Ventilation in your home is needed for air quality purposes, but problems occur when there is too much or not enough ventilation. Too much ventilation will cause draughts and a rise in your heating costs. By draught proofing your home you can minimise these costs. 

Your home has ventilation due to natural holes and gaps in the fabric of the building as it is slightly porous. But draughts are unwanted air movements – such as when your letter flap opens during wind, when old broken bricks on the outside of a building exposes cavities gaps between doors and their frames which cause cold air to flow into your home. 

Draught proofing involves sealing up gaps or cracks around windows, doors, and other openings where air leaks. Stopping draughts can make your home more comfortable and reduce the energy needed to heat or cool it. It is a relatively cheaper way of making your home more energy efficient and in most cases, you can do it yourself, though it should be treated as a skilled task. Draught proofing can be as simple as putting heavy curtains up in the winter months to prevent warm air escaping out of poorly sealed/ single glaze windows. 

The Low Carbon Oxford North charity have put together several guides that explain in detail about retrofitting your home.