The garage is almost always one of the most neglected parts of a home when it comes to comfort. And yet, more people are using their garages for living space – playrooms, laundry rooms, yoga studios, craft spaces, and more are all being moved to the garage in homes all over the nation. But in warmer climates, the garage can be one of the hottest and most humid areas of the house, which makes it hard to enjoy all those activities. When humidity gets high, you also run the risk of mold, rust, and other issues. Take a few minutes to try out these tips for keeping your garage cooler this summer.
Is the garage door well-insulated?
Our biggest piece of advice is to consider the garage door. Garage doors have been re-designed in the last decade to be more energy efficient and more weather tight. So if your garage door has been there since your house was built, there’s a good chance it needs to be replaced.
When you are choosing a garage door for its weather-tight features, be sure to look at the insulation material. Polyurethane foam is the best option because it fills up every tiny cranny of the door, creating a fully insulated wall for your garage. Be sure the door has no thermal bridges that allow the cooled air to escape, or allow hot and humid air to enter. If hot and humid outside air gets in even a little, your air conditioner has to work a lot harder to keep the place cool – and that impacts your house as well. Be aware that by selecting a superior quality garage door, you’ll save in air conditioning costs for your home, even if you don’t air condition your garage.
Are you using a dehumidifier?
It’s not fun to be in a room that is way too humid. Anything over 50% humidity can be very uncomfortable. Affordable home dehumidifiers can help keep the room at a comfortable level, and you can find residential versions that are similar to the high-performance ones used for commercial purposes.
Do you need air conditioning or just good ventilation?
If you use your garage every day, you can control both humidity and heat in the garage by adding a vent from your central air conditioning system into your garage. This will both cool and lower the humidity of that space. A less involved option is to install a stationary ventilation system to exhaust the buildup of hot and humid air.
Start by Investing in a High Quality Garage Door!
The best place to start to make your garage cool and dry is to replace an old garage door with a newer, energy-efficient model. Look for a well‑insulated, weathertight garage door from professionals who are up-to-date on new garage door materials. Contact us oll-free at 724-287-1673 for advice on choosing the best garage doors for your budget. We can also easily email you a quotation.
We also welcome you to come take a look at our showroom, and to check out our Design Centre to help you choose the style of garage door that best suits you. For more input, take a look at our image gallery for lots of ideas.