Draft proofing or in one word draught proofing can be a major means of enhancing your comfort in the upcoming cold wintertime as well as reducing heat loss and saving heating fuel and budgets.

Ill fitting windows and doors are a major source of needless and costly heat loss, as well as causing cold draughts. Fitting efficient draught stripping around them will reduce the losses of heat as well as entry of cold air as well as cutting down the draughts. Best yet it is a most simple job to carry out.

Modern self-adhesive forms are much more efficient and longer lasting than the older previous formats, are ideal for windows. Doors and sash windows are best draught proofed with pin-on (tack on) plastic or sprung metal strips or types containing a compressible rubber seal or sealing. Special draught excluders are readily available at your local hardware or furnace heating store outlet for door thresholds (saddles), and can be fitted to the door bottom, or across the threshold. There are even excluders designed to fit over letter plate openings in front doors if need be to prevent against draught and heat loss.

Remember that although draught proofing your home for comfort and reducing both heat loss and improving comfort has its drawbacks as well. You are effectively sealing an air from some sources of ventilation on the other hand which may have unintended consequences either health wise. In other cases you or family members might actually like or even prefer a bit of cooling waf
ting draft air into rooms or areas as they work or sleep. Draught proofing a home will no doubt as well close off many “unofficial” sources of air exchange and ventilation, turning areas into essentially a well sealed off boxed in area – in terms of air ventilation and ventilations. It is essential, both from a safety and health viewpoint and viewpoints that fuel burning appliances such as boilers, room heaters and even natural gas or propane hot water tanks must have an adequate source of fresh air to burn safely and efficiently, so it is wise to ask your fuel supplier or local plumbing and heating trades person to check if there is indeed adequate enough ventilation in the rooms or areas containing such appliances or fixtures. A simple ventilator installed into a window pane area will simply and easily solve such a situation and problem.

Lastly on the other side remember that there can be side effects and situations to be aware as a direct result of your best intentions and good as well as effective efforts to finish this draft proofing exercise. Your efficient effort at draught proofing may also lead and have lead to increased levels of condensation and moisture unavoidably. This increase in condensation and moisture most commonly and popularly occurs in either or both kitchen and bathroom / washroom areas where a lot of moisture is present in your home to begin with anyways. These condensation and moisture accumulation issues, problems or concerns can be easily prevented or dealt with by providing controlled ventilation in these areas with a simple standard electric air extractor venting exhaust fan or series of fans.