In many UK homes, rooms feel colder than they should even when the heating is working. This is rarely because the boiler is underpowered or the thermostat is set too low. More often, warm air is escaping through small gaps that go unnoticed, while cold air quietly replaces it.
One of the most common and underestimated causes is draughts around and underneath doors. These gaps may feel insignificant in warmer months, but in winter they allow a steady flow of cold air that prevents rooms from holding heat between heating cycles.
If your home feels cold in several areas or the symptoms overlap, it can help to step back and identify the pattern first. The house cold diagnostic explains how draughts, heat loss, and airflow issues tend to interact in typical UK properties.
Why draughts make homes feel colder than the thermostat suggests
Cold air behaves differently from warm air. It sinks, spreads along the floor, and finds the smallest gaps to move through. When warm air rises and escapes higher up, cold air is drawn in to replace it, often at foot level.
This is why rooms can feel uncomfortable even when the temperature reading looks reasonable. Blocking draughts slows this air movement, allowing the heat you’ve already paid for to stay where it’s needed.
Fabric draught excluders for low-traffic rooms
Fabric draught excluders work best in rooms where doors remain closed for long periods, such as bedrooms overnight or spare rooms. A heavier option, such as a fabric door draught excluder, sits firmly against the floor and blocks the cold air that creeps in underneath.
They are simple and effective, but they rely on staying in position. In doorways that are opened frequently, they tend to get nudged aside and need regular repositioning.
Brush strip draught excluders for long-term sealing
Brush strips are one of the most reliable draught-proofing solutions for internal doors. Fixed directly to the bottom of the door, the flexible bristles seal against the floor while still allowing the door to open and close normally.
A self-adhesive brush strip draught excluder is usually sufficient for internal doors and performs particularly well on uneven floors. Once fitted, brush strips stay in place and continue working without adjustment.
For most homes, this is the closest thing to a fit-and-forget draught fix.
Double-sided under-door draught stoppers
Double-sided draught stoppers slide under the door and remain attached, with padded sections on both sides. Because they move with the door, the seal remains effective even when the door is opened and closed repeatedly.
They are a practical option for living rooms and home offices where doors are used often but airflow between warm and cold areas still needs controlling.
Letterbox draught seals in external doors
Letterboxes are a direct opening to the outside, and even modern designs can allow cold air to enter hallways during windy conditions. An internal letterbox draught seal fits over the inside of the opening and blocks airflow without interfering with post delivery.
Sealing a letterbox often produces an immediate improvement in hallway temperatures, particularly in terraced and older properties where front doors face prevailing winds.
Draught solutions that rarely make a difference
Lightweight decorative draught stoppers, thin fabric tubes, and loosely filled rolls often fail to block airflow properly. If a product cannot stay firmly in contact with the floor or adapt to uneven gaps, cold air will continue to pass underneath or around it.
Effective draught control relies on weight, contact, and flexibility rather than appearance.
Which option works best in most homes
Across typical UK properties, brush strip draught excluders tend to provide the most consistent results. They last for years, suit most internal doors, and block the most common type of draught — cold air moving along the floor.
Fabric excluders still work well for bedrooms at night, and double-sided options are useful in busy rooms, but brush strips are generally the most reliable long-term solution.
How draught proofing fits into keeping a home warm for less
Stopping draughts does more than improve comfort. When warm air is retained, heating systems cycle less frequently and rooms maintain temperature for longer.
This is one of the least disruptive and most cost-effective improvements available in UK homes. It sits alongside other low-impact fixes explained in How to Keep a UK Home Warm for Cheap, where heat loss is addressed before heating settings are pushed higher.
In most cases, resolving draughts removes a problem that has been quietly undermining heating performance for years.
