Ditch the draught this winter

Now that the rather unusually warm autumnal weather has given way to frosty nights and single-digit temperatures, it’s time to rid your home of unwelcome chills and make it cosy again. The elephant in the room is a draught –
a clear sign that your home is not running as efficiently as it should!

Draught-proofing is a very effective way to save both energy and money in literally any type of building. Unlike controlled ventilation, which helps reduce condensation and damp, draughts are uncontrolled as they waste heat by letting in too much cold air.

Ditching the draughts can make your home more comfortable at lower temperatures which could see you shifting the dial down on both your thermostat and your energy bill. 

There are at least three reasons why we should all get on with draught-proofing:

• It makes our homes warmer and more energy efficient;
• We can save money on our energy bills; and
• We can lower our carbon footprints and help protect our climate.

Check on the most common draught culprits:

WINDOWS

Your windows are shut but you can still feel a draught coming in? Chances are there’s a gap between the window and the frame which you need to fill. There are two types of self-adhesive strips that’ll solve the issue and they’re easy to fit too: 

Sticky foam strips are a cheap, short-term solution for windows that open. If you have sliding sash windows, you’re better off using metal or plastic strips with brushes or wipers attached. They’re a bit more expensive but last longer. Measuring is key to filling the gap in your window properly and in order to operate the window as you would normally. 

Any windows that don’t open can be sealed with a silicone. Drawing curtains or lining them with thermal material could reduce heat loss by as much as 62%. If you do need to replace your windows, make sure you consider energy efficient options.

DOORS

Put a stop to heat escaping through external doors with these key draught-proofing measures:

• Keyholes can be fitted with a purpose-made cover that drops a metal disc over it.
• Letterboxes are calling for a flap or brush and again, be sure to measure your letterbox carefully.
• Bottom gaps can be closed off with a brush or hinged flap draught excluder.
• Gaps around the edges are best sealed with foam, a brush or the wiper strips you’d use for windows.

Internal doors between a heated and an unheated room, such as a spare room or kitchen, also need draught-proofing and should ideally be kept shut to stop the cold air from moving into the rest of the home. Draught excluders are the easy answer to blocking gaps at the bottom of the door and you may even want to make one yourself to match the design of the respective room.

FLOOR- AND SKIRTING BOARDS

With everyday use, floor- and skirting boards often expand, contract or move slightly, so it’s important that you work with a filler that tolerates movement to block any cracks. The fillers tend to be silicone-based, so if you’re out shopping you should look for decorator’s caulk, mastic-type products or flexible fillers all of which are available in various colours. 

Bear in mind though that these fillers are a permanent solution, so wipe off excess with a damp cloth before they dry. Fillers may break down over time, but can easily be reapplied.

A carpet will help keep draughts through floorboards at bay and add to the room’s character. Go a step further and use underlay for more protection and comfort underfoot. It’s also worth checking whether you need to insulate between the floor and skirting boards as that’s often where cold air likes to quietly creep in.

LOFT HATCHES

According to the Energy Saving Trust, an astonishing 25% of heat in uninsulated homes literally disappears through the roof. As hot air rises, it gets lost in the cold space of your attic or loft, so it’s worthwhile paying attention to your loft hatch and blocking off draughts around it. You can simply use the same strip insulation we suggested for doors earlier on in this blog.

CHIMNEYS

We never think of them in this way but chimneys are actually a big hole in the structure of our homes that lets warm air escape and pulls in a lot of cold air. If you wouldn’t ever dream of using your fireplace, you may as well get it sealed off but if you like to put the fire on occasionally there are two main ways to draught-proof your chimney:

Firstly, a professional could fit a cap over the top of the chimney pot or secondly you could invest in a chimney draught excluder which is usually fitted inside the chimney or around the fireplace. These can both help prevent draught and heat loss through the chimney. Always remove the draught excluder before you start that cosy fire though.

PIPEWORK

Depending on how much of a DIYer you are, you can either fill small gaps around your pipework with silicone fillers and larger gaps with expanding polyurethane foam. If neither is for you, leave this job to a professional and enjoy watching them work away with a cup of tea.

OLD EXTRACTOR FANS

Ventilation is hugely important to allow airflow in and out of your home and to keep it dry, fresh and healthy. So, make sure you only block or seal any redundant fan outlets using bricks or concrete blocks on the inside and outside as appropriate.

CRACKS IN THE WALL

Check for cracks around your home. Smaller cracks can usually be filled with hard-setting fillers which work well around electrical fittings on walls and ceilings and at ceiling-to-wall joists. Large cracks could be a sign of an underlying issue however and you’re probably better off consulting with a surveyor or builder who can investigate further.

PROJECT PLANNING

We hope you enjoyed our latest blog which has been written with cost of living challenges in mind as winter approaches. Our blogs are published monthly and free for you to access at your convenience. 

Looking for something more than just draught-proofing your home? Cube offers a bespoke end-to-end service which means we take care of everything from design, project management through to the finished build.

Browse our extensive portfolio of extensions, refurbishments and loft conversions and get in touch for your free initial design consultation:

T: 020 8432 9676
E: space@cubelofts.co.uk