Whether you know it or not, your front door plays an important role for your house.
Sure it keeps you safe, but is literally your entrance in and out of the world. When you open your front door, you’re inviting friends, family and neighbors inside, but you’re also opening a sort of window to the outside world.
What you may not know is that you’re letting energy in through your front door as well. You may not know it, but at least 10% of your home’s energy loss comes from opening and closing the front door.
This can be especially true if you’ve got an antique style door. Having an antique style door, especially a wooden one can offer plenty of protection from weather, offers a pleasing aesthetic to your home and usually has great insulation. In fact, with just a few simple tune-up steps, you can ensure that your antique style door will continue to hold up through the elements and help cut down on energy loss.
- Close up any gaps: Depending on what type of antique style door you’ve got, energy loss can likely be attributed to the spaces around the door instead of the door itself. To close up any gaps that might be around the door, making sure your door is hanging correctly on its hinges and use caulk to close up any gaps you find. Closing up the gaps around your antique style door can do wonders for saving on your future energy bills.
- Change up the glass: Another way to make your wooden door or antique style door more energy efficient is by changing the glass. You can replace any old glass panes with more energy efficient ones. Make sure, whether you replace any glass or not to make sure it’s properly secured.
- Add a storm: Storm doors can do a lot to cut down on energy loss for old doors. Think of it an extra barrier for wind and other elements to try and penetrate. It’s important to keep in mind that if you do decide to install a storm door, find one that complements your antique style door and your house. If not, you may end up with a storm door that is superfluous and not really cost-effective.
- Try weather stripping: As mentioned above, caulking can be very beneficial for closing up gaps around your door and the surrounding wall. Weather stripping helps tighten spaces between doors and their frames. Think of an extra step to prevent any air leakage.
Whatever type of historic door you might have, there are many steps you can take to keep them functioning well while also cutting down on energy loss. Keep in mind that more than 25% of your home’s energy bills are likely going toward air that gets through your windows, doors and skylights. Taking time to seal gaps and make your doors more energy efficient can do wonders to cut down on your energy loss.
