Seal Your Home with Energy Efficient Exterior Doors

By Christine Cooney, The House Designers Staff Writer

This month is Energy Action Month and a great time to assess your home’s energy efficiency especially if you are getting ready to break ground on a new home. Making your home energy efficient is easier than ever and just about everything you need to build an eco-friendly house is readily available from green house plans to selecting an array of sustainable products like windows, doors, insulation and HVAC.

Selecting ENERGY STAR® compliant entry doors is a key element in your home’s ability to conserve energy and achieve total home comfort. Door manufacturers committed to sustainability like Therma-Tru® comply with ENERGY STAR’s® guidelines to provide doors that provide maximum energy efficiency.

“Doors are a critical part of the housing envelope, so it’s important to evaluate and maintain their energy efficiency throughout the year,” says Derek Fielding, Senior Product Manager for Therma-Tru® in a recent press release. “Along with your main entry door, you have side doors, sliding and hinged doors, garage doors and doors leading from the home to the garage. That’s a large number of openings that need attention to maintain energy efficiency in the home.”

When buying windows or doors, it is important that you purchase an ENERGY STAR® rated product that is specific to your geographical location.

For exterior doors to be qualified for an ENERGY STAR® rating, requirements include:

• All entry doors must have very tight weather stripping. Some frames now include a magnetic strip to help make a tighter seal. A tight seal around the frame reduces the leakage of air and ultimately heat resulting in a more energy efficient product.
• ENERGY STAR® rated doors must have double or triple-paned glass windows which are also insulated to protect heat loss.
• The core material of the door must provide insulation to prevent heat loss. Doors made with fiberglass, wood fiber and polyurethane foam provide excellent insulation.

According to the American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA), fiberglass doors are known for their reliability, customization aspects for style design and energy efficiency.

Therma-Tru® fiberglass entry and patio doors are constructed as a total entry system and are designed to work together for lasting performance, security and energy efficiency. Added features include multi-point locking systems, impact and ENERGY STAR® rated decorative glass options, plus a polyurethane foam core that offers five times the energy efficiency of a wood door and is free of harmful chemicals called CFCs or chlorofluorocarbons.

You can try on a new door with Therma-Tru’s® Interactive Door Designer which allows you to visualize what a new Therma-Tru® entryway will look like on your new home.

It works by choosing an architectural house style and then selecting a variety of door shapes to explore the different product lines, styles and options offered by Therma-Tru®. It’s a great way to find the perfect door style for your new home!