Understanding Thermal Efficiency in Aluminium Front Doors

A Guide for Homeowners

When considering a new front door for your home, its energy efficiency may be an important factor in your buying decision. At Attlas, we pride ourselves on offering front doors that not only look stunning but also excel in thermal performance, making them an ideal choice for your home or commercial building.

In this article, we will explain a little about thermal efficiency, and how your new Attlas front door is made up to provide you with better insulation and low U-Values. All of these work together helping you save on energy bills and enhance the comfort of your home.

What is Thermal Efficiency?

Thermal efficiency refers to how well a building material, in this case, your front door, can prevent heat from escaping or entering your home. A thermally efficient door creates a barrier that helps to maintain the desired indoor temperature, whether it’s keeping your home warm during the winter or cool during the summer.

Doors that are poorly insulated can result in significant heat loss, forcing your heating system to work harder and increasing energy costs. A well-insulated, thermally efficient door helps reduce energy consumption by ensuring that heat stays inside during cold months and stays out during warmer weather.

Whilst energy efficient windows and doors are a given today with most quality brands, it is worth paying attention to other areas of your home, roof, walls and rooms where heat may be escaping.

Why Thermal Efficiency Matters for Your Front Door

The front door plays a significant role in the thermal performance of your home. In many homes, poorly insulated front doors are a major source of heat loss, leading to higher heating bills and less comfort. A front door that offers excellent thermal insulation helps in multiple ways:

1. Energy Savings: By preventing heat from escaping, a thermally efficient door reduces the amount of energy needed to heat your home. This not only lowers your energy bills but also contributes to a greener, more eco-friendly household.
2. Enhanced Comfort: A front door that effectively insulates your home ensures that you enjoy consistent indoor temperatures. You’ll experience fewer cold drafts near the door, and the overall warmth of your home will be easier to maintain.
3. Environmental Impact: Thermally efficient doors reduce the energy needed to heat your home, which in turn lowers your carbon footprint. Choosing an energy-efficient door is a small step you can take to help the environment while saving money.

Attlas Aluminium Front Doors: Built for Thermal Performance

At Attlas, our aluminium front doors are engineered with thermal efficiency in mind. We understand that British homeowners need doors that perform well in a range of climates, from the chilly winter months to the occasionally warmer summers. Here’s how Attlas doors are designed to keep your home comfortable year-round:

1. Insulated Aluminium Profiles: Every Attlas front door comes with latest generation insulated aluminium profiles. Internally these have multiple chambers and sophisticated seals and ultra-modern design, preventing the transfer of cold from outside to inside.
2. Thermal Barrier: Attlas doors feature a polyamide thermal barrier, an advanced insulating material that helps to prevent heat from escaping. This barrier works in tandem with the insulated aluminium to provide maximum thermal performance, keeping your home warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer.
3. Double and Triple Glazing Options: Many of our door designs feature glass panels, which can often be a weak point in terms of thermal efficiency. To combat this, Attlas front doors come with toughened, low-emissivity (Low-E) glass, warm-edge spacer bars, and argon gas fill between the panes. These features ensure that our glass units provide the same level of thermal insulation as the solid parts of the door. Triple glazing on our fully glazed doors further enhances performance.
4. Thick Insulated Panels: Our aluminium front doors are available with various panel thicknesses, from 28mm to 40mm. The thicker the panel, the better its insulating properties. These insulated panels prevent heat from escaping while contributing to the door’s overall strength and durability.

U-Values: A Measure of Thermal Efficiency

One of the key indicators of a door’s thermal efficiency is its U-Value. The U-Value measures how much heat passes through the material, with lower U-Values indicating better insulation.

At Attlas, our aluminium front doors come with U-Values of 1.4Wm2K or 1.2Wm2K depending on the overall specification, comfortably Building Regulations compliant.  Your new doors are  or partially glazed door or one that’s solid through, U-Values will vary, but will always be compliant with Part L of the Building Regulations.

Why Choose Attlas Front Doors?

At Attlas, we believe that quality should never be compromised, which is why all our doors are designed with meticulous attention to detail. Our front doors are hand-finished and built using the finest materials available, ensuring flawless construction and premium performance. When you visit our showrooms, we can show you all the elements that make up the excellent thermal performance of an Attlas front door.

We offer a wide range of styles and colours, so whether you’re looking for a modern, fully glazed door or a more traditional solid panel design, Attlas has a door to suit your needs. And with four showrooms located in Romford, Loughton, Brentwood, and Epsom, you can visit us to see the superior craftsmanship and thermal performance of our doors firsthand.