The Benefits of Adding Sidelights to Your Front Entry Door

If your front entry door is up for replacement, consider adding sidelights to it. In today’s post, local entry door and siding replacement contractor Hunterdon Roofing, Siding and Window Company discusses the benefits of adding sidelights to your front entry door.

What Are Sidelights?

Sidelights are vertical windows installed on either or both sides of a front entry door. They can be made of a single tall window that spans the door’s height or of multiple small windows mulled together. Sidelights are primarily intended to let natural light into the front entry area, which are typically dark without the aid of electrical lighting or clerestory windows.

If you are planning on adding sidelights to an existing door opening, keep in mind that sidelights can take a significant portion of the door’s width, especially if you’re adding sidelights to both sides of the door. Your siding and entry door contractor has two options: install a door that has less width, or widen the door opening.

Benefits of Having Sidelights

Sidelights are an aesthetic improvement as much as they are functional. From the curb, they add visual width to standard-sized doors. Indoors, they add natural lighting to an entry hall, which can eliminate your dependence on electrical lighting in that area. They also serve as a way to quickly check if you have visitors or mail delivery. If you are concerned about whether sidelights will affect your privacy, options such as textured, frosted, or stained glass can be installed in lieu of clear glass.

Can Sidelights Improve Your Home’s Energy Efficiency?

Since they are very much like windows, there is the question of how sidelights will affect the house’s energy efficiency. Traditional sidelights equipped with single-pane glass are conductive, which means drafts can form around them during the heating season.

When choosing sidelights, ask your contractor about insulated glass options. Insulated glass typically consists of two glass panes. The gap between them helps reduce heat conduction that, when combined with an insulated entry door, helps reduce heat loss during winter and heat gain during summer. In addition to energy savings, insulated sidelights can help reduce the workload on your HVAC system and make your room more comfortable.

Hunterdon Roofing, Siding and Window Company is your leading provider of entry door and siding installation services. Give us a call at (908) 735-0809. You can also fill out our contact form to schedule an appointment.