If you’ve been looking into new fiberglass doors for your Vacaville, CA home, you might have noticed a label on the doors with all kinds of numbers and ratings. These labels give you information on a product’s energy efficiency, and are designed to help homeowners like you make more informed choices for their energy usage and savings.
A door can be called energy efficient if it helps prevent air and temperature leaking from inside and outside your home through design, technology and construction, These special technologies and constructions take some pressure off your HVAC system, helping you use less energy and lower your energy bills.
The average homeowner doesn’t know much about temperature or insulation, so the National Fenestration Rating Council, or NFRC, labels each door and window with statistics to make it easier for the layperson to understand. The NFRC, in partnership with Energy Star, tests replacement doors and windows, and then gives them labels that clearly denote their capabilities and energy efficiency qualities.
The following terms are typical for NFRC labels:
- Visible Transmittance – Visible transmittance, or VT, is the percentage of visible light that a glass panel in a window or door transmits. For example, a .55 VT glass door lets in 55% visible light. Since light is energy, and energy turns into heat, lower VT rating mean cooler homes in warm and sunny Vacaville summers.
- U-Value – A U-Value is the measure of the rate of non-solar heat gain or loss, typically through a material or construction choice. Tests to determine a door’s U-Value are generally conducted in simulated environments with 0 degree temperatures outside, 70 degrees inside and a 15 mile per hour wind speed. The lower a U-Value a window or door has, the more resistant it is to heat flow.
- Solar Heat Gain Coefficient – Solar Heat Gain Coefficient, or SHGC, is the amount of solar radiation that any particular door emits through inward release and absorption. A low SHGC means that door transmits low amounts of solar heat, meaning it has good shading ability and will keep your home’s temperature regulated.
To make the labels even more clear, the NFRC and Energy Star developed helpful climate zones with temperature and weather specific ratings. Since different environments call for different types of replacement windows and doors, these zones make it easier to find which windows and doors best suit your climate. Vacaville, CA is located in the South Central Climate Zone. When shopping for replacement windows and doors, look for labels that say South Central or 50 (for products rated for all 50 states.)
Its not that hard to understand energy efficiency labels once you’re armed with the proper knowledge. If you want more information on how to read these labels, or want to learn more about energy efficiency and your Vacaville, CA fiberglass doors, Rocket Door can help. Please visit us at 1639 E Monte Vista Avenue #L103 Vacaville, CA 95688, or give us a call at (707) 689-5147.
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