Draught proofing your home

With traditional autumnal weather in full swing, it’s a good idea to start thinking about draft proofing your home and making sure that you don’t let the warmth out and the cold in. Draught proofing (or draught exclusion) is one of the cheapest and easiest ways to cut energy costs in the home, whether you live in a house or a flat. The concept is really simple: stop cold air coming in and prevent warm air from escaping, using things like draught-excluders. Keeping the warm air inside will save you money on your utility bills as the existing heating system will need to work less hard to keep the home at the required temperature.

It is estimated that installing draught proofing measures in an average UK home could save the household £60 per year on heating bills. According to the Energy Saving Trust, if every home were to do this in the UK, the total energy savings could be worth as much as £190 million, and the energy saved would heat nearly 400,000 homes.

By carrying out some easy DIY fixes, you will notice a difference in the draughts from under the doors and windows in your home. MOLLY MAID, the house cleaning professionals, will show you just how easy it is to implement a few tricks to make your home even more cosy this winter.

• Letterbox insulation

Try insulating around your letterbox if you have one that is part of your front door. Some people swear by the bolt-on plastic frames with brushes across the opening and others have found that an insulator called Ecoflap to be a good alternative. It is screwed onto the inside of the front door and removes draughts completely and can withstand an over-zealous postman posting post through it.

• Draught excluders

Not a new concept, but one that is being continually tinkered with in terms of design. If you have a draughty window or door, these little draught excluders or snakes are a must-have in your home. Placed at the bottom of the door or window, these weighted fabric tubes help to block out the unwanted draught and are an attractive way of minimising draughts.

• Front Door: Draught stripping

Consider having a professional fit and install a wooden grooved strip on the external side of the door frame, alternatively there are many other options of door strips available from your local DIY shop.

• Chimney Pillow

If you have a chimney that is not being used and you may find that there is a considerable draft coming from it. Try inflating a transparent pillow (a chimney pillow) and this will help to reduce draughts. However, do not over-inflate the pillow as air needs to be able to circulate a little around it to allow ventilation so that condensation does not build up. Remember to remove this in the winter.

• Insulated Curtains

Another effective way to reduce draughts and retain heat in your home, is to hang insulated curtains. The only drawback is to be most effective, they need to be closed, so essentially if you prefer some rays of sunlight appearing throughout the winter, they will only be effective during the evenings.

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