For homes in areas that experience colder winters or hot summers--like Texas, choosing an insulated garage door can save you money on your energy bill and improve the comfort of your home. It can help keep your garage cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter, and keep any freezers or refrigerators kept in the garage from working quite so hard to keep things cold. An insulated garage also can keep rooms over the garage more comfortable. 



Consider the fact that the garage door is the largest entry to most homes, so it's also the most susceptible to energy loss. Of course other variables can affect the temperature in your garage as well, such as insulation in the walls, ceiling, doors and windows. You can minimize energy loss and make your home more energy efficient with an insulated garage door. If you need natural light in your garage, insulated glass window options that can help maintain energy efficiency are also available.

So what makes an insulated garage door insulated? There are two types of insulated garage doors: 

• Polystyrene panels bonded to the inside of each panel and backed with either vinyl or steel on the inside of the garage door.
• Polyurethane foam injected between the front and back steel panels of the garage door.

With Clopay brand insulated garage doors, there are two types of foam insulation, polystyrene and polyurethane with the latter providing the highest R value (insulation value). Both are available in thicknesses of 1-3/8" and 2". See the insulation values for each below:

1-3/8" polystyrene with steel back: 6.5 R Value

2" polystyrene with steel back: 9.0 R Value

1-3/8" polyurethane with steel back: 12.9 R Value

2" polyurethane with steel back: 18.4 R Value

Another benefit to having an insulated garage door is that they're quieter in operation and more durable than non-insulated garage doors. We have insulated garage doors on display in our showroom, and you can learn more about the benefits of insulated garage doors with this video from Clopay.