Should You Buy Energy Efficient Patio Doors? (High R-Value)

Patio glass doors are popular door options for homes because of their aesthetic appeal, easy-to-use sliding mechanism, and transparent views of the outdoors.

Unfortunately, these beautiful doors can contribute significantly to heat loss and high energy bills if they are not energy efficient.

So, what are some compelling reasons to buy an energy efficient patio door?

You should buy an energy efficient patio door because it can help limit heat loss from your home during the winter and heat gain in the summer. This can help to reduce energy costs since there’s so much surface area of glass.

This article explains everything you need to know about energy efficient patio doors and why they are a better option than regular doors.

Why You Should Buy Energy Efficient Patio Doors

Patio doors provide beautiful entry and exit points to homes. They offer a clear view of the exterior and give you access to ample light.

While aesthetics, functionality, and convenience are great, you must consider the energy performance of these doors.

It is important to ensure that your patio door conserves heat energy or low temperature circulation within your home. Doors and windows account for as much as 25% of a house’s total heat loss, and you can reduce this when you invest in an energy efficient patio door.

Other reasons to buy these energy efficient doors include:

Lower Energy Bills

Heating and cooling are two significant factors affecting your energy bill expenditure. If you are looking for ways to reduce your energy bills, investing in an energy efficient patio door can save you a lot of money.

Poor-quality patio doors can lose their effectiveness at insulating your home over time, leading to the loss of a substantial amount of warm or cool air.

Consequently, you can expect to spend more on energy bills because your heating or cooling system must work harder than it needs to.

Eco Friendly Option

When we heat or cool our homes, we are responsible for releasing harmful CO2 emissions into the atmosphere.

The call for us all to reduce our carbon footprint is getting louder as the environment deteriorates daily, and we are coming under increasing pressure to protect the future of the environment through our own actions.

What better place to start making a difference than in our own homes?

Energy efficient patio doors help homeowners to make that difference by reducing their carbon footprint and helping to protect the environment.

The combined effect of limiting heat loss from multiple buildings can go a long way toward preserving our beautiful planet for generations to come.

Increases the Value of Your Property

Energy efficient patio doors are premium quality doors that can increase the value of your property.

They offer fantastic curb appeal and can make your home look more attractive, which is why they are a highly sought-after feature in modern homes.

If you live in a storm-prone area, you can buy hurricane-resistant patio doors with impact-resistant glazing, which is a feature that many buyers value in regions susceptible to tropical storms.

Improved Sound Insulation

Energy efficient patio doors typically have two or more reinforced glass panes for increased durability and weatherproofing. A benefit of this construction is that it offers better sound insulation, making it a good choice if you live in a noisy neighborhood or close to a busy road.

Less Condensation

A condensation build-up on your glass patio doors can be annoying and obstruct your view. This commonly happens with single-paned glass doors.

However, since they have more than one glass pane, energy efficient patio doors can prevent condensation from occurring and keep your patio doors looking crystal clear.

How Energy Efficient Patio Doors Reduce Energy Loss

Energy efficient glass patio doors have unique properties and features that differentiate them from regular doors.

These features include the following.

Low E Coating

Energy efficient patio door manufacturers go the extra mile to insulate doors with low emissivity (low E) coatings.

This is a special coating that adds a thin transparent layer of metallic particles to the glass door, which helps to reflect and retain the heat indoors during the winter.

In the summer, the reverse is the case as the metallic particles reflect incoming heat outside to keep the home cooler.

The low E coating is inserted between the glass panes during the production process, but if you already have a glass patio door, it is possible to retrofit this feature to reduce energy loss.

Multi Paned Glass

Double paned glass increases the insulation provided by patio glass doors more than single paned doors. Without these additional panes, glass doors will allow heat and cold to escape more easily, resulting in energy loss and higher bills for homeowners.

In colder regions, homeowners might triple the number of panes to further reduce heat loss during winter. Triple pane glass doors are 20% more energy efficient. However, if you live in an area with mild weather, you will likely only need two panes to adequately limit energy loss.

Gas Between Panes

The extra panes in glass doors are not the only reason they are energy-efficient. There are gases in between the panes that have better thermal properties than air.

The most popular gases for this purpose are argon and krypton, which restrict heat loss through the doors thanks to their much lower thermal conductivities.

Combined with low-emissivity coatings and double panes, the interior of an energy efficient patio door becomes a fortress for heat in winter and cold in summer. However, expect these glass doors to be more expensive. 

How To Identify Energy Efficient Patio Doors When Shopping

Not all patio doors are energy efficient. The best way to tell if an energy efficient patio door is to check for the Energy Star label. Any patio door with this label has met all the requirements for energy efficiency by the U.S Department of Energy and by the National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC).

Some factors considered in the Energy Star certification process include the following.

• U-Factor: Glass patio doors with a low U-Factor rating have high heat flow resistance and offer optimal insulation. The U-Factor measures the degree of heat transfer from non-solar heat sources.
• Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC): SHGC is a measure of the ability of an insulated glass unit, such as those used in a patio door, to restrict heat gain from the sun.
• Air Leakage: Air leakage describes how much air is allowed to pass through the gaps and joints of a  window unit. Lower values indicate less air leakage.

Simple Ways To Improve the Energy Efficiency of Your Patio Glass Door

Investing in energy efficient patio doors is an excellent way to minimize energy loss, save costs, and help protect the environment. However, if you don’t have the budget now, there are simple and cost-effective ways to make your existing doors more energy efficient:

• Add weatherstripping to the top and bottom of your sliding patio doors to prevent air leaks.
• Clear debris and dirt from the sliding door tracks to enable them to insulate effectively and prevent the hot or cold air from escaping.
• Add a layer of plastic film to the glass to improve insulation and minimize heat loss during winter and heat gain in summer.

Conclusion

Patio doors provide aesthetic appeal, but they are significant sources of heat loss and gain in your home if they are not energy efficient.

Investing in energy efficient patio doors can be expensive, but they will help limit heat loss and help you reduce your energy bills.

It’s a good idea to consider the advantages of choosing these doors when it’s time for an upgrade.