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Freedom Pet Pass Shipping as Normal During Michigan Shutdown

Freedom Pet Pass Shipping All Orders

Update May 11:

On May 11, 2020, manufacturing operations were permitted to resume in Michigan. Our factory is operating at full capacity, and we are experiencing no delays in production or shipping. As usual, all orders are shipped same day or next, depending on the time of day received.

Our entire staff is healthy and excited to be able to work together again.


Update April 6:

We are still shipping orders normally. We have noticed a slowdown with the US Postal Service. We do not typically ship pet doors via USPS unless that option is specifically chosen. However, it may be worth considering the upgrade to UPS Ground shipping during checkout.

UPS has temporarily suspended their guaranteed delivery dates, but we have observed no significant delays in their deliveries.


Freedom Pet Pass is located in Michigan, and we are subject to the recent executive order that suspends normal business operations for non-essential businesses. To that end, our offices and production facility are closed until the order is rescinded or expires. Our employees are staying at home to comply with the governor’s order. Those who can work from home will be doing so.

We will continue to ship new orders per usual.

In order to maintain our minimum basic operations as allowed by the executive order, one member of the shipping department will come in each day to ensure orders are shipped. During the time the executive order is in effect, no more than one person is allowed at our facility, and they are only allowed there for the minimum time necessary to complete minimum basic operations.

Parcel carriers, like UPS, FedEx, and the US Postal Service are considered “critical infrastructure” and are running as normally as possible. As of March 24th, we have not experienced delays with deliveries. Packages are typically left at your door without interaction between the driver and homeowner so as to minimize potential exposure.

During this time, our customer service will remain fully responsive. Because our team is working remotely, you will get a faster response by emailing us or using our web contact form rather than calling our office. You can send your request to: [email protected]

We will continue to monitor the situation and adapt as necessary.

Everyone here at Freedom Pet Pass hopes you and your pets are safe, healthy, and prosperous.

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Freedom Pet Pass Cat Door Featured in Passive House

Earlier this month, the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA) gave a tour of a new Passive House built in Wayland, MA. The house is using many cutting-edge technologies to reduce energy consumption – including Freedom Pet Pass dog and cat doors.

The home – which is 4,400 square feet – is built to minimize heating and cooling, so all aspects of the building envelope must be both well-insulated and airtight. Our doors were up to the task and proved to be one of the more popular features amongst the tour participants. The final house (including the pet doors) is so energy-efficient that it can be heated with the equivalent of a single burner on a stove!

We’re proud that we can help environmentally-conscious architects, builders, and homeowners design and build with both their pets and the planet in mind.

To read more on the Wayland Passive House project:

Roughed-in Freedom Pet Pass cat door - courtesy Green Energy Times

Roughed-in Freedom Pet Pass cat door – Courtesy Green Energy Times

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Air Leakage and U-Factor Test Results

A fun first post…

This is a pretty exciting post for me. I have recently joined Freedom Pet Pass as its COO, and in my first blog post I get to show the world our actual energy efficiency test results. As described in a previous post by Brian, our founder and the inventor of DoubleMag™ Technology for pet doors, the testing was performed at the same laboratory that performs tests for Energy Star windows and doors. They tested the same critical parameters (air infiltration and U-factor) that are required for Energy Star certified windows and doors, using the same testing protocols.

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The results…

So the results are in. I think the easiest way to look at them is to compare them to something familiar, like an Energy Star door. Remember, for both U-value and air infiltration, lower numbers are better.

 

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*The U-factor value of 0.30 is comparing the Energy Star door to the same door with a Freedom Pet Pass pet door in it. The lab-determined “adder” for a Freedom Pet Pass door is 0.03, so the total U-factor for the combination is 0.27 + 0.03 = 0.30. A standalone pet door has a rating of 0.61.

So what does this all mean?

The air infiltration number shows how many cubic feet of outside air will enter through the product per square foot of wall space that the product occupies when under a specific negative pressure. Freedom Pet Pass pet doors all occupy 1-2 square feet of wall space. Compare that to 20 square feet of wall space that a normal door occupies. If you do the math, that means the Energy Star human door leaks 120 cubic feet of air every hour under the harsh test conditions (0.1 cfm/ft2 x 20 ft2 x 60 min). Under those same harsh test conditions, the largest Freedom Pet Pass door only leaks 3.6 cubic feet per hour (0.03 cfm/ft2 x 2 ft2 x 60 min)!

The U-factor value shows the rate at which a window or door conducts heat. It is the inverse of the R-factor used for insulation, so a smaller number is better. The units for U-factor are how many British thermal units (Btu) the product will conduct per hour for every square foot of wall space that the product occupies at a certain difference between inside and outside temperatures. It also assumes a certain wind speed, as that affects heat conductance rate. The standard temperature difference is 70.2°F (inside temp of 69.8°F, outside temp of -0.4°F). If you do the math, you’ll see that the Energy Star human door loses 379 Btu of energy every hour (0.27 Btu/(hr·ft2·°F) x 1 hr x 20 ft2 x 70.2°F). Compare that to the Freedom Pet Pass door, which only loses 85.6 Btu of energy per hour (0.61 Btu/(hr·ft2·°F) x 1 hr x 2 ft2 x 70.2°F).

To sum up a lot of complicated testing and math in one oversimplified sentence, these numbers basically mean that a Freedom Pet Pass dog door or cat door has similar energy efficiency performance to Energy Star rated windows and doors. We’ve put our products through this rigorous testing to prove to you that you can install a Freedom Pet Pass dog door or cat door without sacrificing the comfort or energy efficiency of your house. We hope that you’ll find that useful.

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Energy efficient pet door now distributed by Energy Star partner EFI

The Freedom Pet Pass energy efficient pet door  now the first and only pet door distributed by Energy Federation Incorporated (EFI). EFI is an Energy Star Partner and has grown to become one of the leading residential distributors of energy efficiency-related products in the United States. EFI believes that increased energy efficiency and energy conservation do not necessarily require sacrifices in people’s quality of life.

Indeed, more efficient products often perform better than conventional products, in that they last longer, as well as save people money through lower utility bills.

Consumers that want an energy efficient home to save money and the environment visit EFI’s website to learn which manufacturers offer the most energy efficient products in their categories. Our energy efficient pet doors are now side by side with the best of the best in the category of home air sealing and insulation products.

EFI also features a wholesale division that sells directly to contractors, builders, designers, and ECO agencies. If you fall into this category you may qualify to receive these products at wholesale.

We at Freedom Pet Pass are very proud to be the leader in energy efficient pet doors. We would like to thank EFI for recognizing us as the best sealing pet door and are humbled to be featured next to established industry leaders in home sealing. We are also excited consumers are learning the truth about home sealing and how important it is to install energy efficient products into their home. If you own a pet door see what your missing. Installing an energy efficient pet door will save energy, save the environment, and save you money. Learn more about the Freedom Pet Pass and join the movement toward saving energy.

If you are looking to make your home energy efficient visit EFI for other products that will impact the amount of energy you use and lose. Do you own a pet door that leaks? Who makes it? Did you know even pet doors with more than one flap leak air into your home? Do your homework before you install a pet door. Purchase one that is best for you.