5 Ways to Make Your Garage More Energy Efficient
With energy prices remaining at incredibly high levels and the cost of living crisis impacting homes and businesses across the country, ensuring your property is as energy-efficient as possible should be a priority.
Garages can contribute to major heat loss, and if not properly insulated they can cause your property to become less comfortable and also increase the cost of your energy bills.
However, there are several things you can do to counteract this, including having insulated shutters – or garage doors – installed.
In this article, the team here at SAA Industrial & Garage Door Specialists has put together a handy guide outlining the top five ways you can make your garage more energy-efficient and, potentially, lower your utility bills.
Five ways to make your garage more energy efficient
Typically, garages are among the coldest areas of a property. They’re usually not insulated and often do not have central heating installed, meaning cold air can easily enter — especially in the winter months. A cold garage can impact every other area of a home or business, as the cold air can rapidly spread throughout a property, lowering the overall temperature and working against heating efforts.
Luckily, there are a number of ways you can make a garage more energy efficient, including:
Get an insulated garage door
Perhaps the best thing you can do to make a property more energy efficient is to have an insulated garage door installed.
Cold air can enter garages through gaps that are around your garage door, and older models in particular are very bad at keeping a property well-insulated. While you can insulate your existing door by installing seals that cover any gaps, it’s always more effective to have a garage door installed that has been specifically designed to aid with insulation.
There is a wide variety of insulated garage doors and insulated shutters on the market, and here at SAA Industrial & Garage Door Specialists, we can help you find the perfect energy-efficient door for your property.
Insulate walls and ceilings
Walls and ceilings can also contribute towards significant heat loss in a property. This is because garages usually do not come with proper insulation meaning the cold air will simply move through walls and ceilings to other areas of the property. This will result in the need for greater central heating usage, which can make your bills more expensive.
But, if you insulate garage walls and the ceiling, this heat loss can be reduced.
Change to LED lighting
Many people still use standard lightbulbs in their garages, but if you’re really looking to become energy efficient, then transitioning to LED lighting is a great option. This is because LED lighting tends to use between 25% and 80% less electricity than conventional bulbs, while also lasting around 25 times longer. They might be a bit more expensive to purchase, but the long-term cost savings make it worth it.
Seal cracks
Any cracks or gaps in a garage provide a place for warm air to escape and cold air to enter. The biggest culprits are usually around windows, garage walls and even around light switches.
If you notice any gaps in your garage, it is important they are sealed to prevent this heat loss.
Caulking is usually the best way to seal these gaps. This involves using a flexible, gel-like substance that can be inserted into any gaps which will improve insulation.
Upgrade your garage floor
Usually, garages have concrete floors which are not particularly conducive to good insulation. Concrete is a cold material, and any cracks in the surface will be at the detriment of the room’s insulation.
Instead, you might want to insulate the garage floor by having vinyl tiles installed, which provide much better insulation and can enhance energy efficiency. If your garage has been converted into an extra room for your house, then carpeting the floor will also help keep the room warmer.
The best way to insulate a garage is to have an insulated garage door or shutter installed. At SAA Industrial & Garage Door Specialists, we regularly supply and install quality garage door products to domestic and commercial customers in Brentwood, Waltham Abbey and throughout Essex. For more information, get in touch with our expert team today.
To find out more about our garage door services and to receive a free quote, contact our team today.
