draughtproofing

Installing watersaving urinal flushing controls and draughtproofing, as well as awareness courses, have also contributed to the savings.

It's often bad ventilation - blocking up chimneys and draughtproofing doors can be the culprit.

DIY draughtproofing will cost around PS200 but it'll be worth the up-front expense in the long run.

Properly draughtproofing your home (including sealing skirting boards, chimney draught excluder and blocking cracks in the floors) will make sure your family are toasty throughout winter

See ecoflap.co.uk For other draughtproofing and insulation tips see energy savingtrust.org.uk Get your boiler serviced now, before engineers get bogged down with emergency repairs when winter kicks in.

Those taking part will receive tailored advice and support as well as free energy and money-saving equipment such as loft and cavity wall insulation, home and garden watersaving kits and draughtproofing materials.

The pier does not touch the flooring inside to avoid vibrations transmitting into the pier; the small 1cm gap is filled with soft foam draughtproofing tape.

Lining windows and doors with draughtproofing material and replacing thin window glass with thicker panes are other tricks that can cut your energy bills.

Jointly run by Gateshead Council and WarmZone, it offers financial help for a range of energy efficiency works, including replacement of old or inefficient boilers, providing energy-efficient room heaters, loft or cavity wall insulation, draughtproofing measures to doors and windows, and installing Economy 7 meters.

There is a big move back to restoring timber windows, especially sash and case windows, and companies like Heritage Sash Seals (08452 93 83 63) have developed a unique, environmentally-friendly draughtproofing system directed at traditional sash and case windows which stops them ending up in a landfill site.

The easiest of all home insulation DIY jobs has to be draughtproofing. Draughtproofing windows and doors is relatively inexpensive and requires minimal DIY skills and time.