Do I Need an Insulated Garage Door?

Is your garage door insulated? Should it be? As your premiere Minnesota garage door company, we definitely recommend an insulated garage door for homes in climates like ours. Investing in an insulated door saves heat, energy, and money, and keeps you comfortable all winter.

Let’s look closer at the advantages of insulated vs non-insulated garage doors and what options you have to better insulate your garage.

Do Insulated Garage Doors Really Make a Difference?

Consider your garage an extension of your home. Attached garages often have insulated walls to keep in heat, so your garage can serve as a buffer between you and the cold.

But having an insulated garage without an insulated door is like leaving the door open.

The cold (or heat) that can pass through an uninsulated garage door acts like a temperature draw. It steals energy and comfort away from your home.

5 Reasons to Install an Insulated Garage Door

1. Conserve energy. With an insulated door, your home loses less heat through the garage. Your furnace works less hard and you save money on utility bills.
2. Comfort. Keeping a warmer garage is more hospitable for the homeowner, whether you’re just climbing into the car or working in your garage workshop.
3. Dependability. Structurally, insulated doors are less likely to flex and come out of alignment.
4. Noise. Insulated doors are much quieter than non-insulated doors.
5. Longevity. The working parts of the garage door and the garage door opener function better when they are kept in moderate temperatures. Extreme cold and heat puts added stress on these parts, making them more likely to have problems. You will see less ice on the outside of your door as well.

What is the Best Garage Door Insulation for Cold Climates?

When it comes to insulation, whether it's for homes or garage doors, the key metric is the R-value. The R-value refers to the thermal resistance of a material, specifically its capacity to resist heat flow. A material with a high R-value is better equipped to prevent heat from escaping in the winter or entering in the summer. This makes spaces with high R-value more energy-efficient and comfortable.

Pros evaluate the quality of insulated garage doors with an “R rating.” The rating scales from 0 to 19 to denote the door’s resistance to heat transfer (whether in or out), with 0 being no insulation at all (i.e. uninsulated steel door). Here are the breakdowns to help you choose the best insulation for your garage door. 

Garage Door Insulation Materials and Their R-Values

0-5: Zero to minimal insulation - Fiberglass, usually in batts or rolls, is the choice for minimal garage door insulation. When utilized in garage doors, fiberglass provides an R-value ranging from R-2.9 to R-3.8 per inch, depending on the specific product and its density.

5-8: Nominally insulated – Polystyrene is a popular, cost-effective insulation material, often available in the form of rigid panels that fit into the door sections. Depending on the thickness of the panels, doors with polystyrene insulation typically have R-values between R-4 to R-10. This is good for temperate climates without very high or very low temperature shifts.

9-13: Good insulation - Many doors we sell here in the Twin Cities are in this range. Garage doors with an insulation rating in this range will likely be multilayered polystyrene panels or a version of polyurethane foam described below. 

13-19:Excellent insulation – Polyurethane Foam is one of the most common insulating materials used in garage doors. This insulation type is sprayed into the door panels, where it expands and adheres to the panel's interior, creating a strong bond. It's known for its excellent insulating properties and contributes to the door's rigidity and soundproofing. Garage doors insulated with polyurethane foam often have R-values ranging from R-12 to R-18.perfect for those who heat their garages for garage work and want to ensure their garage door doesn’t lose heat.

Considering an Insulated Garage Door?

If you’re weighing the pros and cons of an insulated vs non-insulated garage door, we’d be happy to review the options with you. To chat with our team about garage door insulation and other options in new garage doors, schedule a free consultation or call us now: South Metro : (925) 960-9411 | East Metro : (651) 427-1158 | North Metro : (763) 634-6380 | West Metro : (612) 425-1988.

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