How Does a New Patio Door Save You Money?
Many people think of patio doors as a sliding piece of framed glass; one goes behind another to allow a person to walk in and out of the house at ground level or deck level. While those are still being made (although with far better glass: double and triple pane Low E glass), there are so many more choices. Patio doors, in lieu of a better name, are your threshold to the outdoors and can be multi-light French style or contemporary double doors. They can “open out” or “open in”, not just slide. The choices in styles and uses are many.
Replacing those old sliders can be a worthwhile investment in both the aesthetics of your home and money saved on your heating and cooling bill. Today’s glass technology allows for less heat loss in the winter and sun conservation. In the summer it screens out the heat and keeps the cool air in. A quality window installer will know which glass rating is perfect for the area of the country you live in. In a particular zone where the winters are very cold and the summers are mild a rating that conserves heat and takes advantage of sun is the main concern. In a southern climate the main concern would be to keep out the sun and its UV rays to reduce cooling requirements. When the expanse of glass is the largest source of sunlight in the home, especially when south-facing, the winter’s low-angled sun can provide significant beneficial heating. The early Dutch settlers in the Northeast realized this fact and that is why period Dutch colonial homes are often perpendicular to the direction of the road they are on, always front facing south.
Talk with several door and window replacement installers when selecting patio doors for your home. You will get sound advice on the different benefits of metal, wood and vinyl. They will assist you in picking the proper glass rating for your region and the look and function that best suits your home. Remember that there is so much more to an exterior deck door than just a slider to the deck or sun porch. It can allow the exterior landscape and the interior blend seamlessly into a single environment. For example, in the winter it can ensure a cozy, warm sunlit space to sit and enjoy the frigid but scenic snowscape just a few feet away.