Your doors represent an invitation into your home—they are part of the fabric of your house that you and your visitors will encounter on a daily basis, so this is an area in need of your green attention. There are many types of doors, all of which are area-specific. Selecting certain doors and doors specific to their area will help save energy, as well as the planet .
Storm Doors: Storm doors are a good way to increase the energy efficiency of an existing or recycled door. However, you won’t get much more efficiency out of a new, insulated door by adding a storm door. These doors are used as Look for low-e glazing and insulated metal frames. Some have removable glass and double as screen doors in summer. Don’t install a storm door over a door that gets much direct sunlight, as you will be creating a heat trap between them that can damage your door.
Interior Doors: Interior doors don’t have the burden of needing to be fully sealed and insulated the way exterior doors do. This is a good use for recycled doors. Or, buy a wooden door certified by the Forest Stewardship Council as a product that is sustainable and harvested from a managed forest.
Garage Doors: What about garage doors? Garage doors may not need to be insulated if your garage is an unconditioned space. It’s beneficial to look for garage door companies that use recycled steel and aluminum.
Patio Doors: Patio doors are difficult to insulate and there are not many storm door options for them. Consider replacing them with a combination of insulated exterior doors and double-paned glass windows. If you want to keep your patio doors, apply an after-market low-emissivity coating to the glass or put up a solar shade to keep the sun’s heat out. Also install insulating blinds or shades for winter.
