From Guest Blogger Diane Smith: Make Your Front Door Energy Efficient
Front doors are often chosen to be a showpiece of the house. Vintage and ornate doors are especially popular because of their charm and the homey feeling they evoke. On the other hand, these doors are often not as well insulated as they should be.This results in your door leaking both hot and cold air, making your home colder in the winter and warmer during the summer. This can be avoided easily and the difference could significantly affect your heating bill.
Weather-stripping
The most common problem with energy efficiency is due to the bad weather stripping around the edges and the bottom of the door. Weather stripping is placed on all four sides of the door and it makes the door seal shot. After the door has been slammed a few times it can shift in the frame and move the weather stripping out of alignment. The stripping itself could also wear off after a prolonged use.
This is easy to test, just look for cold spots on the edge of your door, that’s where the weather stripping is missing. The adhesive foam is the quickest way to fix it without replacing the stripping, but that will only last a few years.
Repair the old door
If weather stripping isn’t the issue there’s something wrong with the door itself. The door could be fixed without having to call the professional; you just need to set aside a day for it in your schedule. If the door squeaks or sticks when you’re trying to open it, there might be a problem with the frame. Start with cleaning the hinges and removing any dirt that’s build up over the years of usage. If that doesn’t solve the problem, sand the edges of the door until they fit.
Replacing the door
If the door keeps losing heat and the repairs are too difficult, there’s no other way to go than to replace the door altogether. Realistically, you can find a good quality door anywhere if you’re willing to put in the legwork. Luckily for Australians with their hot climate, there are doors in Sydney available than can accommodate practically any style and home type. New doors usually have magnetic strips in place of weather stripping. They fit much better because of their steel skin. Glass doors also loose less heat and could be a good investment if you count the long-term savings on your heating bill.
Screen doors
Sometimes there’s no need to replace or repair the entire door. The problem is usually with the screen doors in front of them. They don’t provide any insulation and therefore leave your home vulnerable to all the weather changes. The best thing to do is to replace this door with storm doors. These are usually made of wood, aluminum, and plastic (such as PVC). So-called full-view doors include a full glass door, while the retractable one feature a screen that can be rolled into the frame of the door, when it’s not used.
Stop leaving the drapes open
Glass doors could be a beautiful addition to your home. They make the design more warm and cozy and make the backyard a part of your scenery. However, these doors could make the home overheat during the summer. Don’t forget to close the drapes during the hottest hours of the day. In the same time closing the drapes during the winter could save you as much as ten percent of the heat depending on the fabric and the color f the curtains. Always choose darker colors and thicker fabric to keep the hot air in.
With a few smaller repairs, you can fix most of energy efficiency problems, but when this doesn’t work don’t hesitate to replace the door and make the problem disappear for good.
