The Best Types of Garage Doors for Energy Efficiency
Garage door insulation is incredibly underrated. The perks of having an energy efficient garage door range from saving money on electricity bills, enjoying your garage more, increasing the value of your home- and more.
A Better Garage Door offers thousands of options of energy efficient doors that are all American-made. You can’t do any better than that!
Why You Should Have an Insulated Garage Door
Energy Efficiency
Insulated garage doors do a great job of keeping your garage warm in the winter and cool in the summer, which helps you save money on your bills and also improves comfort.
You’re much more likely to spend time in your garage if it isn’t causing you to shiver or sweat. An energy efficient garage door can change your entire relationship with your garage.
Look through our garage door sales for energy efficient garage doors. You won’t regret it!
Sound Absorption
An insulated garage door dampens noise both entering and leaving your garage.
If you have a shop set up in your garage, an insulated door means you can work early or late without bothering your neighbors.
Likewise, your neighbor can mow their lawn at 7 am and you can be unphased while doing laundry.
Stronger Doors
Insulated garage doors are stronger than doors that aren’t insulated. They’re less prone to damages and dents and will last longer against sun, rain, and wind.
That extra layer of garage door insulation creates a sturdy backbone for your door and helps it last longer.
Greater Home Value
If you’re planning on selling your home, you might want to consider garage door insulation.
Insulated garage doors offer much more variety to choose from when considering things such as material, style, and color.
In addition, their energy efficiency is a great selling point and is sure to impress potential buyers.
How Is Energy Efficiency Measured?
When it comes to understanding how energy efficient a garage door is, two measurements matter most: R-value and U-value. R-value measures the insulating material itself, telling you how resistant it is to heat loss. The higher the R-value, the better that material is at keeping warm air in during the winter and cool air in during the summer. U-value, on the other hand, looks at the entire door assembly, including the panels, frame, seals, and even the glass if windows are included. Since it evaluates the door as a whole system, U-value provides a broader picture of how much heat is actually escaping or entering through your garage door.
u-value • the inverse of R-value, reflecting how easily heat flows through a material—the lower the U-value, the more energy-efficient the structure.
In the garage door industry, most manufacturers promote the R-value because it’s easier to communicate and compare insulation performance at a glance. For a typical residential garage, an R-value of at least R-11 is considered the minimum for good thermal efficiency, though higher values provide even better comfort and energy savings. With U-values, the opposite rule applies—the lower the number, the better the door’s insulation performance. A garage door with a high R-value and a low U-value will offer the strongest protection against energy loss, helping your home stay comfortable while keeping utility bills under control.
Types of Garage Doors
There are many different kinds of garage doors to choose from. This list should help aid your confusion so you understand what you’re looking at when scrolling through our garage door sales.
Up and Over Garage Doors
Up and over doors can’t be partially opened the way a side-hinged garage door can be. Therefore, all the heat escapes and the cold air enters when they’re opened.
While this sounds nice for those hot summer days, it will wreck your energy bill in the winter.
Timber Garage Doors
Timber garage doors are inherently insulated due to their thick wood.
Timber garage doors can be environmentally friendly as well as energy efficient if the wood is harvested ethically. Some companies exclusively make their timber garage doors out of the wood of fallen trees.
Cedar and Redwood are common varieties of timber garage doors.
GRP Garage Doors
GRP doors are one of the most low-maintenance types of garage doors. It's naturally insulating and incredibly strong.
GRP is translucent because it is a glass fiber mat. It can have a high gloss finish or reflect woodgrain based on the gel-coated front-facing layer. GRP can also color match and be painted.
Roller Garage Doors
Roller garage doors tend to be about 20mm thick- too thin to be very well insulated. You can add brush weather seals or rubber, as well as insulated slats, to increase the insulation of a roller door.
Steel Garage Doors
Steel garage doors have a lot of benefits, but energy efficiency isn’t one of them. You need to add insulation to steel doors to make them more energy efficient.
Types of Garage Door Construction
Garage doors are generally built in three construction types: single-layered, double-layered, and triple-layered. Each option has its own advantages when it comes to cost, durability, and insulation. Single-layer doors are the most affordable but provide little insulation or dent resistance. Double-layer doors add a layer of polystyrene insulation, offering a balance of comfort and value for most homes. Triple-layer doors take insulation and durability to the next level, using polyurethane foam that fills every gap in the panels for maximum strength and thermal efficiency.
| Type | Insulation | Energy Efficiency | Durability | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single-layered | None | Lowest | Prone to dents | Most affordable |
| Double-layered | Polystyrene backer | Moderate | Stronger than single-layer | Moderately priced |
| Triple-layered | Polyurethane foam | Highest | Most durable | Highest upfront cost |
While single-layer doors may suit budget-conscious homeowners, double- and triple-layer doors are smarter investments for comfort and energy savings. Choosing the right construction type depends on your long-term goals for durability, efficiency, and overall home value.
All you need to do is Google “garage door installers near me” and you can have a triple-layer garage door up in no time!