A guide to draught-proofing

In this series of retrofit measures blogs, we’ll be explaining different retrofit measures which can improve the energy efficiency of homes – reducing energy usage to cut energy bills and carbon emissions, and improve the comfort of your home.

We’ll include information on how the measure works, what types of homes it may be right for, what installation looks like, and more. In this post we’re looking at draught-proofing.

Want us to cover a particular measure? Drop us an email to info@cosyhomeoxfordshire.org and we’ll see what we can do.

What is draught-proofing?

Draught proofing is a cheap and effective way to reduce energy use in a home (or other type of building). It refers to filling in gaps in the building, often open chimneys  and gaps around windows and doors.

How does draught-proofing work?

Allowing air into a building is crucial to reducing condensation and damp, allowing fresh air to circulate. However, you do not want uncontrolled air coming into the building – known as draughts. Draughts let in too much cold air and let out too much heat from inside the home. Draught proofing works by blocking up gaps in the home to keep the heat in and the cold air out, meaning that the home remains comfortable even when you turn down your thermostat.

What types of home does draught-proofing suit?

Most types of home will benefit from draught-proofing, especially around windows and doors. This is especially true if you have single-glazed windows. Otherwise, draught-proofing is for homes with obvious draughts, for instance from an open chimney.

What are the expected costs and savings?

Based on a typical semi-detached on-gas property in the UK, Energy Savings Trust predicts that draught-proofing around windows and doors could save you around £20 per year. If you have an open chimney, draught-proofing your chimney when you’re not using it could save around £15 per year.

It can be a fairly cheap measure to put into place – depending on how much and which areas of the home you want to draught proof. You can likely install draught-proofing around windows and doors yourself at a basic level. However, we’d recommend getting professional advice in order to maximise the energy savings – professional installers will be able to identify the right materials to use, and where. If you work with Cosy Homes Oxfordshire on your home retrofit you’ll have access to our network of trusted contractors, who we will contact and manage for you – so you won’t need to worry about this.

It’s also worth considering other areas of your home at the same time, particularly ensuring that proper ventilation is in place. If you work with Cosy Homes Oxfordshire we always assess and look at the opportunities across your whole home to avoid issues like this.