Air drafts are a major cause of heat loss in a home, especially old homes. Luckily the causes are generally fairly easy to pinpoint – sometimes solutions can be as simple as adding foam insulation or installing outlet sealers.
At its most basic, draft-proofing is filling/sealing the gaps in a building, where heat escapes and cold air enters. A properly draft-proofed and insulated house helps reduce your energy demands and CO2 emissions as well as saving on bills. Draft-proofing alone is not enough. A property’s thermal performance is also influenced by many other factors, but draft proofing is a good start.
Doors and windows are the most obvious culprits, but there are plenty of other often-drafty spaces you might be overlooking.
‘IF’ you can afford it, install modern, energy-efficient windows and doors.
Alternatively, you can apply weatherstripping around windows and doors: To stop drafts coming in around windows and doors, open them and replace the weatherstripping around the opening. Silicone sealant is best for windows that don’t open.
Insulate attics, crawl spaces, and basements: Install insulation in the unfinished areas of your home to combat drafts. If you can locate the source of the drafts, it may be effective to simply block off those areas during the colder months of the year.
Over time, floorboards and skirting boards often expand, contract, and even move slightly. A silicon-based filler works well to block any holes – also, check for gaps between skirting boards and the floor.
Silicone fillers work well for small gaps around pipes. Fill more significant gaps with expanding polyurethane foam.
Old extractor fan outlets may need to be filled and then sealed from both the inside and outside.
If you find a large crack in your wall, check with a professional for possible structural issues. Fill small cracks with cement or hard-setting fillers – apply to electrical fittings on walls and ceilings as well as ceiling-to-wall joists.
Attics and cellars can be colder than the rest of the house. Check that cold air isn’t creeping into your living space internally, too. Consider insulation if you don’t already have it.
The ‘STACK EFFECT’
Cold indoor drafts are triggered by a natural process known as the ‘Stack Effect’. Warm indoor air rising and escaping into the attic or outside forms a continuous upward air current that creates a lower pressure zone indoors. This sucks cold outdoor air into the house through existing gaps and cracks in the structure. These frigid drafts are very conspicuous inside an otherwise warm indoor environment.
Interestedly, the ‘Stack Effect’ can be used in positive ways (see???????? maybe refer to Duncan Firth???????????????)
Bob/Ronnie, This is pretty basic... I guess this incorporates many things such as air-tightness etc. Also aspects such as air-blower tests would be included here????
Also, a lot of the remedies (CHEAP) I saw online are things like putting rugs under doors etc, which is not probably what Superhome is trying to inspire people to do lol.
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