Do you need an insulated garage door? Or will a standard garage door work just fine? If you need an insulated garage door, can you add insulation to the existing door? Or should you replace what you have?
South Central Services has insulated hundreds of homes and garages around Chambersburg and Greencastle. Which type of garage door you need depends on a few factors.
By the end of this article, you will know which type of garage door would be best for you.
Your Choice Of Garage Door Depends On Several Factors.
There’s a reason why you have the choice between a standard garage door and an insulated one. If one were inherently better than the other, there wouldn’t be a need for a choice.
Which one is best for you depends on factors such as:
- Ideal garage temperature
- Overall garage insulation
- Garage and home relationship
- Budget
Let’s examine each of these in more detail.
1. What Temperature Do You Want To Keep Your Garage At?
There are lots of ways to use a garage. Some garages are workspaces. Others are storage areas. Many garages are used as a place to park the car.
You may spend a lot of time in your garage. Or, you may just want to keep the temperature high enough for your vehicles. You will want a different temperature inside depending on how you use your garage.
A garage that doubles as a workspace likely needs to stay more temperate. You will pay to condition that space, and it would be a waste to let that conditioned air escape through the door.
However, your garage may also be in a more temperate climate zone, where the temperatures outside and inside don’t differ too much.
If you live in a more extreme climate zone or plan to pay to condition your garage, you would likely benefit from an insulated garage door.
2. Are You Going To Insulate The Rest Of The Garage?
An insulated garage door is a natural choice after insulating the rest of the garage. If you opted for a regular garage door, it would be like always leaving a window open. No matter how well insulated the garage walls are, a standard garage door would let conditioned air escape.
3. Is Your Garage Connected To Your Home?
Many garages are directly attached to the home. If there is a direct link between your home and garage, then there’s also a connection between their temperatures.
If you don’t want a blast of cold air when you come in from the garage in the winter, you’d probably benefit from an insulated garage door. If you don’t want air conditioning leaking in the garage and being wasted, an insulated garage and garage door would be ideal.
If your garage isn’t connected to your home, you don’t need to worry about the potential loss of expensive, conditioned air from the house.
4. What Is Your Budget For Your Garage Door?
A small, uninsulated garage door could cost as little as $400. As the garage doors get wider, the price increases. The addition of windows can also drive up the price. Depending on the size of your garage, you might pay $1,500 to $4,000 for an uninsulated garage door.
No matter what, the dimensions of your garage door will remain the same. You can expect an insulated garage door to be pricier than one without insulation. You can estimate a 40% to 60% price increase when selecting an insulated garage door.
Ultimately, Your Choice Of Garage Door Depends On Your Goal.
Regardless of your budget and where your garage is located relative to your home, the choice truly comes down to your goals.
Do you want your garage to be comfortable and affordable to condition? If so, you’ll want an insulated garage door.
Does the temperature in the garage not matter too much? You probably don’t need to splurge on an insulated garage door if you weren’t planning to condition the garage anyway.
Our Recommendation: A Local Company You Trust
We recommend garage doors from local companies. While there are plenty of online options for garage doors, there’s something special about working with local. Be sure to select a company with a competent sales, install, and service team. As long as you choose a trustworthy company, you can enjoy peace of mind and nearness for any service calls.
The Bottom Line About Choosing An Insulated Garage Door
Your garage door is a hefty investment, with prices ranging from a few hundred to several thousand. An insulated garage door is worth the cost if you plan to condition your garage. An insulated garage door will prevent that expensive conditioned air from escaping and being wasted.
However, if you don’t plan to condition your garage, an insulated garage door probably isn’t necessary. It may provide some benefit if your home is attached to your garage, but it delivers more than you need in most other scenarios.
Now that you know which type of garage door you need, your next step is to:
- Decide if you should insulate your garage
- Learn what type of insulation is best for your garage
- Discover if you should spray foam your metal garage
Disclaimer: While we strive to publish information accurate to building science, local building codes and standards supersede our recommendations.
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