Both employees and self-employed workers will pay less in National Insurance from next year, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has announced in today's Autumn Statement. Fabric draught excluder - Usually long and chunky tubes placed in front of the door when you're settling down in a room. They prevent air loss from underneath the door frame and tend to come in attractive designs. However, they may need moving to open and close the door. Martin Lewis: What the Autumn Statement means for you – including wages, benefits, pensions, ISAs, national insurance and more

It’s not advisable to sand original old floorboards. Apart from destroying the patina, the surface can be destabilised – for example wood-boring beetle larvae may have been busy tunnelling below the surface and if you take off the top layer the unsightly, worm-ridden wood will be on view. It’s important to strike the right balance between humidification and ventilation. This can be hard when your windows and doors are tightly shut to insulate your home. Letterbox draught excluder - These are fitted inside your letter box to prevent draughts whilst maintaining relatively easy access for your postie. Tim is an expert in sustainable building methods and energy efficiency in residential homes and writes on the subject for magazines and national newspapers. He is the author of The Sustainable Building Bible, Simply Sustainable Homes and Anaerobic Digestion - Making Biogas - Making Energy: The Earthscan Expert Guide.Foam or rubber draught excluders - Ideal for sealing gaps between windows, doors and floorboards, these foam or rubber strips are easy to install, even in small gaps, to prevent warm air from escaping or cool air from creeping in. After searching locally and online, I found that none of the existing solutions were up to the job. The DIY options were messy and time-consuming, and the commercial products used permanent adhesives or sealants. Inspired, I started developing StopGap until I created a product good enough for my own home.

Chimney draught excluder - These large draught excluders are used to insulate your chimney breast when your fire is not in use, effectively sealing a large source of heat loss whilst reducing audible wind noise too. Choosing a new front door is another avenue to consider. 5. Add draught-proofing strips to windows and doorsAlternatively, you could consider replacement windows. 6. Fill gaps in floorboards and skirting boards

Adding insulation under the floorboards is a better long-term solution for draught proofing – but that’s a bigger job that will probably need a professional involved. Fitting a new surface over your floorboards will help to keep things cosy, which leads onto our next point… 7. Use carpet underlay To make sure you don’t get overcharged for double glazing, read our guide to double glazing prices. Fit strips of draught-excluder around the edges of the frame, and don’t forget to insulate the hatch itself with fibrous or solid board insulation A carpet fitted over your floorboards helps reduce draughts; however there are further steps you can take if you are searching for optimal draught-proofing. If you are on a small budget, then the traditional technique of papier-mâché may be the best option. However, while this provides a cheap and effective solution and covers the potentially draughty gaps in between the floorboards, it does take a lot more time than shop-bought fixes. For a more efficient, but costlier method of draught proofing underneath your carpet, you can apply a gunned silicone sealant to the gaps between the floorboards provided the gaps aren’t enormous! Carpets are soft underfoot and help you feel warmer than hard surfaces such as stone and wood often do. A carpet underlay will add another layer of insulation to your flooring, helping to cut your energy bills. The same goes for vinyl, wood flooring and rugs.From investing in the best electric blanket to pre-warming beds with a hot water bottle, many of us are looking for cost-effective solutions to stay warm this winter without cranking up the central heating. With energy bills remaining high, when you do turn up the thermostat, the last thing you need is for all that precious heat to escape. Fitting the best draught excluders throughout your house can keep your home warmer and prevent cold air from getting in through doors, chimneys, windows and even the gaps in your floorboards. I created StopGap to fill a gap in the market when I found my newly redecorated Edwardian home was colder and draughtier than before. When I realised it was all down to the cold air coming from the gaps in the floorboards I thought finding an effective filler would be easy, but I was wrong. Following these draught proofing tips will help to make your home cosier – and cut your energy bills.

Draughts from outside can come into your home through gaps around doors, letterboxes and even keyholes. There’s nothing worse than feeling a breeze in your house once the cold weather hits, and properly fitting the best draught excluder for your home is a relatively cheap and effective way to minimise heat loss. Nothing will give you a better sense of whether something is worth buying and is cost-effective than an honest, unbiased review from a real parent. That’s why our first port of call is always the Mumsnet forums where we trawl the Talk boards to seek out recommendations and top tips from the Mumsnet community. Expert opinions Mark every draught source and visit your DIY shed, or go online, and look for suitable remedial products. Believe it or not, your problem will not be unique — every possible draught has been considered and appropriate products produced. Where to Buy Draught Proofing Supplies Uninsulated homes lose a quarter of their heat through the roof, according to the Energy Saving Trust. Knowing how to insulate your home is the first step to stopping this and especially insulating your roof and loft.We took into account what reviewers were saying regarding value for money, effectiveness and whether or not they were easy to install. About the author