A touch of frost could be the key to telling how well your front door is keeping in the warmth.
According to Apeer doors, widely regarded as makers of the most advanced composite doors on the market, frost on your front door is a sure-fire sign that no heat is escaping from the inside of the home.
Says Asa McGillian, md of Apeer: “The fact that frost sticks to a front door means that no heat is escaping from the inside. And if no heat is escaping, it means it is being kept inside by a well-insulated and thermally efficient door.”
It’s a brilliantly simple, at-a-glance acid test that instantly assesses the effectiveness of an external door’s ability to keep in the heat. But it also throws up concerns about the lack of other visual evidence that can be relied upon to indicate thermal efficiency at the point of sale.
Said Asa: “Unfortunately when homeowners buy an external door from a showroom, the Jack Frost test isn’t available to them. Buying a new door therefore becomes a matter of trust in the information they are given – and if they are knowledgeable enough to ask the right questions to elicit the features and benefits of each type of door.
“For some, choosing a timber door is a decision based on its visual and tactile properties – but consumers who also want a door that is thermally efficient may not be aware that timber needs regular care and maintenance and over the years can twist and warp and end up being a cold and draughty option.
“Standard uPVC panel doors tend to have just a low grade polystyrene insulation so will also transfer heat from within the home. Correct fitting is also vital to the thermal efficiency of any door.”
Officially Energy A Rated, Apeer doors offer a higher level of strength and insulation than traditional doors. They also feature a double rebate system – a ‘lip’ on the vertical edge where the door meets the frame – that adds additional draught protection by creating an internal secondary seal.
Toughened, triple glazed window panels, complete with a Q Seal warm edge Super Spacer system further ensure that Apeer doors are highly insulated and also significantly improves long-term durability, energy efficiency, condensation resistance and sound transmission.