You’ll also find some really cool innovations here like automatic locking as well. Every opener I found with over 1 1/4 HP had an external keypad included, smartphone integration and most of them had a battery backup. The more expensive models will include a battery backup or an LCD wall-console.ġ.25 HP and up ($200+): This is the cream of the crop. If you’re looking at a garage door opener that’s pushing the $200 price mark, I’d move to the 3/4 HP models instead.ģ/4 HP ($180-$250): Now you’ll start to see some of the cooler features like smart home integrations or smartphone apps. On some of the more expensive models you’ll also get an exterior keypad entry. The major selling point here will be the number of remotes that they include. You won’t find too many bells and whistles. You may still be able to find old stock lying around, but I’d steer clear of these.ġ/2 HP ($130-$190): This is the new entry level garage door opener. There’s just one problem: Most major manufacturers stopped making a 1/3 Horsepower garage door opener. Once you know what material your garage door is made of, simply go down to that row and use the HP value in the corresponding box.įor example, if you have a two-car garage door that’s made of fiberglass, you would need a 3/4 HP garage door opener.Ĭost Estimates for Garage Door Openers Based On Horsepowerġ/3 HP ($?): When I was doing my research before buying a new garage door opener, I found a few articles that suggested a 1/3 HP as the entry level. If you have a two-car garage, use the column on the right. If you have a one-car garage, use the column on the left. It starts with with a 1/2 HP garage door opener, which is the minimum horsepower you should be looking at. I created a simple chart so you can quickly tell how much horsepower you need. We’ll get more into how much garage doors weigh in the next section, but it will depend greatly on the size of the door and what material it’s made of. The more your garage door weighs, the more horsepower you need to open and close it. How Much Horsepower Does a Garage Door Opener Need? Hopefully by the end of this article, you’ll know enough so you don’t make the same mistake I did and buy a garage door opener based on how much horsepower it has. There are features that are more important that you don’t get until you more to a higher horsepower model. Horsepower is really just a starting point for garage door openers. Garages with carriage doors should opt for 1 HP garage door openers or higher. Two-car garages or one-car garages with insulated or wooden doors need at least a 3/4 horsepower garage door opener. How much horsepower does a garage door opener need? One-car garages with steel doors only need a 1/2 horsepower garage door opener. Maybe for cars, but not for your garage door opener. The last time I bought a garage door opener, I only looked at the horsepower and ended up buying more than I should.