As homeowners, we’re always looking for ways to improve our living spaces and their energy efficiency. As energy prices rose an average of 27% in October 2022, with an expected 20% further increase in April 2023, homeowners are looking for many ways to help reduce their monthly bill costs. To help keep on top of your home’s efficiency, we’ve explored some of the most effective ways you can keep on top of your heating bills.
One of the key aspects of reducing heat loss in the home is by taking a look at your front doors. In the UK, homes lose up to 35% of their heat through non-efficient windows and external doors.
The average lifespan of a front door can range between 20 – 30 years if properly maintained. During this time, fittings may come loose and insulative materials may deteriorate. Modern technologies have been developed to ensure the prolonged efficiency of your external door.
In this article, we look at the most energy-efficient front doors on the market today, and which ones you should be investing in to reduce heat loss in your home so you can get the most value out of your home. With so many options available on the market, finding an energy-efficient door for your home might seem challenging – when in reality, it couldn’t be simpler.
How to tell that your external door needs replacing
Like anything else in the home, front doors are prone to general wear and tear, and in some cases, malfunctions can reduce the thermal efficiency and overall energy performance of the door. These things can happen over a long period of time and can take many unsuspecting homeowners by surprise.
Thankfully there are a few telltale signs that your front door is no longer as energy efficient as it should be.
Front doors that are not maintained correctly with sealant and treatment can lead to more structural problems in the future, especially wooden doors as they eventually begin to rot. This can eat away at the solid timber core and compromise the structural and thermal integrity of the door.
If the sealant of your front door is wearing away, you may notice a slight draught from the edge of your door. In some cases, poorly installed letterboxes and keyholes can also produce a nasty draught. This will reduce the efficiency of your heating efforts, as cold air leaks into the home, and the warm air is lost through the ineffective external door.
What makes a door energy efficient?
As the main entrance into your home, the front door poses one of the biggest threats to your home’s energy efficiency. If left open for too long, any heating you’ve had on will shoot straight out the door, and cold air will come quickly to replace it. If incorrectly installed, or installed with poor-performing materials, your front door can be causing harm to your home’s energy efficiency even when closed shut.
Many modern manufacturing techniques and building materials ensure that most new doors can maintain a high level of thermal efficiency for their entire lifespan. When buying a new front door, it is imperative that you pay attention to the u-value rating, which measures the thermal transmittance of your doors and windows.
If you are looking to invest in a door with glass/glazing, do not opt-out for anything less than double glazed windows. Installing energy efficient glazing can be just as important to your home’s energy rating as the u-value of the door itself. Ignoring this can lead to huge impacts on your front door’s energy efficiency.
UK Building Regulations and Door Energy Rating Band (DER)
When looking for the most energy efficient doors it is also imperative you pay attention to the door energy rating band that is provided. Much like the rating scale of home appliances, doors that are provided with a DER rating prove that they have been independently checked for energy efficiency. This rating is based on a scale from A++ – G, with A++ being the most energy efficient rated door.
In 2011, the British Fenestration Rating Council (BFRC) stated replacement doors with at least a 60% internal facing must have a Door Energy Rating of at least E to provide sufficient insulation to the home.
From June 2022, it is now essential that internal doors must have a Door Energy Rating of at least C (u-value 1.6W) to comply with UK Building Regulations.
So when you’re looking for the most energy efficient front door, what types of door should you be looking at?
What types of external doors are there?
So you’ve decided your old front door has to go – there’s a terrible draught, the lock gets jammed every now and then, and overall it’s looking a little worse for wear. Your front corridor has been chilly all winter, and you’re finally fed up with turning the radiator on only to find it’s still cold when you come home.
Investing in your front door is the first step in improving your home’s efficiency. No more wasted heating bills spilling through a poorly insulated door. But with so many different doors to choose from, which is going to benefit your home the most?
Wooden doors
Whilst most modern external doors are built with energy efficiency and building regulations in mind, there are some doors that do not perform as well as others. Traditional doors like wooden doors are made from different types of wood. Wooden exterior doors are typically made from hardwood which boasts increased thermal efficiency over their softwood counterparts, but still don’t compare to the likes of uPVC or composite doors.
uPVC doors
uPVC doors provide a range of benefits to the home and are by far one of the most popular energy-efficient doors available. These affordable and stylish doors complement a range of home aesthetics and can match a variety of window frames also.
Composite doors
As a whole, a composite door can be considered the most energy efficient across the board. This is due to the variety of materials used in its production to boost energy performance. Our composite doors are made from glass-reinforced polymer (GRP) for increased security and thermal efficiency. This is filled with an environmentally friendly, CFC-free Polyurethan foam core, which are natural insulators to help keep your house warm and reduce bills.
What are the most energy efficient doors?
Composite doors are generally the most energy efficient due to their complicated manufacturing process and range of materials used. However this is not always the case. The only way to decide on an energy-efficient door is to pay attention to its u-value rating, and should always be considered over materials when looking at energy efficient doors.
Energy efficient doors at KLG Rutland
Here at KLG Rutland, we provide a 10-year surface warranty on all of our composite doors with multi-point locking systems so that your door can keep your home safe and insulated for its lifespan. For more information on our range of composite doors, contact us today. Or, better yet, visit either our Nottingham showroom or Derby showroom.