Want to make your home more sustainable and eco-friendly? Building an energy-efficient and eco-friendly home is not as easy as it may sound. From its foundation to the doors and windows to the flooring and finishing, you need to make sure that every element of your home is sustainable. In this piece, we’ll discuss how you can build your home’s doors and windows sustainably, without compromising their functionality and curb appeal.
How to Determine if a Product is Sustainable?
To make sure that a product is sustainable you need to check two important factors mentioned below;
Material of the Product
First, you need to inspect the material of the products and learn how its sourced. You can consult the manufacturer regarding the type, sourcing, properties, features, and drawbacks of the material used in the construction of the product or you can research it on the internet.
Energy Efficiency of the Product
Try finding a company that strictly maintains sustainability in all its manufacturing and supply chain processes. Make sure they use eco-friendly products, conduct a meeting with them to make sure to use eco-friendly products.
What’s the Most Energy Efficient Door and Window Material?
The manufacturing and home building industries widely use fiberglass for the construction of sustainable doors and windows. This ubiquitous material is highly energy-efficient and has been produced by several companies since the 1930s.
If you’re looking for a premium quality door that requires minimal maintenance, is aesthetically appealing and durable, then you should consider fiberglass doors. Made out of different resin materials and molten glass, fiberglass is widely used for the construction of doors and windows for homes, residential buildings, halls, offices, and commercial buildings.
Since fiberglass doors consist of a dense polyurethane foam core, they’re highly functional in terms of energy efficiency.
Unlike wooden doors, fiberglass doors don’t shrink, swell or warp because of extreme climate or humidity and provide more security and additional comfort. You can find a variety of fiberglass door options in the market as they come in a plethora of designs and textures. Some fiberglass doors also give a completely wooden look; adding some grace and elegance to your front façade.
Fiberglass doors are poor heat and electricity conductors. Because of this property, they can resist extreme temperatures and frequent weather changes without getting warped, or becoming damaged. Fiberglass doors don’t absorb moisture, so you don’t need to worry about their condition even if you live in humid weather or temperature fluctuations. There’s an additional insulation layer in most fiberglass doors, which makes them more energy-efficient, than steel doors.
The best thing about fiberglass doors is that they look exactly like wood. These features help you give an elegant look to your home while also making the most of the highly functional nature of fiberglass. These doors don’t require as much maintenance. You can, however, swipe damp cloth pieces for regular cleaning.
Other Options
Some other options for energy-efficient doors include;
Wooden Doors
Widely popular, exceptionally elegant, and highly functional wooden doors have been a top choice among homeowners and builders for doors and windows. But often the wood used in the manufacturing of doors and windows isn’t sourced from the places that comply with the standard sustainability practices.
If you’re purchasing a wood door, make sure that the wood used in its manufacturing has been certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) or Sustainable Forestry Initiative(SFI). Learning about the origin of the product you’re using will help you make an informed choice.
Steel Doors
A majority of people who want to adopt a sustainable lifestyle, prefer using steel doors in their homes because they’re typically manufactured from recycled materials, are highly durable, and strong. You can also install a storm door or a kickplate to protect it from denting.
Fiberglass and steel doors often feature R-values from R-5 to R-6, which means that their insulating capacity is considerably higher than wooden doors. Fundamentally, a steel or fiberglass door with a minimum of one-and-a-half-inch thickness features a five times higher insulating value than a solid wood door that’s equally thick.
Energy-efficient steel and fiberglass doors also consist of door frames that offer a tighter fitting so they can seamlessly contain the glass, while glass should also be multiple paned to control the heat flow.
If you want to increase your home value, you should consider getting steel doors. Just like the fiberglass doors, they also consist of a thick foam center which helps in maintaining the indoor temperature and preventing heat flow.
Typically, steel doors also feature a magnetic weather stripping which can help you hold the door in a place shut when you shut it, to prevent air leaks.
Poor Quality and Affordability Vs Premium Quality and Sustainability| What You Should Prefer
A majority of people feel overwhelmed when they need to purchase sustainable products, as they’re slightly costlier than other products. By purchasing a product that’s not sustainable, you may save your money right now, but in the longer run, you’ll have to invest more finances in their maintenance and repairs. If your products aren’t energy efficient, you’ll also have to pay huge energy bills.
Purchasing energy-efficient doors and windows and other construction items, you can, however, reduce your energy bills, make long-term financial savings, and avoid the hassle of investing in regular repair services. You can save finances that would otherwise be invested in cooling or heating bills and other temperature-maintenance devices. Premium quality doors and windows also help you increase your property value.
What’s more is that you can get mental peace and satisfaction, as you’ll be making a significant contribution towards environmental protection and safety.
Affordable Door Replacement Services
Looking for cost-effective door replacement services in Pensacola, Florida, or Daphne, Alabama? Look no further! At EcoView Windows we provide premium exterior doors installation services to our clients and help them improve their homes’ energy efficiency. Get a quote today!