Does A Garage Door Need Insulation?

Is It Necessary to Have an Insulated Garage Door?

Whether you are picking out the garage door for your new construction home, replacing an existing one, or considering insulation, you’ve likely asked “does a garage door need insulation?”. An excellent question with several answers!

There are many options for insulating a garage door ranging from spray kits to ready-to-fit panels, various levels of insulation (R-value), several kinds of materials, to installing a brand new door. Many factors go into determining whether a garage door needs insulation. Here are a few things to consider before investing, the benefits, and an alternative solution to this age-old question.

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Where Do You Live?

This seems like an easy question to answer but what you should be asking yourself is not for your address but whether or not you live somewhere where you encounter weather extremes. If you live in a state where you experience extreme temperatures in the summer and cold in the winter (Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, etc.), you may want to take advantage of the energy saving effects of an insulated garage door. An insulated door saves energy and money in extreme temperatures. A home located in a moderate climate may not see such benefits from the same investment and would therefore not be worth it.

Do You Have an Attached/Tuck Under Garage?

If the answer to this question is “yes,” you may want to consider getting an insulated garage door. Many homes with an attached garage, or a tuck under garage, will have bedrooms sharing a wall with the garage space. A poorly insulated garage door would allow hot and cold air into the adjacent rooms and home in general, thereby affecting your utility bills.

If you answered “no,” then it may not be worth it. A detached garage with an insulated door means nothing unless the entire garage is insulated.

Do You Use Your Garage As a Workspace?

In a day and age where increased numbers of people are working from home, having a workspace in the garage is much more common than it ever used to be. Whether it is a workshop and tool bench, a new home office, or your home workout space, using your garage for more than storing your car may make it a candidate for an insulated door. Insulating your door will also reduce noise transfer which is ideal if you’re working with power tools, playing instruments, or you need a sound barrier between you and your neighbors. 

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How Often Do You Open Your Door?

If you have the highest R-value rated garage door but it is open a lot, it might as well have no insulation at all. A closed garage door will gain you the benefits of the insulation in full. If a garage door is used frequently, or left open for long periods of time, the insulation will do you no good. The door insulation is only good if the door remains closed most of the time.

Is It In Your Budget?

Finally, is installing an insulated garage door something you can afford? The average installation cost for an insulated door is approximately $1,500 for a one-car garage door. Most garages have at least a two-car door these days and that averages about $2,300 for installation. Three-car doors up the price point to approximately $3,800 per install. As you can see, the price tag on installing a new door is quite high.

As previously mentioned, home improvement stores have insulation kits available in a variety of insulation ratings, materials, and processes. While they may not appear as attractive as the all-inclusive insulated door, they do provide a cost savings that is undeniable, add strength to the structure, and are a viable option.

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By insulating your garage door or installing a new one, the cost savings may pay off in the long term but there may be an equal, and perhaps even greater, value in insulating your entire garage instead of focusing just on the garage door. 

Insulate the Entire Garage Instead

Rather than spending the time, energy, and money on insulating the garage door, focusing on insulating the entire garage may be a better solution. Most of our garage floors are concrete slabs, which will transfer heat and cold regardless of whether the door is insulated. By focusing on better insulating the walls and ceiling of the garage, you will much more effectively impact your utility bills each month. A roll of R13 insulation costs less than $20 at most home improvement stores and takes just minutes to install.

Begin by focusing on the ceiling of the garage to help reduce the heat loss (or gain) in the attic. Many of our attics connect to the rest of the house or, in the case of a tuck under the garage or a room above, this will help to regulate the temperatures in those spaces as well. 

After the ceiling and attic insulation are addressed, move on to the common wall between the garage and the rest of the house. This will be a much more effective solution than focusing solely on the garage door. The temperature in your garage will change but insulating the walls and ceiling that connect to the rest of the home will prevent those changes from affecting the interior temperature.

CONCLUSION: Does A Garage Door Need Insulation?

Several factors go into deciding whether or not your garage door should be insulation. Space usage, temperatures, garage type, and frequency of usage are all important things to consider. Whether you decide to insulate your garage door or not, you have several options to make your choice work well for your home. You just need to determine whether or not the investment will be worth it.

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The benefits of having an insulated garage door are irrefutable but is it the only answer? No, not at all. Is it the best answer? It may not be, upon further review. The question of “does a garage door need insulation?” will continue to be asked by homeowners everywhere.