Sliding Glass Doors

Sliding glass doors are great to bringing the beauty of the great outdoors into our homes, but with all of the surface glass, can they also be energy-efficient? With the right sliding glass doors, you can keep your home cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter by choosing the right type of door.

First, look for sliding glass doors that have the Energy Star© mark, a guarantee that your doors have met stringent standards. (Energy Star is a government-backed program helping businesses and individuals protect the environment through superior energy efficiency.) According to the Department of Energy, "if all residential windows in the United States were replaced with Energy Star qualifying models, the nation would save $134 billion in energy costs over the next 15 years. Using new technology in frame materials, glass coatings, design, and gas fills, today's Energy Star qualified windows, doors, and skylights help achieve significant energy cost savings." These qualified doors can help reduce energy bills up to 15%, and provide a number of benefits, including increased comfort and noise reduction.

All Energy Star qualified windows, doors and skylights also bear a label from the National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC), which provides independent energy performance ratings by product for U-factor, Solar Heat Gain Coefficient, and Visible Transmittance.

Look for sliding doors with a Low-E (low-emission) glass coating. Low-E helps reduce heat transfer and protect against sun damage to carpet, wood floors, furniture, fabrics and artwork in your home.

Premium sliding glass doors also offer a thermal break built into the window frame. This thermal break provides an excellent insulator and resists transferring heat or cold through the solid doorframe. Look for low-maintenance sliding doors that are easy to operate, never need painting, will not rot and are build to withstand warping and swelling.

For winter protection, consider a sliding storm door, which can be custom built to fit over your existing patio door. A sliding storm door will give you maximum thermal protection, and the locking system can provide extra home security.

Look for sliding glass doors that provide security, durability and a weather-tight fit, and you and your family will comfortably enjoy viewig for years to come!