Should You Insulate Your Garage for Winter?

Preparing for winter

When you live in a climate that experiences cold winters, you have no choice but to prepare your home for the inevitable drop in temperature that takes place every year. Getting ready for winter reduces the effect that cold weather has on your home.

One important step to take is insulating your garage before the mercury dips. The amount of heat loss that your garage experiences during winter directly affects the rest of your home. Take the following steps to insulate your garage and reap the benefits of a more comfortable home with a reduced utility bill.

Garage wall insulation

There are a variety of solutions that provide inexpensive insulation for your garage. A method of buffering against cold temperature involves the installation of fiberglass batt insulation. This type of insulation is prepackaged and typically easier to install than other types because it’s made according to specification that match common framing dimensions. After cutting the package, it expands to match the empty space. Fiberglass batt installation needs to be snug without overfilling the area that needs insulation.

Other types of insulation arrive in the form of spray cans, garden hose dispensers and carpets that roll out into the wall. These options also provide superb insulation, but tend to be more difficult to apply than fiberglass batt insulation.

Plugging holes and fixing weatherstripping

If you notice that cold air arrives through a draft coming from beneath the garage door, there’s a good chance that the weatherstripping is no longer functioning properly. Often made of flimsy material, weatherstripping is the part of your garage that normally takes the most abuse, wearing out much faster than other parts.

Dry, cracked and crumbling weatherstripping leads to space for cold air to enter, ruining all other efforts to insulate the garage. When replacing weatherstripping, it’s important to remove not only the stripping itself, but also the adhesive that attaches the stripping to the bottom of the garage door. This way, the new stripping will stay attached longer and create a cleaner fit between the garage door and floor.

If you feel a draft and the weatherstripping on the floor is in good condition, there’s a good chance that a leak is present elsewhere in the garage. Checking the alignment of the garage door ensures that the air isn’t sneaking in through the front. Small holes or gaps in the wall should be filled with the appropriate solution, whether it’s caulking or a little bit of plaster.

Garage door insulation

Many garage doors use uninsulated constructions that don’t really do much to improve the temperature of the space within. In fact, many builders save money by cutting corners on the garage door, installing the least expensive option, which tends to be flimsy.

Similar to wall insulation, various options exist for DIYers to add a layer of insulation to all types of garage doors, including the thin ones. Pre-made garage door insulation kits are relatively easy to install, but tend to provide a minimum level of insulation for the door. Options include fiberglass batt, foam boards and other types of barriers that add space between indoors and outdoors.

The best option when it comes to garage doors in the installation of a barrier that’s designed specifically to insulate the garage. Rather than haphazardly installing fiberglass or foam on a thin barrier, a pre-insulated garage door is designed to keep all the heat in.

To insulate, or not to insulate?

It should be noted that insulation itself is not a source of heat, but rather a method of ensuring that the heat generated within doesn’t escape. If the garage is not heated through the HVAC system of your home, your garage will nonetheless remain cold throughout winter, rendering insulation pointless.

Nonetheless, insulating your garage, even if it isn’t heated, acts as a barrier that prevents outside air from entering the home. At the very least, this creates a membrane that prevents cold from seeping into the rest of the home through your garage.

When a garage is insulated, a portable heater is often enough to prevent the garage from freezing, avoiding the need to renovate your HVAC systems to direct heating to your garage.

When considering the installation of an insulated door, consider checking out our GARAGA garage doors. Garaga manufactures insulated doors that increase the amount of heat that stay within your home and garage. You’re also able to customize the appearance of the door, which helps to match the look and style of the rest of your home.