Batt insulation is best between wall studs and ceiling joists. Spray foam works best in attics rather than garages, so will be a good choice if you have a storage loft. Use rigid foam on the garage doors.
Radiant heat feels the warmest because it warms the person rather than the air. Forced air feels good but wastes energy on heating air that quickly gets cold again. Convection heat feels good so long as it’s close to your body. Electric heat is expensive to run but requires no ventilation. Natural gas is only slightly cheaper than electricity. Propane is competitively priced. Electric heat does not require ventilation, while propane and natural gas do require ventilation.
Wind and snow are hard on fabric awnings. It’s not reasonable to assume you’ll take the awning down for every possible wind gust and snowstorm. You have two choices to beat this weather issue. Get a wind sensor that auto-retracts the fabric, or get a heavy-duty acrylic fixed awning.
Batt insulation is superior to rigid foam board on several metrics. Although it appears to cost more than foam board insulation, it has a higher R-value. Dollar for dollar, you get more insulation from batt insulation than from foam board.
Steel is the best material for a garage door. An insulated steel garage door has the best R-value and durability. Unlike other materials, steel performs well in extreme cold, extreme heat, and moist climates. While wood is the most attractive garage door material, it is also the most expensive, and the most likely to fail.
Dehumidifiers do work in garages, but some work much better than others do. Refrigerant-condenser dehumidifiers are effective above 60 deg. F. Desiccant de-humidifiers can remove moisture when the temp is about 40 deg. F. Even a small dehumidifier can bring moisture down to safe and comfortable levels.
The best budget thermal leak detector is the Black & Decker TLD100. The best James Bond coolness thermal detector is the FLIR One. There’s one for Android and one for Apple phones.
Garage door insulation can provide significant relief from hot and cold temperatures. An insulated garage door can’t stem the tide of open windows and large wall cracks, but you can reasonably expect better temperatures from garage door insulation in a closed-up garage. The best garage door insulation kit I like is from US Energy Products.
How much do new garage doors cost? Should you repair or replace? Which door material is best? Which has the best insulation? What is the best garage door spring?
You can convert your entire garage into a garden, or allocate part of the garage using a grow tent or vertical aquaponics.
Clear out the garage floor. Light the garage. Clean the garage. Control the garage temperature. Beautify the garage floor.
Should you insulate your garage door? Yes, if you first seal any air gaps, and analyze other garage areas, including the walls, windows, ceilings and floor.
