Sealing up sneaky draughts helps create healthier, drier, more energy-efficient homes. On this page you’ll find advice and quick tips to help keep your home draught free, while keeping your energy bills down.

Lock the heat inside your home

The key to managing unwanted draughts in your home is to keep your home as airtight as possible, while maintaining controlled ventilation. This reduces the need for extra heating and cooling by preventing heat from escaping through unwanted gaps - saving around $100 for the average NZ home each year.1

You can achieve this with a few quick fixes. If you’re building or renovating, you can build it into your home design. 

On this page

Quick wins to reduce draughts

Airtightness should be considered when you are buying or building a house, but can also be improved through some simple fixes around the house.

  • Tighten loose hinges, catches and latches

    If doors or windows don't fit their frames snugly, you might need repairs by a qualified builder.

  • Seal up skirting boards and cornices

    Use flexible silicon-based or latex sealants or take them off to block gaps with expanding foam.

  • Check less obvious places

    Check your kitchen cabinets, wardrobes, and ceiling hatches for sneaky draughts — you can use weatherstripping or silicone to seal them.

  • Add weatherstripping

    Your hardware store can advise you on which product to use to seal gaps around doors and windows.

  • Fit draught excluders

    Use a brush strip or door snake type for internal doors, and spring-loaded automatic seals for external doors.

  • Replace damaged aluminium joinery seals

    You can do this yourself with the right-sized rubber seals, or hire a professional.

Reducing draughts relies on airtightness

Sealing up sneaky gaps helps to avoid heat loss and keep your home at a comfortable temperature — without the unnecessary energy use.

Draughts can be easy to find — like poorly sealed doors, windows or floorboards. Others are hidden around downlights, pipes or power outlets, or hidden behind fixed cabinets, so it pays to look carefully.

Good airtightness is a balancing act with ventilation. Keeping warm air inside, while also letting in fresh outdoor air are both essential for a healthy, energy efficient home.

Learn about ventilation

Seal gaps around wiring and plumbing 

Gaps around these passages are often hidden — so look behind kitchen and bathroom cabinets, inside hot water cupboards and wardrobes. 

  • Use silicone sealants for smaller gaps and expanding foam for bigger gaps. 
  • Check extractor fans and rangehoods. If they have shutters, check they work properly. 
  • Check recessed downlights for draughts. You can replace them with new ones that are better sealed and can be covered with insulation — ask for IC, IC-F or IC-4 LED downlights.

Other ways to improve your home

All the individual building blocks that provide insulation in your home (and make up the thermal envelope) need to be working together to form a ‘seal’ around your home — without any gaps.

  • Design for Energy Efficiency

    If you’re building new, or renovating your existing home, you can lock in energy savings from the start with good design choices.

  • Insulate your home

    Insulation works best when it forms a continuous thermal envelope around the home — including windows, ceilings, walls and floors.

  • Window insulation

    Windows are the biggest source of heat lost in an otherwise well-insulated home — double or secondary glazing can make a big difference.