NFRC Certified Iron Doors Have A Great U-Value

The world of material science is full of arcane language. Parsing what terms mean and how the term effects you can be tricky, but absolutely worth it when you are looking for a new item that will serve your home. An excellent example of this is the term ‘U-Value’ when applied to your iron doors.

What Is The U-Value

The U-Value, sometimes called the U-Factor, refers to the transmission of heat through materials. It is normally expressed as a number to the hundredth place, i.e: 0.09. A high U-Value indicates that heat travels through the material quickly. Sheet metal has a U-Value of 1.2, but adding thermal insulation between the sheets and using thermally broken steel lowers the rating.

What The U-Value Indicates About Your Door

There are a lot of reasons to care about the U-rating of your door. A low rating, say under 1.8, indicates that heat has a hard time escaping through the door. So, say that it is a broiling hot day and you are trying to avoid running the air conditioner. A door with a low U-Value will keep the heat outside so that you can simply close the curtains and the door to keep cool. This will lower your electricity bill, of course, but it will also keep the vulnerable people in your home- kids, pets, grandparents, the sick- at a regular, comfortable temperature. The low U-Value will also give you more control over your home environment. The National Fenestration Rating Council checks products for their U-Value and their website can help you find doors with a low rating.

Fortunately, Iron Doors Plus makes a point of getting their iron doors and thermally broken steel doors certified by the NFRC. This way, we know that our doors have low U-values and that our customers can control their home’s internal temperatures easily. If you have questions about this or would like to see our line of iron doors, contact us.