Although builders take insulation very seriously these days, this was not always the case and, historically, homes in the UK have been notoriously bad for wasting heat. Many contend that this is still the case but, fortunately, there are many things now that homeowners can do to help keep their houses warm.
You may notice a draught coming in around your front door, and possibly the back door too. Even the letterbox can let you down in cold weather. Furthermore, the gap that you invariably find at the bottom of your internal doors means that unless each room in your house is heated to the same degree, heat is going to migrate from the warmer areas to the colder ones.
The best way to weatherproof your front and back doors is to attach strips of self-adhesive draught excluder to the edges. This comes in rubber, foam and brush pile versions. For interior doors you just need to find something put at the bottom; you can always buy the traditional stuffed snake, or even make your own out of a very long sock!
Older windows can also lower the temperature in your home. If you can't afford to replace them with new, double glazed units, there are plenty of other ways of blocking off the chill.
Most of the draught seal that fits around doors can also fit around windows. Some, such as brush seal, are also suitable for sash windows, although there are specific products for this type of opening. If you have fixed windows, double glazing film is an inexpensive way to eliminate draughts: simply attach it to your window frames with double sided tape and tighten it by applying heat with a hairdryer. Made to measure acrylic panels can also be fitted, but they are a more expensive option.
Many older homes have suspended timber floors, and gaps between floorboards can allow the cold air below the house to infiltrate the ground floor. The cracks between floor and skirting board are also an entry point for draughts, not to mention slugs, neither of which you want to find in your home!
The most obvious solution is to put down a carpet with a nice, thick underlay below, but if you have a beautiful timber floor you may not want to cover it up. Fitting insulation material between the joists underneath the floor is very effective, but it's not something that everyone can do for themselves. A more accessible alternative is to buy a roll of flexible seal; this can be easily pressed down in between the individual floorboards to make an invisible barrier. Any gaps around the skirting boards can be plugged with silicon based filler.
As you can see, it's not prohibitively expensive to proof your house against draughts, and with current energy prices it should pay for itself quickly. With the money you save, why not invest in fitting new loft insulation? If you can get up there quite easily, it's not a particularly difficult job to carry out. Thus, you can save yourself even more money!
You may notice a draught coming in around your front door, and possibly the back door too. Even the letterbox can let you down in cold weather. Furthermore, the gap that you invariably find at the bottom of your internal doors means that unless each room in your house is heated to the same degree, heat is going to migrate from the warmer areas to the colder ones.
The best way to weatherproof your front and back doors is to attach strips of self-adhesive draught excluder to the edges. This comes in rubber, foam and brush pile versions. For interior doors you just need to find something put at the bottom; you can always buy the traditional stuffed snake, or even make your own out of a very long sock!
Older windows can also lower the temperature in your home. If you can't afford to replace them with new, double glazed units, there are plenty of other ways of blocking off the chill.
Most of the draught seal that fits around doors can also fit around windows. Some, such as brush seal, are also suitable for sash windows, although there are specific products for this type of opening. If you have fixed windows, double glazing film is an inexpensive way to eliminate draughts: simply attach it to your window frames with double sided tape and tighten it by applying heat with a hairdryer. Made to measure acrylic panels can also be fitted, but they are a more expensive option.
Many older homes have suspended timber floors, and gaps between floorboards can allow the cold air below the house to infiltrate the ground floor. The cracks between floor and skirting board are also an entry point for draughts, not to mention slugs, neither of which you want to find in your home!
The most obvious solution is to put down a carpet with a nice, thick underlay below, but if you have a beautiful timber floor you may not want to cover it up. Fitting insulation material between the joists underneath the floor is very effective, but it's not something that everyone can do for themselves. A more accessible alternative is to buy a roll of flexible seal; this can be easily pressed down in between the individual floorboards to make an invisible barrier. Any gaps around the skirting boards can be plugged with silicon based filler.
As you can see, it's not prohibitively expensive to proof your house against draughts, and with current energy prices it should pay for itself quickly. With the money you save, why not invest in fitting new loft insulation? If you can get up there quite easily, it's not a particularly difficult job to carry out. Thus, you can save yourself even more money!
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