There are many ways for people to go ”green” with home improvement, from buying new windows and doors to using insulation andtypes of paint. However the biggest item in the home, the garage door, is usually forgotten. It shouldn’t beforgotten. There are a number of pluses and ways to go green with your garage door. The following two options will allow you to make themost significant impact, either replacing your door entirely with a new, green one, or making energy efficient upgrades.
Green Makeover – Upgrading Your Door.
If you don’t like going into your garage in the winter because its too cold, or in the summer because it is too warm, this means your garage door is not energy efficient. While you may dismiss this and say you only use the garage to save extra stuff and park your car, keep in mind that any rooms attached to the garage are going to be effected by the lack of insulation. This means that you will need to run the heat or AC longer to keep those rooms at adesired temperature.
How do you stop your garage from being an inefficient money pit? Pick up some weather stripping and rubber molding from your local home supply store and improve your garage door. Anywhere there is a crevice that can allow access from the elements, you want to block it off. To test if you sealed up theopening, just run your hands around the garage door on a windy day. If you think you missed a section you will feel wind coming in.
Buy A New, Eco Garage Door
If your garage door is extremely destroyed or beaten up to be helped by a do it yourself job, you should consider buying a new garage door. There are many typesto choose from, but if you want to go eco-friendly it is recommended that you buy wood composite. Wood composite garage doors arenot expensive, eco friendly (made with recycled material), and are maintenance free. This means you wontneed to apply chemical sealants or paint annuallyevery year.
There are many styles and colors to choose from when it comes to wood composite, so matching the outside of your house wont be an issue.Price can vary depending on the material and area, but youshould make it back on energy savings over time. But to get a rough estimate of cost, justsearch for garage doors for whatever place youare in and begin calling up companies you want to consider. Most will offer a free price quote right then and there.
With these two options, you can do your part for the environment, and your wallet.
