Which is more energy-efficient: a hollow-core door or a solid wood exterior door w/ 10 glass panes?

Question

We want to replace a low-quality hollow-core door in our 1899 cottage with an antique solid exterior-rated door with 10 panes of beveled glass but are concerned about energy-efficiency.

We live in San Francisco and almost never use heating and never use air conditioning. We both agree that the door with the panes would be much more attractive.

I think that the glass-paned door could provide us with passive solar heating through the panes (we don't have any windows on that side of the house), but my sweetie thinks that the heat loss from the panes would negate any solar heating effect.

Is the hollow-core door more energy-efficient than the solid door with glass? And if so, how much more? Or is weatherstripping more of an issue?

Thanks!

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

R-Value is the measure of the resistance of heat flow through a particular product.  There are window panes out there that can give you a higher r factor than some hc doors.  But, since your cottage is from 1899 realistically it won't make much difference.  A house built today will have, usually, an R-11 wall, most windows today will be an R-4 or so.  A house built in 1899 did not have standards like these of today.  See below:

But to answer the question, I would compromise, and get a door with glass at the top which would give you light and satisfy your husband as well.  A HC door does not provide much insulation at all.  You were right about the weatherstripping though, a door or window that doesn't have good airtight seals will lose more than just having a glass or HC door.

getrdone · Answer

Hollow core doors are not more energy efficient. The glass is not a big factor in efficiency. The hollow core door does not give you much security. I would not consider a  hollow core door for an exterior installation. If someone wanted to break in can they break the glass and reach the door knob? If they can I would not feel very secure with this either. If you have an alarm system, go for it.
The panes would look nice and certainly give you some light.
Good luck

Busted Flush · Answer

Personally I would go for the solid door....a hollow core door is a sad choice for an exterior door...security being one of the issues...it doesn't take much to kick in a hollow core door...if your worried about the solar effect there are various solar films that could be installed on the glass and would block the UV rays from coming in....available in various tints and clear...relatively easy to cut and install.. look into it...

? · Answer

energyefficient hollowcore door solid wood exterior door 10 glass panes

nickipettis · Answer

to get  a real answer, you need 2 real doors in mind, so you can get some numerical answers.

then ask Home Depot or whoever for actual energy information.


BTW, heat comes through glass, but it is a relatively good insulator against cold. not perfect, but not bad.

crazy_gang1843 · Answer

changing the door will be far more energy efficicient and far more atractive. go for it....
you can buy all types of glass now, even insulating, heat retaing glass.
think yourself lucky. we can't use hollow core doors in the uk for external applications.

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Which is more energy-efficient: a hollow-core door or a solid wood exterior door w/ 10 glass panes?

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