In Part 1, we looked at the difference between desirable ventilation versus undesirable draughts. In this post we will look at the pathways through which warm air can leak out of your home. For every bit of cold air that blows into your home, an equal amount of warm air is escaping so by tackling these weak points, you can cut heat loss from your home substantially.
The best way to identify where the gaps are is by having a pressure test. We will be looking into the possibility of having some tests done on homes in Stoke Newington and will record exactly what happens so that you can get a good idea of the process. Even without a pressure test, you can frequently identify sources of draughts simply by feeling for them on a windy day.
Greenspec, a useful site with all sorts of interesting information on it, has a good diagram and list of the range of pathways by which air can leak out of your home. Fixing many of these routes is a DIY job, in particular draughts found around window and door frames, skirting boards, letter boxes, key holes, pipework and loft hatches.
Have a look at these parts of your home next time it’s a bit windy to see if there’s a gale blowing through them. You can also see if there is warm air being blown out by getting a joss stick and passing the smoke trail around these points.
Another useful publication is the Energy Saving Trust’s Improving Air Tightness in Dwellings which has lots of good information on how to reduce unwanted draughts.
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BTW I don’t agree with Greenspec’s assertion that “older houses tend to be more airtight than more modern houses – this might be because of the less precise nature of modern workmanship and materials assembly”.
Virtually all houses are pretty darned leaky, irrispective of age and most Victorian homes in N16 need a lot of work to reduce their draughts.
Here’s an article looking at air tightness of UK homes including by age.
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