Author: Brian Algar

YES!! A drafty pet door that leaks air into or out of your home will raise your energy bill. Even more so if you live in a climate that has extreme hot or cold weather throughout the year. With cold weather right around the corner you might be looking for the best pet door for winter. Read this taken directly from the Energy Star website:

More than any other time of year, you notice your home’s air leaks in the winter. Most people call these air leaks “drafts.” You may feel these drafts around windows and doors and think these leaks are your major source of wasted energy. In most homes, however, the most significant air leaks are hidden in the attic and basement. These are the leaks that significantly raise your energy bill and make your house uncomfortable.

If your looking the best pet door for the winter months be certain to find one that seals and allows zero air infiltration. It is a fact that Freedom Pet Pass pet doors reduces air infiltration over 190% better than the competition and reduces thermal loses by 35%. An Energy Star home sealing engineer tested the Freedom Pet Pass against the worlds best selling pet door to find this out and more… read full report

Where is your dog sleeping this winter? In your bed? In a Cage? In the kitchen? How about when you’re not at home? If you own a dog door, chances are you kennel him near the dog door, he lays there waiting for you to return, or likes hanging out by the dog door when you are home. Frigid winter weather is coming fast. Do you own a drafty pet door? Are you thinking of installing a pet door before winter? A leaky pet door can cause some potential health problems for your dog.

Dogs spending time near a drafty pet door can

– Wake up with stiff joints making it difficult for them to move

– Develop respiratory infections such as kennel cough or other infectious diseases

– Begin to shiver

– Create stress on the body

If your dog is spending time near a drafty pet door this winter you do have some options. A pet door that seals allowing no air leakage will seal in the comfort of your home and keep the cold weather outside. A thermal pet flap will keep the area near the pet door comfortable. Do you have a pet door that drafts air? If so, who makes it? Lets keep our dogs healthy and comfortable this winter!

For more cold weather tips read this ASPCA note tip #10

What to consider when buying a pet door has changed. It used to be pet doors were considered nothing more than a mud flap covering a hole in the house the pet passed through. Features such as security doors to help prevent unwanted guests from entering and multiple flaps to reduce Mother Nature’s intrusion into the home have become the norm.

Energy efficient pet doors today require additional features. One such feature a quality pet flap requires is the ability to create and maintain an air seal.

Air Sealing an Existing Home

Air sealing is one of the most significant energy efficiency improvements you can make to your home. Air sealing will not just reduce energy costs; it will also improve your home’s comfort and durability.”  -DOE website

On  August  4 2009 a professional home energy auditor conducted among other tests, an air leakage blower door test, These were the results; The Freedom Pet Pass door did not have any detectable air leakage while performing the air leakage test.  As a bench mark we also tested the “World’s Best Selling Pet Door” in the same air leakage test, these were the results; The “World’s Best Selling Pet Door” door had significant air leakage while performing the air leakage test. A difference of Nineteen cubic feet of air draft per minute. This alone suggested The energy savings payback when comparing the Freedom Pet Pass and the “World’s Best Selling Pet Door” pet door would pay for the cost difference in approximately 60 months in air leakage alone.* Click here for full report

Air leakage tests and thermal imaging were conducted on the Freedom Pet Pass and the “World’s Best Selling Pet Door”. The temperature and air leakage test conditions were identical for the dog doors tested. Ambient air was 65.7° F and test pressure was +50Pa.

The Freedom Pet Pass dog door did not have any detectable air leakage while performing the air leakage test. The “World’s Best Selling Pet Door” had significant air leakage while performing the air leakage test and the single layer of plastic with an approximate R-value of .25 did not provide a good thermal barrier.

Preliminary Test Results

Air leakage tests and thermal imaging were conducted on the Freedom Pet Pass, and the “Worlds Best Selling Pet Door”. The temperature and air leakage test conditions were identical for the dog doors tested. Ambient air was 65.7o F and test pressure was +50pa.

The Freedom Pet Pass dog door did not have any detectable air leakage while performing the air leakage test, and the multi- layer of SBR rubber and two layers of marine grade canvas with a total R-value of approximately of 0.35 did provide a decent thermal barrier. The “Worlds Best Selling Pet Door”  had significant air leakage while performing the air leakage test and the single layer of plastic with an approximate R-value of 0.25 did not provide a good thermal barrier.

The preliminary test results indicate that the Freedom Pet Pass out preformed the competitive “World’s Best Selling Pet Door” in air leakage test.

The main goals of air leakage control are to:

♦ Save energy.

♦ Increase comfort.

♦ Protect insulation’s thermal integrity.

♦ Reduce direct cooling or heating of people and building components by outdoor air.

♦ Avoid moisture migration into building cavities.

♦ Reduce vermin’s access to indoors.

♦ Reduce flow of air pollution from external sources.

♦ Reduce rainwater leakage.

♦ Enhance fire safety.

The energy savings through infiltration when comparing the Freedom Pet Pass to the “Worlds Best Selling Pet Door”; the unique magnetic seal of the Freedom Pet Pass  design reduces the infiltration by 190% when compared to the “Worlds Best Selling Pet Door”. Air leakage in buildings represents from 5% to 40% of the space-conditioning costs. Controlling air leakage is one of the most important functions.
The Freedom Pet Pass pet flap multi- layer design incorporating SBR rubber and two layers of marine grade canvas with a total R-value of approximately of 0.35 did provide a decent thermal barrier. The Freedom Pet Pass design reduces the thermal loses by 25-30% when compared to the “Worlds Best Selling Pet Door”.

Some dog door manufacturers make claims that a double movable flap provides additional R-value due to a dead air space between the door flaps. When you talk about “two flaps” being more effective than one flap by creating dead air space, there are many factors to consider. In the case of a pet door, heat will be lost or gained anytime the door is used. How well the door is sealed will affect how much air infiltrates around the edges while it is closed, and how well-insulated the pet flap is will affect how much heat is transferred by conduction through the door. How fast the wind is blowing, the temperature difference between warm and cool areas, and the frequency of use will impact how fast heat is transferred as well. If you have a pet that prefers to stand or lay in the doorway keeping it open, you are back to a “hole in the wall” regardless of how well it works when closed. Testing indicates that due to the air leakage around the flaps of a double flap pet door; a dead air space is not truly created and therefore additional R-value cannot be substantiated.