A Good Door
As with windows, doors present a major port from which air enters and escapes. A standard sized door with a seemingly “tiny” 1/32-inch crack on all sides equates to a hole over half a foot in diameter!
Retrofitting or replacing an old door is one of the easiest and quickest ways to make your home tighter, and greener. Where to begin?
To start, clean the jambs, tracks and weather stripping as common dirt can get in the way and stop a complete seal.
Next, take a piece of paper and, with your door open, stick it in one of the gaps that opens around the door. Now, close it and see if the paper can be easily removed. If it can, it’s not a good seal.
Install weather strips to seal up where you can (this is a good guide to help pick out the weather stripping material you need). Then use the same paper test to see what problems remain.
Glass sliding doors depend entirely on their weather stripping to maintain insulation. As such, in addition to checking/replacing old weather stripping, think about investing in thermal or insulated curtains to help increase insulation capabilities.
For door replacement, you need to pay attention to these three elements: the overall construction material, the composition of the door’s core, and the type of glass in the door’s window (if there is one).
If choosing a windowed door, make sure the window is double or triple paned. While any type of window will significantly lower insulating capacity, multiple panes cut down on the problem.
In terms of door material, choices run from steel to fiberglass-clad to wood-clad doors. The R-values (R is a measure of thermal resistance) on these materials fall between the R-3 and R-6 range. But also pay attention to the core, because many newer doors have foam cores which can increase R-values all the way up to R-15!
If picking out new, glass, or sliding doors, follow the same guidelines for U-factor, SHGC, and glazing as when picking out windows.
Learn more ways to save on power with LADWP.
Learn more about the assumptions behind Magenta House water and power savings calculations.
DETAILS
Upgrade: Upgrade or replace your door
Goal: Seal/weather strip any cracks or replace your old doors with insulated models.
Potential Savings*: Not sufficient data for an average.
Skill level: ★☆☆
