As winter draws closer, conserving energy is essential for both homes and businesses. A huge contributor to heat loss is poorly sealed doors, which allow cold air to seep in and warm air to escape. Protecting against this issue can help reduce energy costs, improve building comfort, and protect interiors from cold draughts and moisture.

Studies find that up to 25% of a building’s warmth escapes through gaps and cracks around doors and windows. Using an appropriate sealing solution can significantly reduce this loss, making your building more energy-efficient and lowering heating expenses. Effectively sealed doors and windows will also offer protection against dampness and keep a consistent indoor temperature, even in the coldest months.

In this blog, we hope to highlight the different solutions available for the most common types of doors and discuss the benefits of properly sealing gaps.

Timber doors are susceptible to expansion and contraction during seasonal changes. This can lead to unintended gaps around the door. Perimeter seals, or compression seals with rebated doors, creates a snug fit that reduces draughts. Combining this with a weather drop down seal or threshold system, further protects against cold air and moisture entering beneath the door.

Sliding and bi-fold doors, usually popular in modern homes and commercial buildings, can face challenges due to the unique design. Using self-adhesive draught excluders can effectively protect against unwanted draughts, whilst also not impeding door functionality.

Fire doors are typically equipped with intumescent seals for safety but may not be fully effective against cold air infiltration. Using combination seals designed to block draughts and cold smoke can protect against falling temperatures without compromising fire safety compliance. Be sure to check the seal type on your fire doors and what exactly it protects against. We offer a variety of options that protect against weather, smoke, fire and improving acoustics.

Even composite doors, designed for excellent thermal performance, can still have compromised gaps, especially at the bottom of the door, where we recommend a weather strip seal, usually self-adhesive and easy to install, very effective where you find raised door sills.

Using any of the recommendations listed and sealing draughts can help reduce energy waste up to 10%, potentially creating £40 in savings each year in energy efficiency - an Energy Saving Trust report shows*. Let’s not forget the extra benefits such as improving acoustics, protecting against water ingress, insects, vermin and more.

Winter-proofing your doors is an easy step to improving comfort and energy efficiency. Selecting the right seal is key when upgrading your home or preparing a commercial building. For tailored advice on the best sealing options, get in touch with our team today.

Energy efficient windows and doors - Energy Saving Trust

A helpful guide to draught-proofing - Energy Saving Trust*