Most homeowners don’t spend much time thinking about their external doors unless there is something wrong with them. Perhaps because doors are something we pass through on our way to somewhere else, we tend to assume that if it isn’t causing problems, it doesn’t need to be fixed.
But the truth is that your doors may be costing you a significant amount of money without you even realizing it, especially if you live in a colder region. More than 10% of the heat your house loses escapes due to old, poorly insulated, or improperly installed doors, and over the course of an entire winter this can represent hundreds or even thousands of dollars in energy costs.
Another example of an investment that pays off down the road is upgrading your hot water tank to an electric tankless system. Your traditional hot water tank wastes a lot of energy keeping a large quality of water constantly hot instead of just heating up what you use.
While doors are just one part of your home’s overall building envelope, they are a great place to start if you want to make your home more energy efficient because they are one of the easiest features to upgrade. Installing new doors doesn’t take long with professional help, and you’ll be able to notice the difference right away.
How To Make An Energy Efficient Choice
When evaluating which replacement door option is right for you, there are two important things to consider: materials, and certification.
A variety of different materials are used in building energy efficient doors, and your choice will likely come down to personal taste, but generally there are three kinds of material you will want to consider:
- Steel
- Fibreglass
- Vinyl
Each of these materials has its own properties (vinyl is particularly good for patio doors, for example, while steel can improve your home’s curb appeal), but in every case it is important to make sure that the manufacturer has been approved by Energy Star or an equivalent industry or government program.
Not only does certification ensure that the product you are buying will actually make your home more efficient, it also improves your home’s value by communicating to future buyers that you have installed quality materials.
Efficiency or Aesthetics? Why Not Both!
If you source your replacements from the right company, you can even incorporate it into a larger facelift that will improve the overall look of your house.
There is a common misconception that homeowners have to choose between style and function when it comes to doors, but nothing could be further from the truth:the latest models from companies like EcoTech Windows & Doors that specialize in energy efficient options offer homeowners a wide range of different styles designed to match any decorative vision, which means your brand-new heat-saving doors will improve your home’s efficiency and aesthetics.
Making your home more energy efficient might seem like a lot of work, but saving energy and improving insulation doesn’t require you to completely retrofit your home. By making small changes every year, like replacing inefficient doors and windows, you can gradually work toward your final goal of a completely efficient home.
And with the money you save every successive winter, it won’t take long before your investment starts to pay off!