Majority of households in UK suffer from draught problems. It causes large amount of damages to the construction of the building. If you can feel cold air coming in around the windows in your home it means warm air is escaping. In a typical home 20 per cent of all heat loss is through ventilation and draughts.
More heat is lost in this way than can be saved by trying to double-glaze your existing windows (which in many cases will be impossible anyway). The gaps around an average sash window can be the equivalent of an aperture measuring ten or more square inches. Therefore it is important to reduce leakage as far as possible. Doing so will increase your comfort and reduce your heating bills. You might consider secondary glazing (an internal light metal sash window), which can be very effective. Never underestimate the usefulness of thick curtains in reducing draughts.
Priority should be given to insulate the upstairs ceilings, roof or both in order conserve heat in the house because hot air rises. As the molecules in the air gain kinetic energy due to heat, they spread away from each other and hence the air rises. Draught proofing of the windows is the best way to keep the house warm.
A £20 worth of DIY self-adhesive rubber draught stripping is enough for draught proofing needs of your house. These takes although not very strong are able to serve the purpose for a few weeks. And this is exactly what you need, just a cheap and effective way to keep your house nice and warm. And repeating the taping once in two or three months doesn’t take that effort.
It is always more preferable and economical to get the old timber windows overhauled and draught proofed rather than removing them. Plastic windows are maintenance free is a wrong notion. Many users of plastic windows complained of scratched surfaces and thus want to paint them. Also, there is constant need for replacement of handles, hinges and catches with these plastic doors.
Draught proofing depends on the duration for which you wish to hold on to the existing property and the size of your windows because in that way you decide how much are you going to spend on it.
Gas fires and ventilation In order to function safely, gas-heating appliances need a supply of air. Larger appliances could malfunction if your draught-proofing is too effective – check with the manufacturer -requiring the introduction of a new vent.
With the technological improvements and increasing energy prices the option of double glazing seems to be a better one but analyze neatly and you will find that it is still the costlier option. Actually, even today, double glazing will cost you twice as that of draught proofing and it has a payback period of 12 to 15 years which is quite high. So, prefer draught proofing always.