With temperatures set to plunge into minus figures as the country tackles rising costs, households will be opting for cheaper ways to stay warm this winter.
And they may want to invest in draft excluders - as they’re not only affordable but can stop cold breezes from entering your home and forcing you to keep your heating on for longer.
It comes as experts revealed that walls, windows and doors are the biggest areas for heat loss in your home.
According to experts, a single 1/8 inch gap under a standard 36-inch wide door can leak just as much cold heat out as an almost 2.5 inch hole through a wall.
We’ve listed the cheapest places to buy draught excluders this winter, as well as tips on how to make your own for free.
Amazon
At Amazon, under door draught excluders are selling for as little as £3.99.
But the best reviewed product is an 8-metre long self-adhesive foam tape costing £11.99.
Amazon’s Fowong Weather Stripping Gasket Seal Foam Tape can be cut to size to perfectly fit your doors and windows.
It works by placing the tape over any gaps letting a cold draught in.
Prime members can benefit from free next day delivery, but if you’re not a prime member and order the item now, you can still get it in time for Christmas.
Dunelm
Dunelm draught excluders start from £7 for its Barkweave Draught Caramel Excluder.
This is made from 100% polyester woven fabric with a recycled fibre fill to keep your home warm.
The height is 21cm by 88cm.
Home delivery from Duelm costs £3.95 for orders under £49, or click and collect is free.
Tesco
Tesco is also selling a draught excluder for £14.
The Fox & Ivy Daschund Draft Excluder is stylish and practical, featuring a novelty sausage dog design while keeping cold draughts away.
You can pick the item up in store or select a free click and collect slot online.
But if you’re choosing the home delivery option, it’s worth noting that you’ll have to pay for a delivery slot, starting at around £5.
And since most of these slots have already been pre-booked ahead of the Christmas rush, you may not get your product before Christmas if you choose a home delivery option.
Wickes
If you shop at Wickes for your draught excluders, you’ll be spoilt for choice - as there’s lots of options available depending on where in your home you’re trying to keep the heat in.
The most popular option we found was the Wickes P Profile Rubber Draught Seal.
For just £6.50, you can get 10m worth of draught seal, which you can cut to size and apply to any areas in your home letting in a cold breeze.
Wickes describes the product as “a simple and cost-effective way of saving energy and money by reducing heat loss and preventing draughts.”
You can select a free click & collect slot on the Wickes website to get the item in time for Christmas.
The retailer also sells internal and external door draught excluders, and some designed to fit you letter boxes.
B&Q
B&Q’s Diall Foam Draught excluder costs just £7.62 and you can easily slide it underneath your doors as and when you need it.
The product is suited to fit internal doors and measure 1 metre long - so it doesn’t require you to adjust or fix before use.
There’s a free click and collect option on the B&Q website, otherwise home delivery could set you back a further £6.
Wilko
The cheapest option we found at Wilko was a 5 metre long door and window seal costing just £3.50.
Wilko’s 5m White Door and Window Seal works exactly like the rest - it can be cut to size to fit your doors and windows perfectly and fills any gaps letting a cold draught in.
You can pick the product up for free in store, or by booking a click & collect slot.
Standard delivery costs £4.95, so we’d recommend going with any of the above options, unless you’re ordering it as part of a bigger online Wilko shop.
Make your own draught excluder for free
If you’re trying to cut costs this winter as energy bills soar, you may want to consider making your own draught excluder for free.
Draught excluders can easily be made from common items found in your home, and should only take a few minutes to put together.
For an easy, no-sew option, you can use a pair of tights, some old jeans, or an old jumper.
It’s up to you what you choose to fill your chosen material with - you can use socks, old clothes, or even stuff the material with plastic carrier bags - then mould it into a shape that fits the area you want to cover.
Here are some more affordable items that you may find lying around at home that you can use to fill your DIY draught excluders with:
- Sand
- Rice
- Dried lentils or beans
- Plastic carrier bags
- Rags and other fabric offcuts
- Foam peanuts
- Old newspapers
