Looking around for an installer for your exterior door project? If so, make sure you choose one who can help you increase your building’s efficiency.
The drive to improve energy efficiency in design and construction is not going away. For most business owners, energy efficiency translates to managing costs and reducing overhead in their buildings. For instance, when you reduce energy consumption by 30 percent, you can realize a savings of $25,000 a year for every 50,000 square feet of space.
Well-Kept Storefront Doors and Windows Increase Energy Efficiency
Higher thermal efficiency in storefront door systems is one key way of improving overall efficiency. Doors, after all, can cause energy inefficiency by several means:
- Worn, corroded or weathered components
- Heat loss through gaps between the frame and the door
- Heat loss from operation (opening and closing)
- Inefficient design or materials
While style and design have traditionally ruled when a business owner chooses a door system, energy efficiency is increasingly a factor as well. A storefront framing system and doors with high thermal performance can help you lower your energy consumption significantly. Thermal efficiency isn’t just about keeping heat in during the colder months; it’s also about keeping the AC from working too hard during the warmer months. Well-insulated storefront doors and windows that are installed properly will do a lot of the work for you as far as increasing energy efficiency and decreasing overhead costs.
Consider a Thermally Broken Door for Commercial Use
Enter the thermally broken door. Mind you, we’re talking broken, not just thermally improved. Thermal breaks or barriers provide an element of low thermal conductivity between layers of high conductivity, thus reducing or even preventing the flow of thermal energy. A thermally broken door features a minimum of 5.3 mm of separation, created by open air space of low conductance material. Take a thermal break of low-thermal conductive polyurethane, for instance. This rigid material may be more than 1000 times less conductive than aluminum, and 100 times less than steel.
Some features that distinguish a super-efficient door:
- Thermally broken frames
- Insulating glass units
- Polyamide struts, with a thermal break/barrier, separating metal exterior from interior of door.
- Dual neoprene weather seal around the door’s perimeter, to prevent airflow around the edge of the door
And the payoff for choosing framing and door systems that eliminate thermal bridging doesn’t stop at energy savings. Building owners can also take advantage of tax incentive programs, and attain green building certifications (such as LEED). Your local exterior door installer will have the knowledge and expertise to take a look at your facility and help you best determine how to decrease your facility’s energy consumption with thermally broken storefront doors.