If your garage is detached from your house, as it usually is and sometimes still is, you probably aren’t paying to heat or cool it. However, if your garage is attached to your house, then your door is probably the largest door in the house and can account for almost half of the total energy loss in your house, if not insulated. While newer garage doors are often already insulated, most older models are not and are responsible for all of the heat loss as air flows through the door. The simplest and most cost-effective solution is to insulate the garage door.

Your home’s HVAC system probably isn’t connected to your garage. So, in theory, you’re not paying to heat or cool it. But unless you have an absolutely airtight seal on the door between your garage and the house, air escapes into the garage. Also, if you have a workshop in your garage or use it for storage, you may want to avoid making it the same temperature as outside, both in summer and winter. So, to prevent air from flowing from your house into the garage and then out, and to prevent your garage from being the same temperature as outside, you should insulate your garage door.

The easiest way to insulate your garage door is to measure it and then purchase a garage door insulation kit. These kits are available for single car doors and double car doors and must include insulation and other associated materials; you only need to provide your own tools. If you’re more of the DIY type, you can buy the insulation rolls and other materials individually. However, if you’re less of a do-it-yourselfer type and uncomfortable doing the job, even if you buy a kit, garage insulation is still important. You can get help, often from a local handyman or helpful brother. Measure your door, purchase a kit, and contact the handyman of your choice. Isolation should take less than a day and be relatively inexpensive.

Insulating your garage door will help lower your energy bill since the air will no longer use the garage as a gateway to escape your home.