Buying insulated roller shutters and insulated roller doors
Insulated roller shutters: are they worth it?
An insulated roller shutter uses double-walled slats filled with foam instead of a single sheet of steel. The result is a curtain that holds heat better, sounds quieter in wind and rain, and feels solid rather than tinny.
We supply and fit insulated rollers for homes, where our compact insulated roller is a popular garage door, and insulated commercial doors for units and shop fronts. Whether one is worth it depends on how the space behind it is used.
- Insulated slat
- Aluminium, foam-filled
- Single-skin slat
- Galvanised steel
- Domestic roller
- From £789* fitted
- Commercial
- Quoted on opening and spec
Insulated or single-skin: the practical difference
| Foam-filled aluminium slat | Single-skin steel slat | |
|---|---|---|
| Warmth | Holds heat far better | Cold to the touch; little resistance |
| Noise | Muffles rain and wind | Rattles and drums |
| Weight | Lighter curtain | Heavier per metre |
| Typical use | Garages, heated units, workshops | Security cover, stores, retail shutters |
For a home garage
If the garage is attached, used as a workshop or gym, or has a room above it, an insulated roller makes a clear difference over single-skin steel. It also frees up the ceiling and drive, because the curtain coils into a box above the opening. Our manual compact roller starts from £789* fitted, with electric operation available.
For a commercial unit
Businesses choose insulated shutters when the space behind is heated, staffed or storing stock that dislikes cold and damp. A single-skin steel shutter is the better fit where the job is pure security over glazing or an unheated store. Commercial openings are priced on the opening size, specification and site, so we give cost drivers and a survey rather than a headline figure.
- Opening width and height, which set the curtain and barrel size.
- Manual or motorised operation.
- How often the shutter cycles each day.
- Security level your insurer requires.
The limits of an insulated roller
A roller curtain is made of many hinged slats and runs in guides, so it will never seal quite as tightly as a sectional door with panel seals. If maximum warmth is the goal for a busy heated building, an insulated sectional door is worth comparing; our commercial roller shutter versus sectional page sets that out. Brush seals in the guides and a good bottom rubber close most of the gap.
Manual or motorised insulated roller
Because a foam-filled curtain is lighter than steel of the same size, insulated rollers suit motorised operation well, and a tubular motor inside the barrel keeps the garage ceiling clear. A manual insulated roller is still a sensible choice for a garage opened once or twice a day. On commercial units, how often the shutter goes up and down each day matters more than anything else, because a door that cycles constantly needs a motor and components sized for that duty. We discuss usage with you before specifying either route, so the door is not under-built for the way you will actually use it.
Colours and finishes
Domestic insulated rollers are available in Traffic White, Anthracite, Brown, Burgundy, Cream and wood-effect oak, and marine-grade powder-coated aluminium is available for exposed sites.
Getting the right one
We measure the opening, check the headroom for the roller box and the side room for the guides, and ask how the space is used before recommending insulated or single-skin. For a garage, the measuring guide explains what we need; for a commercial unit, we survey on site.
Questions we get asked
- Are insulated roller shutters secure?
- They are solid and lock down, but for the highest security levels a steel shutter specified to your insurer's wording is the right choice. We can advise on which suits your premises.
- Can an existing single-skin shutter be insulated?
- Not in any worthwhile way. The curtain itself is the insulation, so it means replacing the curtain or the shutter.
- Do you fit insulated shutters on commercial units?
- Yes. Insulated commercial doors are part of our commercial range, quoted after a site survey.
Insulated or single-skin? We'll give you a straight answer
Tell us whether it's a garage or a commercial unit and how the space is used, and we will recommend the right curtain.
Based at 31 Mount Street, Dromore (BT25) · covering Northern Ireland · 24/7 emergency repairs