Insulation and draught-proofing mystery - anybody have any suggestions?

WayneyP

We moved into a new build and it's surprising how many draughts I've found, and fixed!

So, grab a cuppa, here we go..

1.
By far the biggest culprit, the cooker hood. Hold your hand underneath it when the weather's colder. If you feel a draught, the ducting that is connected to the fan does not have a Backdraught Damper. I bought and installed a 6inch one, it literally transformed the space. Unfortunately I can't add links to this post but you can search this term online.

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6" Inch Ducting Pipe Connector with Backdraft Damper Flap, One-Way Airflow Ducting with Backdraught Shutter, Rubber Gasket, Black Galvanized Steel
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Very simple installation if you're handy with a screwdriver. I'd recommend getting some foil tape to secure it in place too

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Aluminium Foil Tape, 50mm x 10 meter Strong Adhesive Heat Resistance
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2.
Gaps under doors, especially in adjoining rooms with hard flooring. There are lots of door draught excluder products on the market to suit your requirements. Read the reviews to get the most suitable one. Personally, I prefer to use ~6mm thick felt strips secured underneath the doors

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Heavy Duty Felt Tape Self Adhesive 13mm x 5mm x 2M, Felt Strip Roll
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3.
Gaps between skirting boards and hard flooring, especially underneath sink units in a kitchen or utility room. Builders often don't bother sealing them. If it's underneath a cupboard, pull out the kick boards (they normally click in & out) and take a look to see if there are gaps. Use a thick piece of offcut carpet to fill the gap for a quick fix. Best to get someone in to seal it properly if you can.

4.
Behind radiators. Especially in new builds there should be a cover for the hole that the pipework feeds through. We had 2 radiators where they didn't install them. If you're not comfortable taking off the radiator, it's another handyman job. Be sure to check all of your radiators.

5.
Loft hatch & loft insulation. Parts of our loft insulation were missing, we could literally feel cold air dropping from the ceiling into the bedroom. Buy several rolls of thick insulation and lay it across the full loft space, get it into those corners really well. 

Insulate the loft hatch too, use those felt strips I mentioned earlier.


6.
Extractor fans in bathrooms and utility rooms. These are like little wind tunnels, and can massively cool down a room when the wind blows. Get a 4inch Backdraught Damper and install it inline with the ducting

And finally,

7.
Window Trickle Vents. These are usually poorly made pieces of plastic on your window frames which do not seal 100% when closed. They do serve a purpose, they enable passive airflow which is good for our health and reduces condensation, but in the winter months they do let in a lot of unnecessary cold air.

Seal them up in the winter with a strip of gaffer tape as a quick fix, especially in bedrooms where you want to be warm at night. Don't leave them on all year round. You don't want condensation to build up.

Hope this helps someone 

QrizB

Caution - zombie thread, risen from five years in the past.

Grizzlebeard

Zombie thread or not still relevant and a worthy resurrection to refresh our awareness.

A more rewarding read than 394** heated pages of paper-thin analysis addressing the foolishness/wisdom/fairness/unfairness/perils and dire consequences of a Zero Standing Charge tariff.

Just my opinion. Not here to make enemies.

(** seems like, not counted.)