Draught proofing

If you can feel cold air coming in around the windows in your home it means warm air is escaping. Sitting in a draught doesn't just give you a pain in the neck, it wastes money spent on heating your home.

How draught proofing works

It simply fills gaps and decreases the amount of cold air entering your home. There are several types of materials available from brushes, foams and sealants to strips and shaped rubber or plastic. The Draught Proofing Association can help you decide which is best for your home. Draught proofing is an easy, cost effective way to reduce heating bills. Most materials are available from DIY stores. Check the quality of the products. It will affect their performance and durability. They should conform to the standard BS 7386.

The savings

By installing draught proofing around doors and windows you could save around £25 a year on your heating bills and reduce your emissions by around 130kg of carbon dioxide (CO ₂) each year.

The following table gives approximate costs, savings and paybacks for draught proofing:

	Draught proofing
Annual saving (£/yr)	Around £25
Installed cost £	Around £200
Installed payback	Around 8 years
DIY cost	Around £100
DIY payback	Around 4 years
CO ₂ saving per year	Around 130kg

How the savings add up

If everyone in the UK draught proofed their homes, we'd save almost £200m.

How it is installed

Draught proofing is an easy DIY task. Many of the sealant strips are self-adhesive and fitting brushes to doors or letterboxes is also simple. There are a number of things you should also think about:

Adequate ventilation is as important as draught proofing - and essential if you have solid fuel fires, gas fires or a boiler with an open flue.
Ventilation is especially important in kitchens and bathrooms and you should consider fitting an extractor fan in these areas if condensation is a problem. You could also open a window when cooking, running hot water or drying clothes.
Background ventilation can be provided by trickle vents in the window frame which will reduce the need to open windows.
Have your chimneys swept regularly and check air bricks for blockages.

There could even be grants and offers available to help you pay for draught proofing.

Find out if you're entitled to a grant or offer

What to do next

If you have other questions why not visit our FAQ section. If you still have other questions why not call your local Energy Saving Trust advice centre on 0800 512 012 for free, impartial advice on saving energy in your home.

Savings assumptions