Exterior doors that are well-insulated and seal well
AnnaJean
| Posted in Energy Efficiency and Durability on
Is there a place to compare exterior doors for energy efficiency and excellent seals? We are having trouble finding suitable doors for a very well insulated SIP house. The ones we got on a previous job are not adequate.
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Replies
We've had good luck with Andersen Frenchwood series door sealing systems. Even fiberglass ThermaTru doors aren't bad, for a fraction of the cost of the Andersens. But no door can even come close to the R-value of a SIP wall.
Is there any testing group that compares doors?
Anna,
If you really care about the performance of your entry doors, you need a door that meets the Passivhaus standard.
Jesse Thompson, an architect in Portland, Maine, is a fan of a brand of triple-glazed entry doors from Poland, Drewexim. These doors include German hardware and meet German air-sealing standards, but cost significantly less than German doors. Jesse pays between $1,750 and $2,000 each for these doors. They are distributed in Maine by Fenestration Plus of Bangor.
More information on Passivhaus doors:
http://bruteforcecollaborative.com/wordpress/2011/01/04/passivhausturen-passivhaus-doors/
http://www.jsbensonwoodworking.com/Sustainable/passivhaus-doors.html