QUESTION: My old garage opener runs slowly and is very noisy. I sometimes leave it open in the morning so it will not awaken the kids, but I know that wastes energy and is not secure. What should I replace it with?ANSWER: Your concern about leaving the garage door open is well taken.A closed garage door will reduce heat loss during winter (gain during summer) from any common house walls. Leaving it open, even for just a short time, can allow someone to hide in a garage and work on opening a door to the house.You will be quite pleasantly surprised, not only by their quiet operation, but also by all the options and features available on new garage door openers. Some are so quiet, they can barely be heard by someone sleeping in a bedroom above the garage. Prices for good-quality do-it-yourself models range from about $150 to $300 for the newest, quietest design.One of the newest designs is the iDrive by Wayne Dalton (a major garage door manufacturer). This design does not use a standard track and drive motor mounted on the ceiling. Instead, it uses a motor system that mounts on the counterbalance torsion springs on the wall above the garage door.This offers several advantages. Without a long chain, screw or belt-drive mechanism attached to the ceiling, noise is greatly reduced.By eliminating the motor and track on the ceiling, there is more ceiling clearance for an SUV or boat. It also has a pet setting which stops the door six to 30 inches above the floor. Your cat or dogs will appreciate this on rainy days.Another new feature is a battery backup for the top-of-the-line models.A 12-volt battery mounts on top of the garage door opener motor. When the electricity goes off during a storm or accident, the opener and all the safety and security controls will continue to operate as normal.This is ideal for the elderly who do not have the strength to manually open the door.In general, belt-drive garage door openers are the most quiet. These use a tough flexible belt which slides almost silently through its track.Screw-drive models are generally the next most quiet with chain drives being the least quiet, but also the least expensive.Consider installing a garage door opener with a DC (direct current) motor. These motors provide more speed control and allow for quieter soft start and stop. With this speed control, some models, such as the Genie Excelerator, open the door twice as fast as they close it. It closes slower for safety.Almost all openers have changing rolling codes on the remote opener for better security. An indoor indicator in a kitchen or bedroom, which shows when the garage door is left open, is a good security feature.Send inquiries to James Dulley, Butler Eagle, 6906 Royalgreen Dr., Cincinnati, OH 45244 or visit www.dulley.com.

QUESTION: We are having a two-story house designed. The architect is recommending we install a door at the top of the stairs to help balance the temperatures in the home. Will this really help much?ANSWER: It is often difficult to keep the heated air from rising to the second floor during winter and getting more dense cool air up there during summer. Isolating the two floors, as your architect suggested, is a good idea.Along with isolation, installing a zoning system will really help. The simplest zoning system, with separate thermostats on the first and second floors, will control how much heated or cooled air goes to each floor.James Dulley has a degree in mechanical engineering. His Sensible Home column appears in 400 newspapers.