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. 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. Another option is hinged flap draught excluders made from rubber. These are fitted in a similar way but feature a rubber wiper section. 3. Cover the keyhole 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.

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: 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. 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.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. 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.

this initial burst of enthusiasm lead to him trying (and failing) to build a biogas digester to convert pig manure into fuel, at a Kent oast-house, his first conversion project.

Sorry

ok,so the boiler broke down on Christmas Eve, and we are consequently trying to make our very draughty house (which we have yet to renovate 6 years after buying... )a little more economocal until we can afford a new boiler in a month or two.

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 The benefit of sewing your own draught excluder is that you can personalise the design by choosing fabrics of your choice and can make sure it’s the perfect fit for where you want to use it. You can even embellish it with some pretty hand embroidery or applique patches so that it ties in fully with the rest of your decor. Turn the material inside out so you have a long cylinder that is open at both ends, with the prettier side of the fabric on the outside. Stitch together one of the ends - I did this with a row of stitches about 3cm in. You can fold the material over to stitch it. Moving in 2002 to a small-holding in South Wales, providing as it did access to a wider range of natural resources, fanned his enthusiasm for sustainability. He went on to install renewable technology at the property, including biomass boiler and wind turbine.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. Controlled ventilation will reduce condensation, maintain a healthy atmosphere and prevent damp and mould growth by letting in air where it is needed. Draughts, however, let in too much air in the wrong place at the wrong time, making draught proofing the cheapest and most effective way to save energy, and money, especially in older buildings How to Draught Proof Your Home 1. Draught Proofing Doors 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 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. 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.

Last weekend I discover my new home is about as well insulated as a beach hut. Everywhere I go there seems to be a draught. As it's a rental property, I have to get permission from my landlord to alter any of the fixtures, so I got out my sewing machine to make some draught excluders instead. 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.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. As we're slowly coming up to the colder months, there is no better time to learn how to make a draught excluder for your home with our free sewing pattern and simple tutorial.