Homeowners looking for ways to make their house “green” or eco-friendly shouldn’t overlook the hardest working door in the house.

As the largest moving part on a home, the garage door plays an important role in energy efficiency and sustainability – two important criteria in green building design. Green building is about reducing environmental impact. With an average life cycle of 15 to 20 years, investing in a durable garage door that can withstand the rigors of daily use is money well spent for your home and the environment. Long-lasting eco friendly products help reduce the impact of manufacturing and building on the environment, as well as distribution fuel costs and general waste. When shopping for a door that is built to last look for galvanized torsion springs, 3-layer galvanized steel construction, a baked-on paint finish that resists fading and peeling, and CFC-free insulation. Insulated steel and composite polymer “faux wood” doors are becoming popular alternatives to real wood doors for two reasons: they are more energy efficient, and the construction material is UV resistant and impervious to moisture, meaning it won’t rot, warp or crack. Therefore, the door won’t need to be refurbished or replaced as frequently as one constructed from natural materials.

Energy Efficiency

An insulated door on your garage can help reduce household energy consumption if you have an attached garage. Since attached garages typically share one or two common walls with the house, any hot or cold air that travels through a door will ultimately reach the adjacent living areas. An insulated garage door can help stabilize temperatures in the garage to reduce heat losses or gains from common house walls. Replacing an older door with a new, energy efficient model can reduce energy loss through the garage by up to 71%, and keep an unheated garage 10 -20 degrees warmer on a cold winter day, according to a study conducted by engineers at Clopay Building Products. Three-layer steel garage doors featuring environmentally safe, CFC-free, polyurethane insulation foam injected between two sheets of steel typically offer the highest R-values. R-value is a measurement of thermal efficiency of a door, or how well it insulates. The higher the R-value, the more energy efficient the door is.

Sustainability

In coastal areas or regions where high winds are common, the garage door is a critical element in protecting a home during a storm. Because of their size, garage doors are more susceptible to wind damage than other exterior openings – especially two-car garages. Unless you have a tested, reinforced door installed, high winds can force it out of the opening. The loss of a garage door can cause internal pressure to build up, resulting in a total blowout of the roof and supporting walls – similar to an explosion. Investigate local building requirements and make sure your door meets them.

If you are like many homeowners on the hunt for a new garage door, then you are probably curious about the way it will look on your house. You’ve more than likely driven yourself bonkers trying to figure out which door model, color and materials fits best within your while still getting that appealing look.

As you begin your quest for a new garage door, you may be trying to choose one that looks great in a brochure. But what you should really be looking for is a new door that looks stunning on YOUR HOME!

Garage Door Style Can Add Value To Your Home

Your garage door covers approximately 30% of the front of your dwelling and is visible to all on-lookers on foot and by car. Studies have shown that a well chosen, aesthetically pleasing garage door can actually bump up the curb appeal, price and value of your home anywhere from 1-5%. That means that the right door can make your home more attractive to buyers and even more profitable to you! In the current housing market slump, anything you can do to help differentiate your home and make it more appealing than another is a smart investment.

Investing in a new garage door is not cheap. Installation of a new door will start in the low $500’s, for a cheap looking steel pan door, to a few thousand for a custom built wood door. Before moving forward with a fairly large investment on a new door make sure you are going to be happy with the outcome by choosing a door that looks like a million bucks on YOUR home.

Ask your garage door installer if they have a way to show you a picture of what the door you decide on will look like on your house. Today, operations are equipping their technicians with the technology to make those inner-visions a reality before you commit to placing the order. Sales representatives can come to your house with a laptop and digital camera. They take a photo of your house, then feed the images into their laptop. After a few minutes running through their system they can show you exactly what your home will look like with a new door on it. Give it a try!

Remember, what you want is a beautiful looking exterior that not only you enjoy while living in your home, but that others will enjoy when considering to buy your home. Ultimately, what you want is something that is both affordable and looks appealing.