Draught-proofing advice for UK homes

Most homes lose a surprising amount of heat through gaps: round doors and windows, between floorboards, up chimneys and through the holes made for pipes and cables. Sealing them is one of the cheapest ways to make a home warmer, and most of it can be done in an afternoon with basic tools.

This site explains where draughts come from, how to find them and how to deal with each one safely. It’s free, and you don’t need to buy anything to use it.

Why it’s worth doing

  • About £55 a year is the Energy Saving Trust’s estimate of what a typical home in Great Britain saves by draught-proofing its windows, doors and floors. Blocking an unused chimney saves about £45 more.
  • More than three-quarters of the heat lost through a traditional window escapes through gaps round the frame, not through the glass, according to Historic England.
  • One degree makes a difference. A room without draughts feels warmer, so many people find they can turn the thermostat down. Going from 22°C to 21°C saves around £120 a year.

Where to start

Your home
Find out where your draughts are coming from and how to fix them, room by room. Most of the work is DIY. Read the guides

Working in housing or building
Ventilation, standards and what to look out for in older and listed buildings. For professionals

Press and media
Figures with their sources, images you can use, and a contact for interviews. Press information

Four jobs that make the most difference

  1. Block an unused chimney. An open flue draws warm air out of the room day and night, and pulls cold air in through every other gap to replace it. Our chimney guide compares the options and covers the safety points.
  2. Seal round external doors. Fit strips round the frame, a brush or excluder along the bottom, and covers on the letterbox and keyhole. Our door guide covers each type of seal.
  3. Seal round windows. Self-adhesive strips suit most casement windows. Sash windows need a different approach, which our window guide covers.
  4. Fill gaps where pipes and cables go through outside walls. Expanding foam, decorator’s caulk or wool insulation will do.

Keep the air you need

Draught-proofing stops the air you don’t want, not all air. Every home needs some fresh air to keep condensation and mould down, and fires, boilers and stoves need air to burn safely.

Never block:

  • air bricks, wall vents or the trickle vents at the top of windows
  • extractor fans in kitchens and bathrooms
  • vents that serve a gas fire, boiler or stove

Take anything out of a chimney before you light a fire. If you have a fuel-burning appliance, make sure you have a working carbon monoxide alarm.