$1500 Tax Credit - New Garage Doors Save on Energy Costs and Keep Some Extra Green in Your Pocket

There are numerous options for the home ownerstyle of the door and if windows are incorporated
to choose from when deciding on which type ofin the styling. A carriage house style will cost
garage door is the best for the home and family.more than the traditional look. Adding windows will
Obviously the home owner would want to choosealso raise the base price of a steel door and can
a color or pattern which would complement thereduce or maintain the insulative properties of the
rest of the home and architecture. Arguably thedoor depending upon the type of window installed.
most important part of choosing a garage door isThere are two other types of construction
not the color, but the type of construction.available as well. The second type has been used
Of all the standard steel garage doors available onfor decades and almost always comes with the
the market, a single layer steel door is probablyhighest price tag. Solid wood construction provides
the most common and will be on the morean old world charm and richness that is hard to
inexpensive range. Double layered steel doorsbeat. Understandably, these doors yield a premium
incorporate a layer of polystyrene orprice due to the craftsmanship required to
polyurethane on the interior side of the door. Thisfabricate a door of this size and the quality of the
double layer will increase the R-value, or insulativewood itself.
ability, in order to help achieve a regularThe last main type of garage door takes cues
comfortable temperature in the garage. This isfrom both steel construction and solid wood
especially helpful for home owners living inconstruction. Composite garage doors are
northern regions of the U.S. such as Minnesota.composed of recycled wood and heavy duty
The last type of steel door construction is theresins to create a "green" solution. With composite
triple layered garage door. In addition to having adoors, a wider variety of styles can be explored
layer of insulation, another layer of steel has beenwith the feel and look of solid wood.
added to the interior of the door, therebyCurrently for the year 2010, energy tax credits
effectively sandwiching the insulation between twohave increased to a maximum of $1500 for home
layers of steel. Adding this second layer of steelowners taking advantage of energy-efficient
will again increase the R-value of the door evenimprovements. Many garage doors will fall under
further and help to greatly reduce any exteriorthis energy-efficient label. Some door installers
noises. This triple layer door is, of course, themay unintentionally fail to inform the home owner
most expensive type of the steel door.of this benefit.
The other main factor affecting price will be the