If you are looking for the best garage door, insulated or not could be a good option. Let’s see what are the main differences between both models and how to find out if insulated garage doors are better than non-insulated doors.
Insulation Materials
As well as being more resistant, an insulated garage door can have insulation materials at its interior, which could improve the overall quality of the door even further. As you may already know, nowadays our garage doors come with many different types of designs that also vary in terms of energy efficiency. If your home is connected to the city grid through overhead power lines, having an insulating modern version installed would not only allow you to save electricity but it may also mean that there is less noise when opening or closing your garage door.
Having garage doors insulated is smart because the insulated door has an insulation layer made of polystyrene. If you are looking for more features, the best option could be an HR (High Resistance) model, which not only provides better insulation but also reinforces the overall strength of the door.
What is an Insulated Garage Door?
An insulated garage door is one that has insulation materials at its interior which help protect against harsh weather conditions by reducing rattle and noise, as well as energy loss during the opening or closing of the door. This happens due to better protection but also because of improved security with time. That’s why an insulated door is not only advantageous in terms of energy efficiency but also because it takes more time for a burglar to break into your home.
Is Insulating Garage Door Worth It?
It is generally believed that an insulated garage door is worth it, however, there are many factors that determine whether or not this is the case. That’s why we recommend you to check out what would be the most appropriate model according to your home and specific needs.
If you live in a place with severe weather conditions such as extreme heat or cold, having an insulated garage door with proper insulation materials at its interior may certainly help reduce energy loss and noise during its operation
Having said that, our advice would be to try and improve your home insulation by all means in order to really see how an insulated garage door could benefit you and if it’s worth it compared to a non-insulated version.
This is precisely why we recommend you to always go for a quality garage door and not just any other model as the better insulation materials it has, the more efficient and quieter it may be.
Although we recommend you to consider your energy efficiency first and foremost, we also suggest that you take into account the type of garage door as well as its design as this is what’s going to make the difference when determining whether or not an insulated version is right for your home. As far as insulation materials are concerned, don’t forget that modern insulated garage doors could have imported layers such as polyurethane foam which increase their resistance and thus makes them last longer without requiring particular maintenance work.
The Thickness of an Insulated Garage Door
One of the most important aspects to keep in mind when buying an insulated garage door is its thickness. That’s because the higher it is, the better insulation you are going to get.
Which is the Best-insulated Garage Door?
In order to determine which is the best insulated garage door, you may need to consider some factors such as: how many people there are in your home, the weather conditions in your region of living if you have a small family and so on.
This way, it may be much easier for you to make a well-informed decision. What’s more, there is a wide range of products that includes different types of insulation materials for better energy efficiency and thus a higher cost-benefit ratio over time.
Once you’ve considered all these aspects, we suggest that you go through some reviews left by previous customers who have already bought one or more models from various catalogues just so that they can help with determining what would be the most appropriate model according to your needs.
What is a Non-insulated Door?
A non-insulated garage door is one that doesn’t have any insulation materials at its interior and as such, it’s not only less resistant but also more vulnerable. Non-insulated garage doors could be made out of steel, wood (hollow or solid), aluminium, fibreglass and so on.
The least insulated garage door would be the one made out of wood (wooden garage doors) as it’s obvious that they could easily get ruined not only because they are also less resistant but also because they could expand when facing heat and contract when exposed to cold. That’s where it’s necessary to take into account the insulation materials of an insulated garage door as they are meant to reduce energy loss, noise and protect your family or employees from possible accidents.
Is a Non-insulated Garage Door Worth It?
The answer is no. That’s because although they are cheaper than their insulated garage doors counterparts, you’ll need to replace them more often and thus may be spending more money in the long run.
What Kind of Insulation Materials Can You Find?
There are many insulation materials for garage doors that include foam sheets, polyurethane, rubber or glass wool among others. Each one has its own set of advantages and disadvantages which could be taken into account in order to determine what would be the most appropriate model according to your needs. Of course, these are not all available on the market as it mainly depends on where exactly you live but also on budget requirements when buying something at a given price level.
If you live in an area with cold winters and hot summers then the most suitable insulation materials for garage doors would be fibreglass or polyurethane as they are very efficient when it comes to saving energy.
On the other hand, foam sheets such as PU or rubber ones could be a good choice if you live in an area with moderate temperatures given that they also provide higher resistance and thus make the product last longer without requiring any particular maintenance work. Solid wood (hollow or solid) garage doors: although they don’t have any special type of insulation materials at their interior, these types of doors don’t require particular attention over time as they usually consist of durable wood layers that typically come from sustainable forestry which means that you won’t need to replace them anytime soon.
Door Insulated vs Non-Insulated Garages?
A non-insulated garage door is made of steel, which means that it has a high resistance to rust and corrosion. However, this also means that the surface is more vulnerable to damage. Some models are galvanized with zinc or even powder coated, reducing the problem but there is no guarantee.
On the other hand, an insulated garage door, even though it has a higher initial cost, could last for many years. It’s worth mentioning that the price of insulation materials is constantly falling so you may be able to find more affordable options in the future.
Main Advantages
The main advantage an insulated garage door has over a non-insulated one is that it may indeed help reducing energy consumption both in winter and summertime. On the other hand, an insulating modern version can look like its price tag is higher than usual, however, it may save you money in the long term if you have to pay expensive electricity bills every month.
Even though it has a higher initial cost, an insulated garage door can last many years without needing to be repaired.
Energy Efficiency
Both models are low-maintenance and easy to fit considering you have the right tools to do so. Even though it may seem like an obvious answer, having insulation materials may reduce noise during the opening and closing of the door as well as energy consumption.
As we have already mentioned, having an insulated garage door could result in savings as you may be using less electricity as well as lower noise levels when the door is opening or closing.
Resistance
it may prove more difficult to find replacement parts for insulated vs non-insulated garage doors if something goes wrong with it down the line. Non-insulated garage doors have a high resistance to rust and corrosion which means that they could last for many years without needing repair work. Also, factor in that when we compare insulated vs non-insulated garage doors we may notice that both doors are low-maintenance so they won’t require much attention on your part either.
Strength
If we compare an insulated door vs non-insulated garage doors, we may notice that both models have been created to withstand strong winds but, having garage doors that are insulated vs uninsulated garage doors could indeed provide better protection against other harsh weather conditions.
Disadvantages
We must not forget about the disadvantages an insulated door vs non-insulated garage doors can have in certain situations. Here is a list of the main pros and cons of insulated garage doors compared to non-insulated garage doors.
Pros
Insulated garage doors have insulation materials at their interior which offer better protection against harsh weather conditions. It’s worth mentioning that you could avoid installing non-insulated doors if your home is surrounded by trees as they may damage the exterior of it during strong winds, whereas this wouldn’t happen with an insulated version.
Cons
The higher initial cost could make a lot of people think twice before getting modern and insulated garage doors installed instead of a traditional one even though it could provide them with different advantages. On the other hand, the insulation materials used in the garage door might not be as efficient if they are not properly set up and installed thus making it on par as an uninsulated garage door.
Maintenance
Both models only require minimal maintenance to work well but it’s worth mentioning that an insulated garage door could need extra care in terms of how the insulation is handled after installation. If you don’t want this to happen, hire a professional who can handle such delicate tasks.
The extent of warranty coverage could also play an important role when we talk about which model may be best for your home. Bear in mind that some manufacturers may offer more comprehensive options with better protection and service than others so make sure you read carefully before choosing since this decision can impact your budget and energy costs.
Choosing Energy-efficient Materials
You may find that the insulation materials used in a garage door are usually made of foam. It’s worth mentioning that these types of garage door models can be more expensive than usual but insulated doors also offer greater energy savings, better noise reduction and resistance to harsh weather conditions. A garage door can also be insulated with polystyrene or mineral wool.
Non-insulated garage doors offer better protection against rust and corrosion and may last longer than insulated garage doors. Bear in mind that the insulation materials used on a garage door may wear out and become less effective over time.
Conclusion
Both types of garage doors have their own advantages and disadvantages so it would be wise to know what you’ll need before making a final decision. For example, if you are looking for one that is low-maintenance then choosing between an insulated or non-insulated version may not matter much in terms of how quickly the age of the material is.
Bear in mind that this choice may mostly depend on your home needs as well as budget at the end of the day. Having said that, it would be best to take a close look at the insulation materials used in an insulated garage door as these could prove to be more efficient than those used in non-insulated models. This way you may get your hands on a product that is both durable and energy-efficient.
