I wrote about the masonry repair work around the basement front door.
That work is done, but I still need a new door and looking for one quickly turned confusing.
I started with a visit to various home improvement stores. What I found were exterior rated doors with a 24 or 22 gauge steel skin, insulated foam core and wood frame. The good news is that these doors are typically Energy Star qualified and are eligible for the $1,500 Federal Tax Credit.
The bad news is that they don’t offer enough security and could easily be kicked in. That is what happened with the original door, which had not only a steel skin but also a light gauge steel frame! We consider the basement front door to be the most vulnerable to a break-in, as it is tucked away in a little staircase alongside the house.
I wanted to know where the professionals get their doors and asked my contractor friends. The first thing I learned is that I am probably looking for a commercial grade door rather than a residential door.
Commercial doors come with a heavier steel skin (typ. 18 gauge) and sound steel frame (typ. 16 and 14 gauge). There is no kicking in this door without getting the attention of the whole block.
That takes care of the security, but what about the energy side? We put a lot of work into good insulation and efficient windows. Having a poorly insulated exterior door would leave a gaping hole in the building shell and defeat the investment into an efficient building envelope.
While visiting and talking to a number of commercial vendors, I had to be very persistent with my inquiry about insulated doors. Once they noticed that I was serious, various product information appeared from back office filing cabinets.
I had to be even more persistent on the door frame! What is the point on spending close to $500 on an insulated door, when an uninterrupted (one-piece) steel frame turns into a thermal highway? During wintertime, such frame has energy loss, condensation and moisture problems written all over it.
Ceco Door - Thermal Break Frame
It turns out that, after all, there are steel frames with built-in thermal breaks and that the frame profile can be filled with spray foam insulation.
Next question: How energy efficient are these commercial grade doors or assemblies?
Almost all residential doors come with a NFRC rating and tell you whether they are Energy Star qualified. This allows the consumer to compare apples to apples and determine if the product qualifies for the $1,500 Federal Tax Credit.
Commercial grade doors, on the other hand, exist in their own world, with no NFRC rating or Energy Star labels. I even called the manufactures and checked! What is provided are two R-values (calculated and operable), which differ by a factor of three to four. Confused? Me too!
Why does this matter?
Because the NFRC rating and Energy Star labels are prerequisites for credits in the Chicago Green Homes program (for which we have signed up) and the $1,500 tax credit. Looks like I will have a hell of a time to reconcile the security issue with the energy side. Anyone have any suggestions?
- PS: If you are looking into doors and windows with the Energy Star label, note that the Energy Star program has new performance levels starting 01-04-2010. It is growing some teeth – finally!
Tags: economics, energy, insulation