How do I draught proof my home
12/12/20
Draught proofing your home is one of the cheapest and most effective ways to use less energy to heat your home. Just a few quick fixes and you can save money and make your home warm at the same time. It’s a no brainer, right?
Why should you draught proof your home?
✓ To keep your home warm
✓ To be energy efficient
✓ Save money on your fuel bills
✓ Lower your carbon footprint
According to the Energy Saving Trust, you can save around £20 a year by just draught proofing your windows and doors.
Draughts happen where there are unwanted gaps in the construction of your home, and where openings are left uncovered.
Draught proofing shouldn’t be too tricky if you’re happy to tackle simple DIY jobs. Most products should be available from good DIY shops.
Draught proofing your windows
You can buy either self-adhesive foam strips or metal or plastic slips with wipers attached. Stick them around the window frame and fill the gap between the window and the frame.
It’s important to make sure that the strip is the right size to fill the gap in your window. If it’s too big, you might not be able to close the window. If it’s too small then there will still be a gap.
Draught proofing doors
You can prevent a lot of heat from escaping by draught-proofing external doors. Four main areas to consider are:
- Gaps at the bottom – using a brush or hinged flap draught excluder or even a home made one by filling a large piece of fabric with old clothes
- Gaps around the edges – by fitting foam, brush or wiper strips like those used for windows
- Keyhole – using a purpose-made cover the drops a metal disc over the hole, they usually cost around £3
- Letterbox – remember to measure your letter box so you buy the right letterbox flap or brush, they usually cost under £1
Draught proofing chimneys and fireplaces
If you don’t use your fireplace, you could fit a cap over the chimney pot, which we recommend having done by a professional. Or, you could fit a chimney draught excluder from any good DIY store.
Just make sure you remove the draught-proofing if you decide to light a fire. Read more about draught-proofing your chimney here.
Draught proofing your loft hatch
It’s worth blocking off draughts around your loft hatch, as heat rises and gets lost in the loft. As you would on a door, it’s best to use strip insulation.
