Draughtproofing

Draught excluders reduce fuel bills and make your home more comfortable. You should fit draught excluders to all gaps around doors and windows. There's a wide variety of excluders available, ranging from simple-to-fit foam self-adhesive strips to more sophisticated and durable EPDM seals. There are also complete door sets for external and internal doors.

Self-adhesive foam strips - economical and simple to fix in place (7).

V-shaped strips - best used for uneven or large gaps. Sprung strip is pinned to the rebates of the door frame (8).

Rigid strips with rubber seal - for larger or uneven gaps.

EPDM seals - better for larger gaps.

Draught strips and door excluders come in brown, white, wood and gold effect.

To work out the thickness of the gap you need to fill, use this easy formula: 1p piece = 1.5mm, 2p piece = 2mm, 50p piece = 2.5mm and £1 coin = 3mm.

Apart from windows and doors, remember to fit escutcheons over keyholes and draught excluders over letter boxes.

If you get draughts coming in under doors, fit threshold excluders, either a rubber or a brush strip that come as a single piece (9).

With two-part excluders, one part is fixed to the door and the other to the threshold; when the door is closed, the two parts interlock to form a tight seal (10).

While draught excluders help to prevent warm air escaping, they also prevent fresh air from entering. If your home contains coal and gas fires (and other gas appliances without a balanced flue) they need a supply of fresh air to keep them working properly, and to control condensation. Introduce fresh air into the house through ventilators which can be properly controlled.