The growing interest and awareness of energy efficiency and green building practices has changed the entire construction industry. Today everything that goes into a home is geared toward providing the highest level of energy conservation possible, and that includes the garage door industry. If you don’t think that your garage door can make a difference on your energy bill, think again. Yes, even a garage door can be “green”!

Most homeowners don’t realize that a garage door is actually an important conduit for hot or cold air; a two-car garage door is approximately 20 to 40 percent of one side of a home. Many of the new insulated, energy-efficient garage doors will pay for themselves in two or three years by reducing the energy consumption in the area of the house where the garage door is attached to the home. It’s also important to consider that many garages’ are now doing double-duty as playrooms, workshops, or even “man caves”, which means that maintaining a consistent temperature in order to use the space as an added living area is even more important. The thermal (insulating) value of a garage door is known as its “R-value”. The higher the R-value, the lower the energy usage and costs, and the more the door reduces outdoor noise. The rule of thumb for buying a garage door is: the higher the R-value – the better!