Why is my house so draughty, and where should I look first?
Draughts are the visible part of air leakage, which is one of the largest sources of heat loss in older UK homes. The leaks are rarely where homeowners look first. Floors, loft hatches, unsealed pipework, chimneys and downlighters often leak more than the windows that get blamed. A methodical inspection costs nothing and reveals most of them in an afternoon.
What it usually looks like
These are the symptoms readers describe most often. None of them alone is diagnostic, but together they build a picture.
- Cold feet near windows and skirting
- Curtains move when shut
- Difficult to keep rooms warm despite heating running
- Visible draught around the loft hatch
Most common in: Victorian terrace · Edwardian semi-detached · Interwar semi (1920s–1930s)
Before you buy anything
Watch the house respond as you scroll.
These checks are listed in the order we would work through them. The illustration on the left changes with each one, so you can see what each check is actually addressing before deciding whether it is worth doing.
Heat leaves through every uninsulated surface. The room cools faster than the boiler can refill it.
Walk the house on a cold, windy day with a piece of thin tissue
Tissue moves where you cannot feel the draught. Most leakage points become obvious in fifteen minutes of methodical checking.
Inspect the loft hatch and any access panels
An unsealed loft hatch is often the largest single leak in the entire house. Foam strip and a simple latch cost very little.
Look at floors that run over an unheated void
Suspended timber floors can be the second largest leak. Sealing the perimeter between floor and wall is more effective than insulation alone.
Check the chimney, even if it is decorative
An open chimney is a permanent draught path. A chimney balloon or sheep solves it without removing the fireplace.
Consider an airtightness test before any major fabric work
A blower-door test gives you a numerical air leakage rate and a map of where it is happening. It is the only way to know whether the work was worth doing.
Products that may help
Only consider these once the checks above have been ruled out. A product fitted into the wrong cause is rarely satisfying.
The cheapest answer to draughts and air leakage is usually the one that addresses the cause rather than the symptom. The list above is in the order we would work through it, because the checks at the top tend to rule out the most expensive mistakes further down.
Run the Home Comfort Score for this room
A two-minute reading gives you a number to compare against after each improvement, so you know what is actually working.