Is your patio door damaged beyond repair? Have you always wished you had a sliding glass patio door? This style of door is aesthetically pleasing and adds to your home’s beauty both inside and out. Then, the large sections of glass give you expansive views to the exterior, allowing you to soak up more of the view from inside.
Speaking of all that glass, you may be wondering: are sliding patio doors energy efficient? It’s true that you can’t stop every bit of air leakage in a sliding glass door and still if you want it to remain operable. However, even fully glass sliding patio doors have a lower glass-to-frame ratio than windows or skylights. This means you can expect a sliding patio door to be more efficient than a window or skylight right off the bat.
Then, you can make sure to find quality sliding patio doors with advanced features to improve energy efficiency. Here’s what you should look for:
- Fusion welding: This adds superior strength and creates a watertight seal. With this feature, your patio door will not easily leak air or water.
- Heavy-duty weatherstripping: Over time, weatherstripping can wear down. A heavy-duty option ensures the tight seal lasts for many years to come.
- Insulated glass: A window with multiple panes of glass is thicker, but this isn’t what makes it more efficient. Rather, it’s the pocket of air trapped between the panes that greatly slows heat transfer through the glass. Look for double- or triple-paned insulated windows for improved efficiency from your sliding patio door.
- Low-conductivity gases: To improve the thermal performance of the air pocket trapped between window panes, some manufacturers fill this space with argon or krypton, which have a higher resistance to heat flow than regular air.
- Low-e coatings: Low-emissivity coatings can reduce energy loss by as much as 30 to 50 percent by slowing heat transfer through insulated windows. In this way, the microscopically thin coating helps improve efficiency without detracting from the view.
- Thermal breaks: Metal sliding patio doors typically come with a thermal break, which is a plastic insulator located between the inner and outer parts of the frame. This can reduce conductive heat loss through the metal to improve energy efficiency.
Top-Quality Patio Doors for Your Indianapolis Home
So, are sliding patio doors energy efficient? Now you know. If you’re ready to make this aesthetically pleasing upgrade for your home in central Indiana, contact Overhead Door Co. of Indianapolis & Muncie today.
