Garage Door Insulation Panels
It is a great time to think about saving energy by insulating your garage doors (especially if your garage doors have no insulation or have Urea-formaldehyde foam panels which release formaldehyde gas and are outlawed in most states).
There are tax benefits up to $1500 for 30% of the cost of insulation through 2010, and there are kits available so that you don’t have to pay an installer. They are easy to install with just a few household tools. (An experienced do-it-yourselfer will save even more money by simply buying the foam panels and the facing material of his/her choice.)
Most kits come with 8 panels and in a variety of sizes to fit your door opening. Make your garage cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter, and give the inside of the garage door a finished look. Provide acoustical insulation for that garage band. It is like getting paid to improve your home.
- Fiberglass, polyurethane and polystyrene are commonly used in garage door panels. A newer insulation on the market is polyisocyanurate foam which is available in sheets.
- Polystyrene foam is the same packaging material we all know as popcorn packing and drinking cups. In garage door panels, polystyrene is as good as the adhesive you use to attach it. Molded expanded polystyrene (also known as beadboard) is good for garage door insulation because it is a closed-cell material that makes a very good moisture insulation. There is an extruded form that is also used for garage door panels.
- Polyurethane foam has a higher R value inch for inch than polystyrene. R-value will decrease slightly with ageing. Even after ageing, the stabilized R-value of polyurethane garage door insulation is very high. Because of the high R rating a thinner board can be used, decreasing the weight of the finished product. Also, polyurethane expands to the walls of the garage door panels. There are fewer problems with air leaks when using this system. Polyurethane does contain hazardous chemicals (benzene and toluene).
Today’s garage door insulation panels are lightweight and seldom affect the opening mechanism. If you are one of the few with a problem, it is easily adjustable.
Not a handyman? Hire an installer.
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