Entry Door Efficiency

Entry Door Efficiency 

Hello and welcome to yet another article! As a writer for Conservation Construction of Dallas I found myself getting a little bogged down with all the technical terms they were using on a daily basis. There are so many in fact, I decided to write an article about the various “Technical Terms” I didn’t understand. Now I can relay just what these terms mean to you the reader. Do any of you get as excited about learning as I do? I hope so, because I’ll be jamming a lot of information in this article. So gear up for an information adventure.  By the end of this article I am confident that you will have a better understanding of what quality in a door actually means.

So let’s start with the first confusing term I came across in my studies.

It’s big, it’s bold, it’s this way for a reason, it’s the 

U-Factor 

Yes, ladies and gentleman that is how you spell it too (for all those grammar enthusiasts out there like me). What exactly does U-Factor mean when we talk about our doors? You might have jumped to driving here--and no, it’s not whether you’re capable of making a u- turn in your car. It’s also not anything like the It factor they talk about on American Idol. It’s not even all the attributes that make you you (even though it sounds like that). This U-Factor is, simply put, a performance rating. This rating means your door meets each of the following five categories:

1. U-Factor
2. SHGC or Solar heat Gain Coefficient
3. Air Leakage
4. Visible Transmittance
5. Condensation Resistance  

So what is the U-Factor. The U-Factor measures the rate of heat transfer, and tells you how well the door insulates. U-Factor values generally range from 0.25 to 1.25 and are measured in Btu/h·ft²·° The lower the U-Factor the better door insulates. Which should make the U-Veryhappy factor increase. It’s even better news that our front doors and door systems had the lowest U-Factor rating at just .10 which means they are extremely insulating.

Solar Heat Gain Coefficient 

This factor measures how well a product can resist unwanted heat gain, which is especially important during the summer season. The lower the number here below 1 the better. Our ProVia doors measured at .16. That score is one of the lowest on the market today. 

Air Leakage

This measurement is how much air will enter a room through the door. The lower the number the fewer drafts you will experience. 

Visible Transmittance

This measures how well a product is designed to effectively light your home with daylight, potentially saving you money on artificial lighting. The higher the number, the more natural lights it lets in.  Our doors scored a .17 on this front. 

Condensation Resistance

 Condensation Resistance tells you how well a door resists the formation of condensation on the inside surface. This rating differs based on separate climate zones where the door is installed. CR is expressed as a number between 1 and 100. The higher the number, the better a product is able to resist condensation.  

Our Fiberglass Doors, steel door, and even our patio doors have the best energy star ratings and are made with only the best door materials. In fact any exterior door you choose from Conservation Construction of Dallas will save you money on energy bills. 

So I hope U have enjoyed learning so much about what goes into rating a door as energy efficient. I know I’ve had a blast teaching. If you are considering a new entry door for any of the following reasons: security, aesthetics, or simply replacing a very old door that just needs to be updated, remember the side effects could be great for you and your energy bill. For more information about our amazing energy star quality doors please visit our website at conservationconstructionofdallas.com or give us a call to set up a free consultation. As always, it was a pleasure being with you today. Please comment below on what your favorite part of this article was.