Written by Rachel Green
With increasing environmental awareness, property owners today want to reduce environmental harm. This thought process has begun to encompass home renovation works as well, and even garage doors are not left behind. Your garage door might be the last thing on your mind when thinking about going green, but it greatly contributes to the energy efficiency of your house, adding to its carbon footprint. From materials to insulation to garage door openers, going green can go a long way toward appeasing the Earth while saving your dollar and cents in the long term. Here is what you should know before you invest in a truly sustainable garage door.
Choose Energy-Efficient Materials
Perhaps one of the easiest ways through which one can make their garage door a little more ‘green’ is through material choice-energy efficiency. A regular garage door, especially those of steel or made of un-insulated wood, may lead to major heat loss during winter and heat gain during summer. This forces your HVAC to struggle even harder with heating up or cooling your interior to keep it at a pleasant temperature inside; hence, this causes higher energy consumption bills and a larger carbon footprint.
The insulated garage doors are designed to regulate the garage’s temperature inside it and save energy. In particular, if your garage is attached to your home, that can prevent cold or hot air from seeping into your living spaces. Look for doors with either polyurethane or polystyrene insulation since they offer fantastic thermal resistance.
Think of going green in materials: recycled steel or wood sourced from sustainable sources. Not only will these materials last and last, but they can greatly reduce the environmental impact of mining new materials. And composite wood, manufactured from recycled wood fibers, gives you natural-wood appearance without contributing to deforestation.
- Go Solar with Your Garage Door Openers
Other ways to make your garage greener include the installation of a solar-powered garage door opener. Traditional garage door openers run on electricity, increasing the consumption of your home. A solar-powered opener would, on its part, run from the energy provided by the sun and would thus be a green alternative independent from the grid.
It is easy to install, and solar-powered openers are available with panels mounted on the roof or walls of your garage. Though highly priced when compared to a standard electric opener, this unit saves a lot of money in the long run on your electricity bill and helps the environment a great deal, making it well worth the investment. Also, with the majority of the solar openers, they offer backup batteries in case of power outages, so your garage door will continue working.
- Low-VOC Paints and Finishes
If you are thinking of a custom garage door or planning to paint an existing one, be very conscious of the type of paint or finish you will use. Most paints and coatings contain VOCs, which are chemicals that emit gases that are harmful to the environment and health while drying. This leads to indoor air pollution and is dangerous for both the environment and your family’s health.
Instead, opt for low-VOC or zero-VOC paints and finishes, which are designed to minimize the potentially toxic emissions. These alternatives have the same inbuilt strength and attractiveness, are easily available, and cause far less harm to the environment.
- Energy Efficiency by Garage Door Seals
One of the most overlooked areas when performing garage door installations is the weatherstripping and seals around the door. Gaps between the floor and door, or between the sides, can let drafts into your garage and put added stress on your HVAC system. This is especially true in extreme conditions, whether hot or cold, since your system will need to work harder to counteract this energy loss.
Well-installed good-quality weatherstripping and bottom seals will make your garage door airtight and prevent energy from being wasted inside. It will maintain the indoor temperature inside the house, which will be a huge factor in your home’s general energy efficiency.
- Recycle Your Old Garage Door
Should you be replacing an existing door, remember to recycle the old one. The garage doors are made of recyclable materials such as steel, aluminum, and wood. Call your local recycling center to see how to dispose of the old door properly so it will not end up in a landfill. Most garage door installers are offering recycling as part of their package, so be sure to ask when you schedule your installation.
Conclusion
An eco-friendly garage door is much more than just selecting materials that will sustain the environment; it’s about making smart decisions that will add up to the overall energy efficiency and environmental footprint of your home. From insulated materials, solar-powered openers to low-VOC finishes, here’s how to make your garage door more sustainable.
By investing in eco-friendly options, you will be reducing your environmental impact and saving money on energy bills in the long term. Oh, and if you are replacing an old door, remember to recycle it-a very important step in waste reduction. With more and more homeowners having concern for sustainability, these little steps add up to a greener, more energy-efficient future for all of us.