How draught-proofing your home can look stylish and save you money

Draughts are one of those unassuming villains in the home. Easy to ignore, but costly over time, they account for around 25 per cent of heat loss (quickly driving up your energy bills) – according to the Energy Saving Trust.

The problem is compounded by what’s called the stack effect. This is when warm air from your heating rises because it’s lighter, creating a vacuum that sucks in cold draughts through gaps in doors, windows and other openings. The good news is that tackling draughts doesn’t have to mean incorporating unsightly plastic and foam add-ons. There’s an array of draught-proofing options to explore, that won’t compromise on style and can save you money.

Draught-proofing seals the small gaps and cracks that let cold outside air seep in and warm, paid-for air leak out. This makes your home easier to heat because radiators aren’t constantly fighting a stream of incoming cold air. It also helps even out “cold spots” near doors, windows and floors, so rooms feel more comfortable at a lower thermostat setting. Done properly (like with trickle vents, extractor fans or air bricks), draught-proofing shouldn’t block intentional ventilation – the aim is to stop uncontrolled leaks, not fresh-air flow.

For most homes, yes, it’s one of the quickest, cheapest ways to improve comfort and reduce heat loss, especially if you have older doors, sash windows, suspended timber floors or an open chimney. A few well-placed seals can make a noticeable difference straight away, often without any major building work. The only caveat is moisture: if you seal everything up but don’t ventilate properly (particularly in kitchens and bathrooms), you can increase condensation risk. Focus on obvious leaks, keep your ventilation routes clear, and you’ll usually get a warmer home with less wasted heat.

There are some key places where draughts are often the biggest culprits. Keep reading for tips on how to fix them invisibly, to help make your home warmer and cosier during the winter months.

Start with a slow walk-through on a cold, windy day, using the back of your hand to feel for cool air around door frames, letterboxes, keyholes, window edges, skirting boards and loft hatches. At night, try the torch test: with the room lights off, have someone shine a torch from outside around the window and door frames – if you can see light coming through, air will be getting through too.

You can also use a stick of incense (or a very carefully held piece of tissue) near suspected gaps; if the smoke/tissue wavers towards the gap, you’ve found a leak. Pay extra attention to places where pipes or cables pass through walls, around extractor fans, and anywhere different materials meet – those joins are where tiny gaps tend to open up over time.

The Energy Saving Trust estimates that making sure your door is airtight could save you £40 a year. Start by sealing the gaps around the top and edges: unobtrusive, clear silicone self-adhesive draught strips are inexpensive, come in lots of widths and won’t detract from the look of your door.

Next, add keyhole and letterbox covers. For a more cohesive finish, match them to the metal of your door handle and choose either a recessed letterbox-style brush or one with a magnetic cover, which tends to look sleeker and creates a tighter seal.

Tackle the chill at the bottom of your door. Today’s draught-stoppers are far from clunky and come in a range of sizes and materials to fit the style of your door. Options range from brass-topped brushes that complement existing hardware to paintable versions that blend seamlessly, as well as adhesive strips or hidden seals that automatically drop down and close the gap when the door is shut. Even the humble draught excluder is worth considering – buy a heavy one filled with wheat or sand so it doesn’t shift around the room.

Finally, if you have the space above your door, consider adding a heavy curtain. Choose a swing-arm curtain pole so the curtain moves with the door, meaning you get the insulating benefit without having to wrestle your way through it every time you come in.

The average home loses around 18 per cent of its heat through windows, but today’s double and secondary glazing has come a long way from the chunky, unsightly PVC of the past. Double glazing replaces existing windows with sealed double panes, offering excellent insulation, though it can be costly, disruptive, and unsuitable for some period or listed homes.

Secondary glazing, by contrast, adds a discreet internal pane and has evolved dramatically: modern systems are slimline, colour-matched, largely invisible and can fit either traditional casement or sash windows. Good quality secondary glazing can often rival double glazing in performance while being quicker to install and more affordable.

If your budget doesn’t extend to professional building work, draught-proofing offers a low-cost fix with instant results. As with doors, plastic or foam weatherstripping tape can be used to seal gaps around normal casement windows.

For older sash windows, brush or pile strips fitted along the vertical sides and meeting rail (where the window lock sits) are ideal, sealing gaps while still allowing the sashes to slide smoothly. If there’s space between the lower sash and the sill, weatherstripping tape will also block cold air without affecting the window’s operation.

Another cheap hack is to use a transparent window insulation film. Cut it to size and attach it to the frame using the included adhesive strips, then smooth out any creases with a hair dryer. It helps stop warm air escaping, but remember it’s only temporary, as the film prevents the window from being opened.

A note of caution: never block your window’s trickle vents (the small, closable ventilation slots installed at the top of window frames to allow fresh air circulation), and be careful not to over-seal windows in kitchens and bathrooms. Trap damp air and you risk inviting condensation and mould problems.

Floorboards, particularly suspended floors, can let considerable breezes in through the gaps. While some DIY guides suggest mixing sawdust with PVA glue when sanding and varnishing, this can crack when the boards expand and contract over time. A better solution is to use a flexible acrylic floor filler, which can be bought to match your floor’s colour.

Alternatively, foam strips can be pushed between the gaps to block draughts effectively. Those same foam strips can be poked into the tiny cracks between the skirting and the floor and sealed in place with a clear, flexible caulk.

Unblocked chimneys are a surprisingly big source of heat loss, with up to 30 per cent of a home’s warm air escaping through them. Even when not in use, an open chimney actively acts like a funnel for heat to escape, drawing warm air up and out.

If you don't use your fireplace, a smart way to stop heat escaping is to use a Chimney Balloon or Chimney Sheep, branded products which work in slightly different ways.

A Chimney Balloon is inflatable and provides a very tight seal, making it ideal for irregular or larger flues. A Chimney Sheep, on the other hand, is a fibre-filled plug that is quick to install, unobtrusive and made from natural materials, though it may not seal quite as tightly.

For a snug, energy-efficient fit, a Chimney Balloon is generally best for oversized or uneven flues, while a Chimney Sheep offers a simpler, convenient solution for standard chimneys. If you do use your fireplace, magnetic fireplace blankets also provide a sleek, unobtrusive alternative, snapping neatly onto iron surrounds when the fireplace is not in use.

Like chimneys, loft hatches are an often-overlooked culprit for heat loss. Start by sealing the edges between hatch and ceiling with plastic draught strips, and if you don’t have a drop-down ladder, glue a wad of loft insulation to the inside of the door. Many modern loft hatches also now come with built-in thermal panels, or you can buy quilted loft hatch covers to sit inside the door at the top of the hatch to achieve the same effect.