With the price of energy – and most other things – remaining stubbornly high, I thought I’d run a series of energy-saving tips and tricks that can be tried in your own home and perhaps carried over more widely into your work as a building professional. All of these will cost nothing or very little with a typical payback of under one year. First stop: windows and doors. Oh I see you’re glazing over already…
All windows and doors have the potential to be sources of cold air ingress downstairs and on the windward side of the house, and heat loss upstairs (due to convection) and on the leeward side. Air often sneaks in between the seals and the frame where they have been poorly adjusted, where seals have lost their bounce or where casement have warped. It’s easy to check the fit of the seal by running a piece of thin card between the seal and the frame – a lack of significant resistance suggests air is getting through. Gaps usually vary around the door or window so be sure to check all round. Noise ingress and cobwebs (spiders love draughts) are other giveaway signs.
If you have uPVC windows and doors, take a look at the edge of the casement on the handle side (above right). Unless you (or a previous owner) have been a real cheapskate with the spec, then chances are that there are two or three round bolts along the edge – these rotate on a cam rather than unscrewing, allowing you to adjust the compression of the seal when the casement is closed. Most can be adjusted with a 4mm allen key – twist the bolt to be as far out as possible whilst still being able to close and lock the window.
Some doors also have adjustable keeps (left – the holes that the cam bolts go into. Depending on the type, these can either be adjusted with an allen key or loosened off with a screwdriver and moved to increase the compression against the draught seal. I often find these have come loose anyway so be sure to tighten them up well once properly adjusted.
uPVC doors often have adjustable hinges which can help with adjustment where there are gaps in the seals on this side of the door, or if the door is not square in the frame – things get a bit trickier here as there are several different designs. Everest provide helpful guidance on this aspect: