Energy Efficient Sliding Glass Walls

Improving Energy Efficiency by Replacing Sliding Glass Doors

If you are planning to beautify your old house and make it more energy efficient, one of the important things to do would be to replace the sliding glass doors.  Sliding doors have been a trend in the older homes since energy efficiency was not a priority those days.  These sliding doors posed no barrier for movement of air and often they faced the wrong way.  So replacing them is vital to improve the insulation of your home. 

For replacing the sliding glass doors, there are a variety of options available in the market.  These include Patio Doors, French Doors and Sliding Patio Doors.  All these doors come in attractive and energy efficient designs and makes.  However, before finalizing your choice, you can take the advice of an expert who can assess your requirement and suggest a model.

Patio Doors usually  have two side by side rectangular panels.  Here, one panel is fixed and the other slides along the fixed panel saving wall space.  There are a number of designs available in Patio doors, some having more than two panels. There are Patio doors which disappear into the pockets in the walls too.  These are comparatively less costly than French Doors.

French Doors are another option to replace sliding glass wall system.  They are elegant and usually come with two or more panels.  These are glass panels fixed to the frame using hinges, which allows them to swing open.  The disadvantage of French doors is that they need valuable room space to open and close.  Normally, French doors are not provided with screens and hence you may have to keep them open if you want  fresh air from outside.

The third type is the sliding Patio Doors.  Though these are similar to the sliding glass panels, they are more technologically advanced and are much more energy efficient. As compared to sliding glass doors, these patio doors provide good thermal insulation as they do not allow any air movement when closed.  Additionally they are also available in eye catching designs, which you normally find in French Doors.

Whichever type of replacement you are planning to do for the sliding glass doors, it would be prudent to take the assistance of an experienced contractor who can help you in choosing the ideal design for your home and also complete the work professionally.