How to Draught Proof your Home

4 February 2025

We all want to feel warm and comfortable at home, especially during the colder months. But if you're feeling the chill, draughts may be the culprit.

Read our guide on draught-proofing your home, with practical solutions for plugging gaps, saving energy, and reducing heating bills. By preventing cold air from entering and warm air from leaving, fixing drafts can save you up to £35 a year.^[1]

EASY AS HACK

Simple DIY solutions such as draught-excluders and filler can help you to draught-proof your windows and doors so your home feels warm and cosy and you save energy.

AT A GLANCE

Find out where the draughts are coming from
Fit draught excluders around your windows and doors
Fit a flap or brushes over your letterbox
Plug the gaps around skirting boards and floorboards with flexible filler
Block air from unused chimneys with a chimney balloon
Never block the flue from the boiler or air bricks or trickle vents

DEALING WITH DRAUGHTS

Draughts happen when gaps and holes around windows, doors, walls and other parts of your home are poorly sealed, like letterboxes, chimneys and air ducts. Even cracks in the floorboards and foundations can let cold air in, especially in older properties.

Blocking most openings can make you more comfortable, save energy and retain heat. However, leaving some space for ventilation around places like fireplaces, vents and extractor fans is essential.^[2] Allowing moisture to build up in bathrooms and kitchens can lead to issues like condensation and mould.^[1]

Learn how to tackle dampness, mould and condensation.

HOW TO DRAUGHT-PROOF YOUR WINDOWS

Once you’ve checked windows for draughts, you can use inexpensive options to prevent cold air from breezing in and increasing your heating bills. We have listed four affordable ways to stop draughts from windows. older generations, especially those aged 65 years plus

Self-adhesive foam strips

DIY stores sell foam-strip draught excluders or weather strips that you can cut to fit gaps around windows (and doors).^[2] In addition to being cheap and quick to fix, the strips come in different thicknesses and colours that blend well with uPVC windows.

The flexible foam makes it easy to fit a draught excluder around windows. However, brush strips may be more effective at excluding draughts on sash windows.^[3]

Metal or plastic strips

Metal, plastic or wooden brush strips provide longer-lasting draught-proofing than weather strips. They’re also an easy and affordable way to stop draughts from sash windows in older properties.

Flexible brush draught excluders are available in various sizes to seal your windows against cold air and prevent heat loss. Moreover, they block noise and keep insects and dirt out to create a comfortable, quiet and protected environment. ^[4]

window film

Transparent window film saves energy by creating an insulating layer that stops cold air from entering. This secondary glazing film typically comes in two types.^[3]

A cling-film style film is one you stick around internal window and door frames, then use heat from a hairdryer to shrink it to fit. You must use fresh film each time you remove it.
The second film is made of heavier-duty plastic and comes with a magnetic strip you place around the frame. It can easily be unattached and stay in place all year.

Hang heavy curtains

One way to stop window draughts and make your home more energy efficient is to use heavy curtains, especially thermal ones.

A laboratory study by Historic Scotland found that fitting heavy curtains to traditional sash windows reduced heat loss by 14%. Combining curtains with a Victorian blind and shutters was even more effective, reducing heat loss by 62%.^[5]

If you already have heavy curtains, buying thermal pencil pleats or eyelet curtain linings to hook onto them is less costly. Stockists provide a range of widths and drops, so you can find some that fit your existing curtains.^[6]

Find more information on winter-proofing your windows: https://www.ageas.co.uk/solved/protect-your-home/how-to-winter-proof-your-windows/

DRAUGHT-PROOFing your doors

Air can leak from under and around doors, keyholes, and letterboxes, but several easy DIY options can tackle the problem.

keyhole

One of the simplest methods of draught-proofing your doors is to cover the keyhole (escutcheon) in the door with a metal guard. A metal disc attached to the keyhole will block cold air from flowing through, allowing you to move it aside to insert the key.^[7]

letterbox flap

A letterbox flap has the same effect as the keyhole cover – it prevents heat from escaping and prevents cool air from entering your home. You can get them with a flap or a flap and brushes, which are even more effective.^[8]

gaps around the door

Gaps beneath and around doors are another draughty trouble spot. Try closing doors between rooms or use these simple solutions to keep the cold out.

Attach a weather bar to the bottom of outside doors – it’s an easy and affordable method to prevent heat from escaping. You can also add self-adhesive draught strips (like the ones to keep draughts from windows) to the sides of door frames.^[7]
Place a traditional draught excluder shaped like a sausage dog at the bottom of a closed front door to block draughts. Many designs and shapes are available to buy online.
Hang a door curtain to external doors. These practical and fashionable drapes have made a comeback. They not only keep the heat inside and draughts away, but they also look stylish, especially in period properties.^[8]

draught-proofing loft hatches

Don’t forget to seal the edges of the loft door. Prevent cold air from escaping from the loft by placing draught-proofing foam strips along the edge of the frame and the hatch. When a lift-out door sits on top of it, it creates a seal.

The foam strip works well on unattached doors. It’s trickier to place on drop-down doors with ladders attached, but make sure you don’t affect the mechanism on the ladder. You could also tape insulation material to the back of a loft hatch, using foil insulation for drop-down versions.^[9]

draught-proofing your floors

Sealing cracks or gaps in floorboards and skirting boards with flexible filler, silicone mastic or decorators’ caulk ^[1] can significantly reduce heat loss in a room.

Adding rugs to a draughty floor will help keep the cold out but the heat in. Houses built before 1996 often have uninsulated floors, so you could add floor insulation.

draught-proofing your chimney

Unused fireplaces can be a source of draughts, but capping the chimney pots and stuffing the chimney with a special balloon will prevent heat loss.

Enter ‘where to buy a chimney balloon’ into your search engine to find different sizes to fit your chimney. Inflate the balloon inside the chimney to block draughts. Alternatively, you can make your own by filling a plastic bag with other bags. Just remember to remove your chimney draught-proofing when the seasons change. ^[1]

how much could you save by draught-proofing?

You could save around £25 to £35 a year by draught-proofing windows and doors.^[1]

SHOULD YOU GET DRAUGHT-PROOFING DONE PROFESSIONALLY?

Having someone professionally seal up all the air leaks in your home can be expensive, but if you’re good at fixing things yourself, you can probably do it for less money. While each little gap you fill won’t save much energy, if you do them all together, you’ll save a significant amount of money each year.^[1]

Is your home insurance as easy as Ageas? Find out more

faqS

Is draught-proofing worth it?

Draught-proofing windows, doors and floors is worth it because it can save you money by preventing warm air from leaving the house, and you use less energy, saving on your fuel bills.

Can draught-proofing your home be dangerous?

Draught-proofing your home doesn’t have to be dangerous if you take some precautions.

You must ensure your house remains well-ventilated, especially around open fires, flues, air bricks or window trickle vents. Don’t over-seal gaps, such as in bathrooms and kitchens, where moisture needs to escape.^[2]

If you need to cap a chimney, get a professional used to working on roofs, like a builder or roofing company, to do it.

What is the cheapest way to draught-proof your windows?

The cheapest way to draught-proof your windows is to use draught strips made of foam, plastic or metal. Alternatively, brush seals work if you have sash windows.^[2]

how do you seal draughts in uPVC windows?

You’ll first need to identify where the draught is coming from to seal draughts in uPVC windows. The most typical cause is the space between the window and its frame, which you can fill with draught-excluder strips or a foam seal