How to Keep Your Energy Bill Low on Your Overhead Garage Doors in Houston This Spring and Summer
May 14, 2014Overhead garage doors in Houston are a great option. You can choose from a variety of materials for your door, including aluminum, steel, fiberglass, and wood. You can also possibly customize your doors from us according to your own specifications. Most of the time, when customers order an overhead door in Houston, they also opt for one of our overhead remote openers, which allows them easy access to the garage from a distance. As the spring and summer months approach, you may wonder how you can reduce your energy bill. Your garage door, specifically the overhead style, can actually contribute towards the bill in ways that you didn’t think. If your door is old or hasn’t been maintained in a while, it could have gaps that send your cold air from the air conditioner right outside. Instead, hot air comes in and you have to crank up your air conditioner even higher, thus skyrocketing your energy bill. In Houston, where the temperatures can be very hot at times, you really can’t afford to have a high energy bill. If you want to get your garage door ready for the warm months ahead, you can start by ventilating the door. This allows the warm air generated in your garage to filter out naturally instead of getting stuck in the garage and flowing into the house, which then gets heated. Another way to save on your energy bill is by insulating your overhead garage doors in Houston. You have a number of insulation options, including foam board, reflective, and batt insulation. Foam board insulation involves applying polystyrene panels on a foam board with vinyl or aluminum. Reflective insulation uses reflective aluminum foil (hence the name) and polyethylene or cardboard as a backing. Lastly, batt insulation involves using fiberglass with foil or paper backing. The benefits of insulation are multiple. First, any of these techniques above will cool your garage considerably. The cooler that the air inside your garage is, the less chance of any warm air flowing from under the door or from the garage into your house. That also leads to a much lower energy bill. Insulation can also cut down on the rate of outside noise, which is especially useful if your garage is a workshop or recreational space. Lastly, if you notice any air leaks around your garage door, then you can fix these easily. This will prevent any cool air from endlessly getting out and any hot air from unnecessarily getting in. You can replace the door’s weatherstripping, replacing it with stripping made of vinyl, silicone, rubber, felt, or foam. Some of these weatherstripping materials may need to be glued into place. Overhead garage doors in Houston are an attractive and durable garage door option. However, sometimes cool air flows out under the door, letting hot air in. As a result, you have a high energy bill due to excessive air conditioner usage. You can save on your energy bills in the hotter months by adding ventilation or insulation to your garage and repairing any door gaps.