In the winter months we’re all looking for ways to keep our homes cosy. Simple fixes such as energy efficient internal and external doors can make a significant difference to your home’s energy performance and help keep your bills lower and your home warmer. From the best energy efficient doors to tips and tricks for internal door insulation we’ve compiled a guide to help you keep warm, for less.
What is Energy Efficiency?
In short, energy efficiency is how effectively your home runs using the least amount of energy possible.
Our homes use energy to power every appliance we use from the fridge to the boiler and in the winter, homes typically see their energy consumption rise. This rise is thanks to cooler weather making us more dependent on things like central heating and hot water systems.
What is U-Value?
In properties, energy efficiency is measured using a ‘U - Value’ which breaks down the rate at which heat escapes from the various components and materials used to build and finish buildings; walls, doors, windows, roofs etc.
Optimising a building’s energy efficiency means achieving the same level of efficiency while using less energy, resulting in lower cost in energy bills.
What Impacts Energy Efficiency
As well as household appliances such as washing machines, interior lighting and entertainment systems utilising energy, the biggest driver in energy consumption during the winter is central heating. There are lots of ways we can reduce our energy consumption and lots of ways our homes can be impacted by poor energy efficiency such as:
- Energy Saving Lightbulbs
- Poor insulation
- Window Performance
- Door Performance
- Building Age and Condition
How do Energy Efficient Doors Work?
Modern doors are typically equipped with more energy efficient features than than dated ones so even simply updating your doors could see a difference in the comfort of your home and price of your bills. However, energy efficient doors or thermal doors are equipped with features that are specifically designed to reduce heat loss and improve energy consumption.
Insulated cores, improved seals and joinery, improved outer materials and triple glazing all help to ensure less heat escapes from your doorways by providing more layers and less places for heat to escape.
How to a Check Doors’ Energy Efficiency
Checking Old or Existing Doors
If you are checking older doors or existing doors where you can’t access product specifications there are several ways you can check your doors efficiency at home, with ease:
Check your Energy Consumption
Naturally, you’ll use more energy during the winter months but check your usage and spending for any severe spikes or consistent changes throughout these seasons. If you’ve got a smart meter, you can easily stay on track of your usage and monitor this, but comparing your bills is another way to check if your energy usage could be improved.
Feel for Draughts
Running your hand along the frame (with the door closed) can help you feel for any draughts coming in from other areas of the home or the outside, if checking external doors. If you can feel cool air entering the space you’ll need to check the door seal, which is particularly important for external doors.
Visual Checks
Again, with the door closed you can inspect the door for any gaps that could be letting cold air in or hot air out of the space, resulting in poor insulation. Key areas to check are:
- Around the frame, assessing how the door fits in the frame and if the seal is flush
- Around the hinges; assessing whether these are functioning properly or causing any loosening of the door/frame
- Around the threshold of the door; which is the most likely area for draughts and gaps; particularly if flooring has been changed around the door(s).
Checking New Doors
In 2022, the required U-value for all newly manufactured doors was set at 1.4 W/m²K (watts-per-meter-square-Kelvin) meaning this is the maximum amount of energy permitted to escape from doors used in commercial or residential buildings. All new doors will have this listed on manufacturer or retailer’s websites, on packaging and even on the doors themselves; typically in the frame.
The golden rule: The lower U-value, the more energy efficient a door is.
Choosing Energy Efficient Doors
Choosing Energy Efficient Internal Doors
When choosing internal doors for energy efficiency, consider the U value and consider the materials as these can impact how well a door performs.
Wooden doors are the most energy efficient internal doors, benefitting from naturally insulating properties making them a front runner. Solid wooden doors are typically better at preserving heat but glazed and hollow core doors can be updated to improve their efficiency, which we’ll discuss in more detail in the next section.
Choosing Energy Efficient Front Doors
When choosing front doors, it’s important to understand how maintenance can impact efficiency and decide what options are going to suit you long term.
Composite Front Doors
Composite front doors are a brilliant choice for all round energy efficiency thanks to their construction which boasts an insulating core.
Wooden Front Doors
Wooden front doors are also a good choice, thanks to their natural insulation. However, wood requires more maintenance in external settings so ensure that you have considered the unique maintenance guidance for the door you’ve chosen to prevent any decline in its energy performance.
Glazing
If you’re considering a glazed front door, make sure any glazed panels are double or triple glazed as this will prevent any loss of heat.
Choosing Energy Efficient Patio Doors
French doors or bifold doors can both offer great rates of energy efficiency, with French doors having slightly better ratings due to the average size of the doorways. Maintenance is key to ensuring no draughts or gaps, particularly when choosing energy efficient bifold doors. Another area to check is the glazing, having either double or triple glazed panels will help ensure heat is not being lost through the largest parts of the door; the glass.
How to Reduce Heat Loss Through Doors
Transforming your underperforming doors into energy efficient insulated doors is a more cost effective solution to replacing all your doors, which can be costly when shopping for high quality doors. Below we’ve highlighted some quick, effective solutions to help you keep your home warmer, for longer.
Draught Proof Your Door
Draught-proofing your existing doors is a great stopgap between completely replacing your internal doors but attempting to optimise your home’s energy efficiency. This can be done using draught excluders at a basic level, perfect for renters. Or alternatively, you can install or replace the seal on the door frame to prevent gaps and block any air from entering or leaving the space.
Add Door Insulation
Internal door insulation is an excellent choice for those with hollow core doors. Using foams to create an additional layer of insulation between spaces can significantly reduce heat loss and help keep your home warm and your bills down.
Replace Glazing
Inefficient glazing on both internal or external doors is a leading cause of heat loss and so replacing the glazing can often be a more cost effective solution than replacing the full door. Older doors are less likely to have double glazing and the enhanced triple glazing that modern doors are manufactured with so combining this with draught proofing and appropriate insulation can have a real impact.
Getting Started
At Doordeals, we’ve got you covered; whatever your project. Whether renovating old doors with insulation and weatherproofing to help them perform better or replacing your internal or external doors, you can trust the quality of our collections.
Need help getting started? Get in touch with our expert team and we’ll point you in the right direction with recommended products, help measuring or simply style help.