Draught and Air Leak Survey

Who this is for

A room-by-room hunt for draughts, turned into a list of fixes. Walk round on a windy day, tick each place in each room where you feel air moving, then write the fixes in the order you will do them, marking the gaps that are vents and must stay open.

Householders with cold rooms, draughty floors or a high heating bill who want to find out where the air is getting in before buying draught strip, sealant or insulation.

What this helps you track

• Every room checked at windows, doors, floors, pipes, sockets and ceilings
• Exactly where in each room the draught was felt
• The fixes chosen, the materials and what they cost
• The order you will tackle them in and when each is done
• Vents, air bricks and fan outlets that must not be sealed

How to use it

1. Choose a windy day, close outside doors and windows, and write the date, the weather and who is surveying at the top.
2. In each room, pass a damp hand, a strip of tissue or a smoke pencil slowly round windows, doors, skirting, pipes, sockets, the loft hatch and any chimney.
3. Tick each place where you feel or see air moving and note exactly where in the last column.
4. On the second page, list the fixes in the order you will do them, with materials and cost; tick Leave open for any gap that is a vent.
5. Read the list of things never to seal before you start, and ask a professional where you are unsure.
6. Write the date each fix is done, on paper or in the browser version, which saves in your own browser.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The online version keeps what you enter in your own browser and builds the completed PDF on your device.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

Why do some gaps need to stay open?

Trickle vents, air bricks, fan outlets and vents serving fires, stoves or boilers are there on purpose to let air in or out. Sealing them can cause damp or make a fuel-burning appliance unsafe, so they are marked to be left alone.

How do I find a draught?

A damp hand, a thin strip of tissue or a smoke pencil held near the gap on a windy day shows air moving. At night, a torch shone from outside can show gaps around frames. Avoid naked flames near curtains and fittings.

Why put the fixes in order?

So the cheap, simple jobs get done first and the bigger ones are planned. The order is yours; the sheet gives no ranking, prices or recommended products.

How do I know whether a fix worked?

Repeat the test in the same conditions. If you want figures, the energy saving measures tracker records weekly meter readings before and after each change.