New homeowners are wondering: what is a storm door and do I need one? You know a storm door is an outside door, but if you’ve just moved in, there may be a chance your new home doesn’t have one, or if you’re in an older home, the storm door needs to be replaced. Is the function of the storm door important enough to replace? A storm door is an exterior door that is installed in addition to your front doors to both protect against adverse weather conditions and ensure a constant flow of ventilation. But even beyond these basic functions, a storm door provides many more benefits than just protection from cold, rain, and light winds.
For newer storm doors, a homeowner can replace it with a glass panel door to protect their doors.
Home during harsh seasons such as cold winters and late autumn. Then switch to a screen panel for the pleasant late spring and summer season to allow air to flow through the home. The screen panels also protect against bugs while still allowing the summer breeze to pass through.
A modern storm door has three layers: a front layer, a back layer (which creates the outer shell), and an inner layer of insulation.
With this design, you are doing more than just keeping a heavy downpour out, you are actually insulating your home. Midwestern homeowners know that during the depths of winter when temperatures drop below freezing, using any feature that provides insulation will not only keep them warm, but it will also regulate the interior temperature and save energy. For homeowners, energy efficiency plays a significant role in monthly costs.
According to the US Department of Energy, installing a new storm door that uses low-e glass or coatings can significantly reduce energy losses, sometimes up to 50%.
If you can cut your energy losses by almost half with the simple purchase and installation of a new storm door, consider what your monthly energy bills will look like from then on. Storm doors offer convenience when front doors can’t. Open the front door to the outside world and there is no guard, no filter, no security measures. Birds that should be kept inside can get out, insects and pests that should be outside find their way, and who wants to leave their door wide open for strangers to pass by? The storm door is the perfect compromise.
Now you can watch your children play in the yard just like during the day, and in more pleasant times of the year, you can enjoy a pleasant breeze at the same time.
And that is not all.
Glass-paneled storm doors let in an abundance of natural light, and it feels like you have an extra window that can flood an otherwise darkened hallway with beams of sunlight.
You emphatically don’t want to fit your front door with windows because that means you’re compromising your security at an already vulnerable entry point, but with a storm door you can enjoy an entire glass panel without sacrificing the security of the front door behind it. Speaking of security, a storm door can’t be as formidable as the front door behind it. Keep in mind that intruders are looking for easy entry points that will make minimal noise, provide a quick method of access and exit, and help them enter and exit the home relatively unobtrusively.
The storm door definitely throws out the wrench.
This plan, creating yet another barrier for a potential intruder to be forced to bypass. For most front doors, a storm door is a great idea, but there are a few instances where installing a storm door can actually be detrimental to the front door behind it. The US Department of Energy recommends that homeowners skip a storm door on exterior doors that see several hours of direct sunlight because this kind of exposure will trap heat in the storm door glass, which can damage the front door later.
Overhang instead of a storm door.
You can still block some of the direct sunlight from your front door without worrying about heat being trapped and damaging its surface. And if you live in a warmer climate, you may not need a storm door. Storm doors provide excellent insulation and energy efficiency, which is a great feature for the East Coast and Midwest.
Storm doors have many benefits, but the most important factor will be the amount of direct sunlight your front door is exposed to.
Like many homeowners, you may not be able to install a storm door on every front door in your home, but there’s a good chance you can install one on the front or main door. Don’t miss out on great energy efficiency with your outdated storm door. Outdated and old storm doors can cost you thousands of dollars in energy costs. At MAS Home Improvement (doors and windows), you get nothing but the best, from award-winning window and door services to great installation. Speak with a product specialist and get a free quote online today. If you want to know about how to measure a storm door? Click here.