Top tips for draught-proofing your home
It can be all too tempting to crank up the heat when the temperature drops, but how else can you banish blustering winter weather from entering your home?
Draught-proofing your home will not only help keep you snug this winter, but retaining warm air means you’ll use less energy and potentially save money on your bills.
Read our top tips on DIY draught-proofing to find out how you can combat those chills...
Doors
Picture this typical winter scene: You’ve gotten cosy on the sofa with your blanket and hot chocolate, ready for an evening with the TV – but what’s that nip in the air, coming from the direction of your front door…?
You place your trusty sausage dog draught excluder between the door and the floor, hoping for the best. But it doesn’t quite cut it. So, what else can you do to dispel those draughts?
Well, you could attach self-adhesive foam or rubber strips around your doors to fill any gaps. And what about the gaps at the bottom of your doors? Scrap that sausage dog and fit a hinged flap or brush instead.
Don’t forget keyholes and letterboxes – you’d be surprised at just how much air can travel through a small space! Troublesome keyholes are easy to fix – simply fit a purpose-made metal cover over the lock. For letterboxes, try adding an extra interior flap or brush to help reduce those pesky draughts.
Windows
If the elusive White Christmas decides to show up this year, you want to enjoy ogling it from your window in relative comfort, right?
Like doors, self-adhesive strips around your windows can help do away with dastardly draughts. For sash windows, you may need to bring in the professionals, or look at fitting brush strips.
Chimneys and fireplaces
No-one wants a draughty chimney discouraging Father Christmas! If you use your fireplace, try a removable chimney balloon – this will prevent warm air from escaping out, and cold air from dropping down. All you need to do is position the balloon and inflate it, to hold it in place. When you want to put the fire on, simply deflate.
If you don’t use your fireplace, a professional can cap your chimney for you, or you can fit a chimney draught excluder – just remember to remove this when summer comes back around, so the air can circulate.
As we all know, heat rises. And if you don’t take suitable steps to block off draughts from your loft or attic, your precious (and paid-for!) heat will rise up, never to be seen again.
Curtains
Switching out your regular curtains with heavy-duty ones could be an option come the winter months, however this would obviously involve spending extra cash. Simply making sure you close your curtains on a frosty winter evening can prevent heat loss – once the sun comes up the next day, just open them again to let the heat back in. Easy-peasy!
Loft and attic hatches
As we all know, heat rises. And if you don’t take suitable steps to block off draughts from your loft or attic, your precious (and paid-for!) heat will rise up, never to be seen again. How can you do this? Again, nifty self-adhesive strips will do the trick around the hatch’s frame, and you can draught-proof the door itself by attaching a large plastic bag filled with insulating material, such as polystyrene or wool.
Skirting boards and floorboards
You’d think that skirting boards themselves would offer some heat retention, but this isn’t the case, unfortunately. Luckily, there’s a simple solution – just take some sealant and fill in those gaps. You can also block any gaps between the floorboards themselves with a silicone-based filler. Just make sure you allow sufficient drying time before walking on them – especially if you’re only wearing socks…
Remember!
It’s essential your home is also well-ventilated, and fitted with double-glazed windows and doors, if possible – while double-glazing is undoubtedly expensive, you’ll soon reap the benefits of lower energy bills.