R Value Garage Door Heating Savings

The higher the r value the more the door resists conductive heat.

R value garage door heating savings.

See chart for r value comparisons. The r values of most steel and fiberglass clad entry doors range from r 5 to r 6 excluding a window. A value of r 16 offers a 5 reduction in heat flow and a 5 improvement in energy efficiency over a value of r 8. In general a higher r value means better insulation but there s more to it than that.

Installing more insulation in your home increases the r value and the resistance to heat flow. When calculating the r value of a multilayered installation add the r values of the individual layers. However an r 16 value is not twice as good as an r 8 value. It does not offer twice as much thermal resistance or twice the energy savings.

The r value of some insulations also depends on temperature aging and moisture accumulation. Notice that the advertised r value of a garage door means very little if the door does not have a complete thermal break system and a proper weather seal system around all four sides of the door and between door sections. For example a 1 1 2 inch 3 81 cm thick door without a window offers more than five times the insulating value of a solid wood door of the same size. The standard garage door r value recommendation for a detached garage depends on your climate but if you re looking for the best r value garage door insulation you want to find a garage door with a minimum r value of 12 or more to be most effective.

Without thermal break heat and cold will move from the outside of the door to inside of the garage reducing the insulation. Attached but not actively heated or cooled garages should have a garage door with an r value between r 6 and r 9. Higher r value means greater insulation performance and thus more savings on your next heating and cooling bill. This guide will teach you everything you need to know about insulation r values so you can better insulate your home.