Reply #1: and more advice...

[jpak]

http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060819/NEWS/608190459/1001/BUSINESS

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Q. I have read a lot about energyefficient windows and other features, but have never seen anything about doors and how they affect energy usage. You know anything about this?

A. Older exterior doors might not fit or insulate as well as newer ones, so you ought to consider replacing older doors to help lower your energy costs. One excellent type of door, for example, is one with a steel skin with a polyurethane foam insulation core. It comes with its own magnetic strip that acts as effective weatherstripping.

Steel and fiberglass-clad entry doors typically have R-values of around R-5 or R-6. Note, though, that adding windows have a great effect -- a 11/2-inch thick door without windows in it will give more than five times the insulating value of a solid wood door of the same size with a window. This is a good example of the aesthetics vs. energy savings debate that often goes on in homes. My advice is to use a window in your exterior doors if you really want one, but to be aware of its impact on energy use and take other steps to offset this loss in insulating value.

Glass doors, on the other hand, especially the sliding patio type, lose heat quickly. If you have sliding glass doors that you'd like to make more efficient, consider replacing them with those with better glass such as low-emissivity coatings or low-conductivity gases between the panes.

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