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