When you feel a draught coming from under the door you use a draught excluder. When there’s a cold breeze coming through an open window, you close it. Using StopGap to stop the cold air coming through the gaps in your draughty floorboards is the obvious next step. The good news is that StopGap is flexible and adapts to changes in the temperature and humidity of your home, keeping the draughts at bay all year round. The unique shape means that the floorboard gaps remain completely sealed, whether it’s a humid summer or a dry winter. Buy a chimney draught excluder – these help stop draughts and heat loss through the chimney, and are usually fitted inside the chimney or around the fireplace. Controlled ventilation will reduce condensation, maintain a healthy atmosphere and prevent damp and mould growth by letting in air where it is needed. Draughts, however, let in too much air in the wrong place at the wrong time, making draught proofing the cheapest and most effective way to save energy, and money, especially in older buildings How to Draught Proof Your Home 1. Draught Proofing Doors Don’t be put off restoring an original wood floor by the prospect of cold rooms, high heating bills and constant draughts; with StopGap you can experience the joys of real wood floors with none of the downsides.

Floorboard gaps - Seal them with StopGap Floorboard gaps - Seal them with StopGap

A properly draught-proofed and insulated house helps reduce your energy demands and CO2 emissions as well as saving on bills. Draught-proofing alone is not enough. A property’s thermal performance is also influenced by how we use our homes. A 12 x 12ft room has approximately 25 floorboards and an average gap area of 3.87ft which is similar to a small window being left open.Fabric draught excluder - Usually long and chunky tubes placed in front of the door when you're settling down in a room. They prevent air loss from underneath the door frame and tend to come in attractive designs. However, they may need moving to open and close the door. The right draught excluder for you will depend on your needs - specifically the source of your draught and the type of heat loss you are experiencing. Here are some things to consider when making your choice: The popular Chimney Sheep is a removable chimney draught excluder made from naturally breathable wool. It also comes with a handle for easy removal if you use your fire regularly. As a bonus, a Chimney Sheep will also reduce wind noise and prevent debris from falling down your chimney. Although double glazing and UPVC window seals are a great way to draught-proof your home, seals can become compressed or wear away over time, reducing their effectiveness at keeping out the cold.

time to draught-proof your home Have you done it yet? It’s time to draught-proof your home

There are some rooms where you should leave plenty of ventilation. These are rooms containing open fires or flues where not enough air flow could cause a dangerous build-up of gases. Rooms that are prone to condensation, like bathrooms and utility rooms, need ventilation so excess moisture can escape. Get a professional opinion if you need advice on this. What can you do to draught-proof your home? The very nature of wooden floors amplifies the problem. Changes in temperature and humidity cause your floorboards to expand and contract – and with them the gaps. Throughout the winter your central heating will be running and keeping the house warm and dry, keeping your floorboards free of moisture. During this time the floorboards will be at their smallest, meaning that the gaps between them will be at their largest. This, in turn, means more draughts and higher heating bills through the coldest months of the year. A flexible seal Internal doors between two heated rooms don’t need draught-proofing, as you don’t lose energy when warm air circulates. DraughtEx is the best material for draught proofing floorboards because its flexible properties allow it to compress and expand with the natural movement of the floorboard gap meaning it doesnt fall out over time. It can also be compressed into floor gaps much smaller than its original profile, enabling you to fill even the smallest of gaps in floorboards.The difference between draughts and ventilation is one of control. Draughts are uncontrolled, while ventilation is ours to switch on and off at will. Home ventilation in the form of extractor fans and cooker hoods will ensure that condensation is properly dealt with, at source. If you don’t use your fireplace, your chimney is probably a source of unnecessary draughts. There are two main ways to draught-proof a chimney: Hot air rises up and could disappear through your chimney causing you to spend unnecessary money on heating bills. Blog Seven top tips to help heat your home this winter Skirting boards often have a gap between them and the floor which can create cold draughts and lead to chilly and uncomfortable rooms and increased heating bills during the winter months. You can fill small gaps around pipework with silicone fillers, similar to the fillers used for skirting boards and floorboards. Fill larger gaps with expanding polyurethane foam. This is sprayed into the gap, expands as it dries, and sets hard. We have more information about insulating tanks, pipework and radiators.