Warmer Bath

Recommendations

Info

Bath Preservation Trust and the Centre for Sustainable Energy Draught-proofing Old houses are famous for their draughts. They come from all directions – under the door and through the key hole, through the gaps in the windows, up through the skirting boards and floor boards and even through ceilingrecessed light fittings. As well as causing significant heat losses, draughts also intensify our discomfort. The movement of cold air over our skin in winter is uncomfortable, regardless of the room temperature. The builders of the Georgian and Victorian eras were well aware of the discomfort produced by draughts. Homes that are draughty today may not have been quite so draughty when first built. The passage of time will open up fine cracks in the fabric of any building. Nonetheless the reliance on open fires for heating required a substantial flow of air into the building to maintain air quality and feed the flames. Draught-proofing is an invention of the modern, centrally-heated era. Whether or not you still have an open fire, your home still needs to be properly ventilated. You need ventilation to provide fresh air and remove water vapour and toxins such as tobacco smoke. It is therefore helpful to distinguish between uncontrolled infiltration, which creates the uncomfortable draughts, and controlled ventilation which ideally provides just the right amount of fresh air without the discomfort of draughts. If you are thorough in your draught-proofing, you will dramatically reduce the uncontrolled infiltration of cold air but you may need to improve your controlled ventilation (see page 40). This might seem a bit perverse but greater control over air movement means lower heat losses and greater comfort. In practice, however, your efforts to draught-proof may still leave plenty of hidden holes for air to get through so extra ventilation may not be needed. A simple brush draught-strip faces outward on the closing edge of the front door to this Georgian house in Bath. When this closes against the doorstop, the brush compresses and seals the gap. It is so discreet it is hard to spot. 36
Improving the energy efficiency of traditional homes in the City of Bath Windows and doors You may be losing as much heat through the gaps around your windows as you are through the fabric of the window itself. Cutting out these draughts is a relatively simple way to improve your comfort within the room. This issue is introduced in the section on window renovation on page 24. Draught-strip comes in many shapes and sizes, so it’s important to find the right strip for each job (see drawing below). Ideally, you want draught-strip that is the same colour as your window, sits discreetly on or within the frame or on the window itself and provides an effective seal when the window is closed. For casement windows, compression or brush strips can be used at the junction of the windows or where the edge of the window closes against its frame. For sash windows, Examples of draught-proofing products for different junctions (drawing courtesy of Changeworks) Compression seal glued to the frame, or glued or pinned to parting bead Tubular seal applied with a mastic adhesive Silicone applied direct to the frame Carrier based seal which is pinned to the frame The window acts as a shuttering forming the profile of the draughtstrip Spring or V-strip fitted into the top of the sashes Spring or V-strip pinned into a door frame Brush seal carrier based or suitable for fitting into existing frames including bottom sashes Self-adhesive foam strip applied to the door or window frame 37
Page 1 and 2: Warmer Bath A guide to improving th
Page 3 and 4: Improving the energy efficiency of
Page 27 and 28: Case study: draught proofing tradit
Page 29 and 30: There are many different designs of
Page 35: Improving the energy efficiency of
Page 47 and 48: Case study: interior wall insulatio
Page 79: BATH PRESERVATION TRUST

Warmer Bath

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?