Is your letterbox letting in unwanted draughts? An energy-efficient letterbox will have brushes and a flap that work together to stop air from blowing through into your home – and heat from escaping out. It's an easy way to save money at home. Many letterboxes are missing one of these elements, but they’re affordable and simple to fit yourself. Draught excluders come in a variety of types including door snakes, brush-style, and foam-tape, each designed to suit different door configurations. 5. Where else could I fit a draught excluder? These products can be bought and fitted yourself, but to do it properly you should either be good at DIY or employ a carpenter who can make sure there are no gaps and the draught is completely excluded,’ says Elizabeth Assaf, Designer and Co-Founder at Urban Front. 3. Add draught strips around the edge of the door

Follow the cleaning instructions provided by the manufacturer to ensure you do not damage the material. If your draught is coming through the bottom of your door, a draught-excluder will help. These long, cushion-like devices are built to sit on the floor and form a barrier. If the draught is between the two doors, however, your options will be extremely limited – short of stuffing a layer of felt or rubber in between the doors during the winter, or hanging a plastic sheet over the entire door, there’s little you can do. 3. Double glazing replacement To add to my misery when I visit my mum to take pictures of her 1970s Aluminium sliding patio doors I get temperatures similar to my state of the art triple glazed doors. Not a great argument to convince her to change the sliding doors to something more modern and warmer. The glass in our triple glazing does keep a better temperature but the door threshold temperatures looks worse. I abandon the argument and show mum some thermal images of the dogs instead. She seems to like these. It makes me feel better as well. Combining the strength of solid oak with the effectiveness of the Aquamac seal, this door frame is an excellent choice for draught-proofing your external doors. When on the lookout for the perfect draught excluder, certain factors come into play to ensure you make an informed choice. Here's a rundown of key considerations:

A bit like your letterbox, the keyhole is a small but disproportionately leaky gap in your door that could be letting in unwanted cold air. There are several options for this. A simple round of metal attached with a screw can be added to the outside of the door and pushed to the side when you’re using the key. These are called covered escutcheons and are a common feature of front doors; you possibly already have one. Perfect for external doors, this weatherbar provides an effective draught-proofing solution while adding a touch of elegance with its oak finish. Some of the phrases used by the housebuilder during this dialogue were not ones that those in a sales or customer service environment would normally consider using with an unhappy customer. I will leave it at that. As the first salvo in the war was fired, out came the rugs to avoid cold feet as we ponder our strategy to defeat the problem. I should reveal that the French doors have a level access sill, allowing easy entry for those with a disability but making it harder to see the underside compared with a conventional raised door sill. Our first approach is to feel for draughts around the doors. It’s pretty much game over there and then; that was easy. There are clear gaps in the door seals which are letting in cold air.

Gas leaking from between the double-glazing is another cause of energy inefficiency. This happens when the seals around your double glazing have broken down. You’ll know if this has happened to you because condensation will be visible between the panes of glass; if moisture can get in, then the gas will almost certainly already have gotten out. The inert gas between double glazing panes conducts much less heat than normal air and so if it has leaked out, your glazing will be less efficient. It’s impossible to repair this wear-and-tear, and so it so you will require either a double glazing replacement or a door replacement. As this breakdown is a sign that the door is nearing the end of its life, many people opt to replace their French doors. It's an easy DIY idea and there are lots of videos online and articles from craft hobby specialists offering tips on how to make your own draught excluder. It’s a great option if you love to get creative – plus it could save you money on heating and, if you’re reusing materials, will be cheaper than buying a draught excluder from a shop. 7. Cover the keyhole to stop draughts from doors If your draught excluder will be placed in a prominent area like the living room, select a style that blends with your existing decor or serves as a statement piece.If you’re going to upgrade your letterbox then you’re probably going to replace the whole internal faceplate. Letterboxes come in different finishes and colours, including aluminium and plastic. Remember that some materials have better thermal efficiency credentials than others (so a simple metal flap without the brushes will always feel cold). Always take measurements of your door so that it fits properly; in some cases you may need to trim the letterbox hole. If you’re the owner of an old set of exterior French doors which aren’t quite as energy-efficient as they ought to be, you have two options: The best thing about this was that there was a simple way of remedying the problem; take up the slabs under the doors sills, seal properly and reinstate the paving slabs; far easier than removing doors and having to make good internal decoration. The most popular measure of energy efficiency in your home is the U-value. This describes how effective a material is as an insulator. The lower the value, the less heat is able to pass through a given area of material in a given amount of time. It’s typically measured in watts per metre squared. A standard double-glazed window will have a U-value of just under three.

Bear in mind that the way your door opens makes a difference to what method is best. For instance, hinged flap designs are only suitable for doors that open inwards as they won’t be able to travel over the door frame. This pie chart spotlights the key areas in your home where energy tends to be wasted, urging you to consider draught-proofing solutions like UK Oak Doors' offerings for a more energy-efficient home.We have an extensive selection of thresholds that meet disabled and easy access requirements for Part M of the building regulations for mobility, PAS 24 performance testing, BS6375-1:2009 and Part Q of the building regulations 2010 secure by design. We meet all requirements for inward and outward opening single doors, as well as double doors and sidelight frames. High performance materials with stylish design and UK-based manufacture, low maintenance features, reliable customer service and the latest up to date innovations ensure we can provide all our customers with the solutions they need to help promote successful business growth and continuous improvement. Proline AM3, AM370, AM5Ex and AM5Ex70 are just a few of our most popular thresholds. Armed with my new thermal imaging camera I start to photograph things that feel cold. I am not short of subjects. For variety I photograph the dogs. They were certainly warm, especially next to the radiator. After a brief doggy interlude I return to the serious issue of photographing the problematic French doors. French Door Thermal Image Look at the edges of your door, and you’ll see strips of weather-stripping. This is designed to compress when the door is closed, and form a tight seal that’ll keep draughts at bay. Door seals tend to come in the form of either brushes or lengths of rubber. To replace your weather-stripping, it’s best to first remove the old strips and take them down to your local hardware shop. That will make it easy to find a like-for-like replacement. 2. Draught excluders Draught excluders are placed at the bottom of your door, employing bristles to create a seal against the floor which halts draughts from entering through the gap beneath the door. 2. What are the benefits of draught excluders? The pictures of the French doors in the kitchen told a similar story to the lounge with a cold area around the door threshold. Apologies for the poor illumination of the right hand picture. When taking thermal images you tend to forget that it records both a thermal and a normal image; I didn’t ensure the light levels were sufficient for a standard picture. At least the triple glazed windows are showing a decent temperature of 18°C so we are not losing too much through the glass. Aluminium Sliding Patio Doors