When people think “sustainable homes”, they rarely think about their home’s doors. The truth is that doors – especially exterior doors – can contribute greatly to your home’s air leakage, wasting valuable energy.
If you’re opting to go green to save money and contribute to the environment, don’t forget about making your doors energy efficient. Here are some easy ways that you can do it.
Replace Old Doors
If your doors are old, they probably don’t fit well anymore. If you have older doors in your home, replacing them with energy efficient ones will do you good. Not only will they fit better, but they’ll also provide more insulation for your home.
When you’re choosing new doors for energy efficiency, you should consider their energy performance ratings in relation to your local climate. Designated by the National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC), the energy performance ratings provide a reliable way to determine a window and door’s energy properties.
When selecting a door, make sure to look for an NFRC label, as well as an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) and a Declare label. An EPD details the ways in which a product can affect the environment throughout its lifecycle. EPDs help people make more informed decisions on a product’s sustainable qualities and environmental repercussions. When it comes to doors, EPDs review factors relating to energy efficiency, recycled content, and impact on human health, water, and air quality. Meanwhile, a Declare label can help with the Living Building Challenge (LBC). A Declare label declares the components of the product that meet meticulous performance standards aimed at advancing sustainability.
Replace Screen Doors with Security Doors
Unlike screens, which can leak air, security doors can bring added insulation and energy savings. Screen doors do not provide additional insulation, which leaves your home leaking air which, in turn, can lead to energy loss through the front door. The security door will not only make your home more energy efficient but also bring your home added protection.
Don’t Leave the Drapes Open
A lot of doors have beautiful glass windows that afford you a view of your garden or backyard. These glass windows can affect the air conditioning in your home, however. By allowing in too much heat, your glass windows are making your cooling system work overtime, which leads to great energy loss. Meanwhile, during the colder months, leaving your drapes open can lead to heat loss, which will make your heating system work harder as well. To avoid these losses in energy and heat, don’t forget to keep your drapes closed when you’re not looking out into your front or backyard.
Apply Weatherstripping to Your Doors
Weatherstripping is when you seal off doors and windows from the elements. The aim of weatherstripping is to prevent rainwater from entering your home during storms while saving energy on air conditioning and heating since it helps prevent air leaks. Make sure that you use a type of weatherstripping that will last based on the amount of foot traffic that passes through your door.
When making your home more sustainable, don’t forget about your doors. Though they are a seemingly minor part of your home, you’ll be surprised at what a big difference they make in keeping your home energy efficient.
