulation consists of a binding foam injected between the layers of the garage door that then expands to the entire area of the door, bonding to the door’s frame.
R-Value
After understanding the different types of garage door insulation you can choose from, the next thing to understand regarding the insulation is the R-value or the measure of the insulation’s thermal resistance per unit area. Insulation that is more effective has a higher R-value because the material is more resistant to conductive heat flow. Many different factors of the insulation dictate its R-value, including its density, its thickness and the individual layers of insulation.
In other words, the R-value represents the insulation’s ability to slow the transmission of heat. Better insulation has a higher R-value because it transfers heat more slowly than insulation with a low R-value. This means that if you choose an insulated garage door with a higher R-value, it will help keep the internal temperature of your house and garage from leaving the home through your garage door. More simply, the heat from the sun in the summer will seep into the home at a slower rate if you have insulation with a higher R-value, and if you have the heater on in the winter, a higher R-value will slow the heat that escapes your house.
Various garage doors and their insulation have an array of different R-values, so understanding what the values mean and knowing what will best benefit your home can help narrow down your garage door options.
U-Factor
Another important aspect to understand when deciding on garage door insulation is the U-factor or the thermal transmittance of the door. This refers to the measurement of how much heat transfer occurs through the entire door. Materials with lower U-factors have better insulation, making them more energy-efficient than ones with higher U-factors.
In comparison to R-value, U-factor measurements are often more accurate because they account for the heat transfer of the entire door, whereas R-value only considers the heat loss of the insulation and not the door itself. More specifically, U-factors consider various aspects of the door, including its frames, panels, retainers and other door hardware. Based on this idea, choose a garage door that has a lower U-factor to improve the energy efficiency of your home because it will keep your home cool in the summer and warm in the winter.
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Does Insulating a Garage Door Make a Difference?
After understanding the different aspects to consider when choosing a garage door and its insulation, you also should understand how these choices will benefit you and your home in the long run. Some of the benefits of an insulated garage door include:
1. Energy Efficiency
One of the greatest benefits of an insulated garage door is its energy efficiency. Increased energy efficiency means that your home requires less energy to complete the same job, reducing pollution in the process. In this case, if your home has an insulated garage door, your heating and cooling system does less work to regulate the temperatures of your home.
For example, if it is summertime and you have your air conditioning running to keep your home at a certain temperature but you do not have an insulated garage door, the cold air from your home escapes through the garage, which also allows the hot air from outside to come in. This makes it harder for your air-conditioning system to regulate air control, forcing it to do more work to make up for the air loss. The same thing occurs in the winter, except hot air escapes from within the garage, allowing cold air in from outside.
However, if you invest in a garage door with proper insulation, this will help make your home more energy-efficient, reducing pollution created by your home.
2. Lower Energy Bills
Directly relating to energy efficiency is the cost of your energy bills. When your garage door does not have proper insulation, your heating and cooling system has to work harder to maintain your home’s desired temperatures, which increases the cost of your energy bill. Therefore, investing in a garage door with proper insulation now can help your home be more energy-efficient and eco-friendly while saving you money on your energy bills in the future.
3. Improved Durability
Garage doors sustain a lot of wear and tear from a variety of factors, including the constant movement of opening and closing the door, weather damage and other outside elements. Although you can expect this type of everyday damage as it is normal, there are ways to help improve the durability of your garage door.
One of the best ways to improve garage door durability is by getting a door that has the proper insulation. Insulation adds an extra layer to your door, making it more sturdy and rigid. This helps lend more support to your door, lessening the impact everyday use has on the appearance and working parts.
Aside from the door’s appearance and outward functions, insulation also helps keep the internal hardware of your garage door in better functioning condition for longer periods of time. Many of the moving parts of your garage door, such as the rollers, cables, springs and wires, react negatively to extreme temperatures and sudden changes in temperature. If your door has effective insulation, this can prevent the erosion of or damage to the moving parts of your garage door by protecting them from the weather and temperature.
Regardless of whether you choose polystyrene or polyurethane insulation, both of these options give your door the extra support it needs to last longer and added safety to ensure the security of you and your home.
4. Temperature Control
Florida’s practically year-round sunny and warm weather is an attractive selling point for many homes in the area. However, Florida’s elevated temperatures can easily transfer into your home, making it less comfortable for you to live in. If you step into your garage and find it to be overheating, this can lead to the transfer of extreme temperatures into your home.
One of the most effective ways to prevent this from happening is by keeping your garage cool is by ensuring your garage door has the proper insulation. Having an insulated garage door makes it more difficult for the hot air from outside to get in and for the cool air produced by your air-conditioning system to get out. Insulation allows you to regulate your garage and your home’s temperature year-round.
There are many reasons temperature control is an important part of home maintenance, especially regarding your garage. Not only does this affect the temperatures of the rest of your home, but the temperature of your garage also affects anything stored there. For example, if you keep your car in the garage and the garage is hot, this heat will transfer to your car, leaving you uncomfortable for the start of your drive. Also, an insulated garage door allows you to store important tools and equipment that may be temperature sensitive.
5. Quieter
Although you can expect any machine with moving parts to make a certain level of noise, there gets to be a point where the noise is excessive and can be prevented. If you find that your garage door makes exaggerated amounts of noise when opening and closing, check both the internal hardware and the door itself. If the moving parts make minimal noise, the door itself may be the culprit, in which case, insulation might be your best solution.
Garage doors that are lightweight and do not have insulation can rattle and shake more than insulated and heavier doors. If your garage door is not insulated, you may find the panels shake as the door moves along the tracks, causing a knocking or banging sound. An insulated garage door, on the other hand, is thicker with a tight construction that allows for less hollow space or loose materials within the door. This limits the noise your garage door makes when you raise or lower it. Similarly, insulation can act as a buffer, dampening vibrations and noises and muffling some of the natural sounds a garage door can produce.
Insulated garage doors can also help lessen the noise getting through the door from the outside. Garage door insulation can help absorb outside noise, lessening the effects you hear from anything from thunderstorms to construction in the neighborhood. While insulation will not prevent all the noise pollution that gets into your home, it will muffle some of the outside sounds, making them more muted than a garage door without insulation.
6. Convenience
With all of these different benefits of an insulated garage door in mind, it is easy to see that having the proper garage door for your home can increase your overall convenience. Living in a home with higher energy efficiency, reduced output of pollution and lower energy bills can be extremely satisfying, especially when the only aspect of your life you change is the status of your garage door. Insulating your garage door is a relatively simple change that does not require much of you while offering increased convenience. In fact, updating your garage door to something properly insulated can help your garage door last longer, meaning that your investment now can save you money and time in the long run.
Also, regarding temperature control, regulating the temperature of your garage door is advantageous for you because it can increase your comfort while performing daily tasks in the garage. For example, if you have children you need to buckle and unbuckle from a car seat or if you have equipment to load or unload from the car, doing so in a temperature-regulated garage can increase your comfort. Because your garage door acts as a buffer zone between the heat from outside and the air conditioning inside, the garage should be a comfortable temperature for you to get your car ready.
Contact ADCO Garage Doors for Garage Door Services in South Florida
After understanding the benefits of an insulated garage door in Florida, if you feel like your garage door does not provide you with the energy efficiency, temperature control and convenience of a properly insulated one, contact us at ADCO Garage Doors today.
Serving the greater Broward & Miami-Dade counties, ADCO Garage Doors is one of South Florida’s leading providers for residential and commercial garage doors and openers. With accolades like an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau, among others, at ADCO, we pride ourselves on providing you with garage door installations and repairs you will be more than satisfied with. With our outstanding customer service, a wide range of garage door options and professionally trained employees, we encourage you to join the thousands of satisfied customers who have trusted us to be their go-to garage door company.
Contact us with any questions or request an estimate today if you are interested in learning more about our garage door installation and services!