Other than windows, the main openings to your house are the doors. Installing a new door or replacing an existing one requires several kinds of skills - accurate measurement, careful alignment, balanced adjustment, secure fastening, and thorough weatherproofing. You will have to decide whether to hang a door yourself or have a contractor do it. Choosing the door, however, only requires some basic knowledge.
Reducing maintenance can be environmentally beneficial, especially if the materials used for maintenance create waste or contain VOCs. Doors used in commercial buildings are made to withstand heavy use for many years with little care; they are often made of steel and covered in a tough enamel finish. But that doesn’t mean you need to use industrial products at home. Newer doors made of wood products can provide the same benefits while adding to the beauty, function, security, and insulation of your house.
One challenge of choosing a door is finding comparable information about more than one model or brand. Unlike appliances, most of which carry Energy Star ratings, doors can be rated on several criteria that are not always the same. The only doors that are required to have Energy Star ratings are those with windows. That’s because the energy efficiency of the glass is measured and rated; the rest of the door isn’t even considered.
For doors without windows, Energy Star will not help. Manufacturers promote the features that cast their products in the most favorable light, which makes more work for you. The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) has a set of guidelines for applying green building principles in a construction project.
These guidelines provide information that will help you determine which characteristics are the most important to you - but they won’t appear on the products you consider. It’s still up to you to weigh your choices.
To offer a system that contractors and consumers can use as a common reference, the U.S. Green Building Council introduced the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System. The LEED system began as a voluntary effort to create common standards for green building. The goal has been to share information and provide incentives for builders to adopt green practices rather than depend on government regulation to shape the industry.
According to its publications, “LEED is a collaborative initiative that actively involves all sectors of the home building industry including builders, home owners, product manufacturers, service providers, and affordable housing developers.” While most of the work on LEED certification concentrates on new construction, the organization also offers the LEED for Homes Rating System. As more manufacturers and building products retailers adopt the LEED system, you will have more consistent terms and measurements to compare.
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