Tips to make your garage door more energy efficient
If you are like many people, you have probably become more aware of your car's energy efficiency in recent years. If you are trying to save money on fuel costs and / or the environment, you may have bought a more energy-efficient vehicle with hybrid or alternative fuel. Even if you have ensured that you have the most energy-efficient vehicle, you may still be wasting energy if you have not paid the same attention to the garage where you park the hybrid car. In fact, few people think about how energy efficient their garages are. This can be a big mistake because garages can be a significant area of wasted energy in your home. Your garage door is one of the largest areas where this energy can be wasted. For this reason, it is important to consider some of the key ways you can ensure that your garage door and garage are as energy efficient as possible.
For example, it is imperative to insulate your garage door. If you don't want to replace your entire garage door, you can purchase a kit that adds extra insulation to your door to protect against wasted energy from conditioned air escaping through the door. It is also a good idea to walk around your garage and seal any cracks in your garage floor and in the seams between walls and around windows and electrical fittings.
The lights in your garage may not be as numerous as in your home, but they can use a lot of energy. Switching the bulbs in your garage lights with energy efficient CFL or LED lamps can make a big difference in the amount of electricity your garage uses over the course of a year. When you're ready to make a bigger commitment, you can install solar panels on your garage roof that can provide light and heat to your garage without the need for the power grid.
Having an energy efficient car is great, but an energy efficient garage to store it in is even better. The following instructions contain numerous tips that you can use to help your garage and garage door save more energy.
Author's biography: Justin White is Marketing Director for Repair of garage doors. White lives just outside of Washington, DC, and is extremely resourceful with solutions to common garage door problems in the region, including Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania.
