Ellicott City, Maryland
How entry doors and patio doors are rated
When ProVia designed their entry doors and patio doors, energy efficiency was top-of-mind for their engineering team. So, as you explore ProVia’s products, you’ll find they’ve taken care of all the details, both big and small, that combined have resulted in highly energy-efficient exterior doors. What does that mean for you? With ProVia energy-efficient entry doors and sliding glass doors, your home will be more comfortable and require less energy (and cost) to heat and cool your home. You can be assured of this performance through the stringent testing ProVia products go through and the various energy efficiency standards they meet. There’s lots of information that can tell you how to determine whether your chosen entry or patio door is energy efficient, including the U-Factor and other measurements. Performance criteria for doors are based on the amount of glass they have (glazing level) and ratings certified by the National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC).
- Multi-chamber profiles and 4 9/16” frame depth – Offer greater thermal efficiency and increased sound abatement.
- Barrier fin weatherstripping – Prevents air from coming into your home.
- Graphite polystyrene rigid foam insulation – Fills certain cavities of the patio door frame to reflect radiant heat energy, increases resistance to the flow of heat and increases the R-value as the temperature outside drops.
- Bulb seals – Closed cell compression seals that prevent water from penetrating the foam cell structure and provides a barrier that enhances the weatherstripping’s sealing performance
NFRC Label
- U-Factor—The insulating value of the entire window system. Lower numbers reflect better insulating value.
- Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC)—The amount of heat from the sun passing through the glass. Lower numbers indicate glass is keeping heat from entering your home, with SHGC measured on a scale of 0 to 1.
- Visible Transmittance—The amount of visible light passing through glass. Higher numbers indicate glass is allowing more light to enter your home. The visible transmittance is measured on a scale of 0 to 1.
- Air Infiltration—Measures how much air is entering or escaping through the window, with lower numbers indicating the less air is entering or escaping.
- Condensation Resistance—The amount of moisture it takes for glass to condensate when exposed to extreme interior and exterior temperature changes. Higher numbers indicate better resistance to condensation. The condensation resistance is rated on a scale of 0 to 100.
Energy Star Certification
ENERGY STAR, a government-funded program, provides simple, credible and unbiased energy-efficiency information about products available to U.S. consumers. To be an ENERGY STAR door, it must be:
- Manufactured by an ENERGY STAR partner
- Independently tested, certified and verified by the NFRC
- Have NFRC ratings that meet strict energy-efficiency guidelines set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
When looking for an ENERGY STAR exterior door or patio door, consider the climate in which you live. The ENERGY STAR climate zones chart provides information to help identify the most energy-efficient front doors and sliding glass doors for your region.