Stopping a draught is sometimes what you need more than turning the heating on, a simple draught stopper could save you money as well as stop cold air entering your home. Cut a leg off your tights and fill it with stuffing. When it's full and just a little bit smaller than your draught excluder, tie a knot in the end. Alternatively, you could invest in a brand new letterbox —most new models are designed to be energy efficient and come fitted with both brushes and flaps. Optional: To make a snake draught excluder, simply sew on two buttons for eyes and a piece of red ribbon (with a V-shaped piece cut out of one end) for a forked tongue. The difference between draughts and ventilation is one of control. Draughts are uncontrolled, while ventilation is ours to switch on and off at will. Home ventilation in the form of extractor fans and cooker hoods will ensure that condensation is properly dealt with, at source.

I got a sewing machine for Christmas and am starting off with draught excluders. Lots of options for making them on t'internet - I was intending to make simple tube and stuff with old rags or kapok. Better suggestions seem: How to insulate your house rule number one: avoid gaping gaps to outside. As you might expect from a hole leading to the exterior, the keyhole in your front door can be a pesky cause of draughts. For this reason, it really does pay to cover it up. verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ They didn't cost much because I used fabric discarded from some curtains I had altered, and they've allowed me to turn my heating down a notch. So at least I'm saving money (and doing my bit for the environment).In Australia, sand-filled draught excluders are called door snakes. All you need is a soft filling that is compact enough to prevent draughts and you can get started. Areas to focus on are floor boards, skirting boards, where window and door frames meet the wall and the ceiling-to-wall junctions. The less obvious areas are keyholes, kitchen cupboards (where pipes are likely to penetrate walls), loft hatches and downlights. Thereafter, the movement of people around the house, moving in and out, and naturally opening and closing windows and doors will deal with other ventilation needs. A final option is a brush draught excluder for keyholes. The bristles prevent chilly draughts but allow keys through. 4. Don't forget to deal with the letterbox A rectangular piece of material, at least 40cm wide and just longer than the width of the door (or you can chop a leg off an old pair of trousers and start at step five)

The brilliance of homemade draught excluders is that you can make them as long or as short as you wish. If you have a patio door or large window with a draught you can make one to fit from a pair of old curtains. Perhaps you have sash windows? Thin draught excluders that are fitted across the sash prevent the wind whistling in. His interest in renewable energy and sustainability was first inspired by visits to the Royal Festival Hall heat pump and the Edmonton heat-from-waste projects. In 1979

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Brush strips usually come in the form of a thin metal bar, with the brush fixed to the bottom. These bars can be cut to length and are normally screwed into place. Some are designed to slide onto the bottom of the door before being fastened with screws. You need to ensure that the bristles on the strip reach the floor. In this step-by-step tutorial for how to make a draught excluder, we'll show you how to make a simple draught excluder using some left-over fabric from your other sewing projects. You don’t need to be able to sew or even have a sewing machine to make this simple draught excluder and if you’re new to sewing, it’s a perfect beginner’s project. Why making a draught excluder is easier than you may think There are also draught excluders made from the leg of old jeans, an old pair of tights or old woolly jumper sleeves. They can be stuffed with newspaper, rice, lentils, the pad from an old cushion, polystyrene foam, peanuts, bubble wrap or carrier bags – whatever you have at home. You can also make a laminate fabric one, too, which is easy to clean. Tim is an expert in sustainable building methods and energy efficiency in residential homes and writes on the subject for magazines and national newspapers. He is the author of The Sustainable Building Bible, Simply Sustainable Homes and Anaerobic Digestion - Making Biogas - Making Energy: The Earthscan Expert Guide. The bottom edges of front doors can be real hotspots (or should that be cold spots?) for draughts. For this reason, fitting brush strips or hinged flap draught excluders to this section of the door is highly recommended.