PAYMENT METHODS
Weather sealing your home
Even if your home is well-insulated, heated or cooled air can leak in and out through gaps and cracks. Air leakage accounts for 15–25 per cent of winter heat loss in buildings. Sealing your home against air leaks is one of the simplest upgrades you can undertake to increase your comfort while reducing energy bills and greenhouse gas emissions.
Weather sealing your home is an easy and cheap way of reducing your energy bills. It can save you up to 25 per cent on your heating and cooling bills and is easy and affordable to implement—even for renters.
When to act?
Many Australians will only think to seal their homes before winter sets in, but air leaks are year-round issues. In winter, air leaks allow hot air to escape and unwanted external cold air to enter and in summer, the reverse occurs. Sealing your home will minimise the need to heat and cool your home from the extremes of the Australian summer and winter, which will reduce your contribution to global warming. In Australia, households produce around 20 per cent of Australia’s total annual greenhouse gas emissions, of which heating and air-conditioning account for around 27 per cent. Draughts can account for up to 25 per cent of heat loss from a home. Weather-sealing can be very effective and many draught sealing measures are inexpensive and easily done yourself.
Putting it to practice
The first step to passive design and sealing your home is to seal the gaps and cracks. They’re often found around doors and windows. For a quick, easy option for filling gaps around door architraves and along skirting boards, pick up some gap filler and a caulking gun from your local hardware store.
The next step is installing weather seals (or draught stoppers). There are a number of different products on the market including flexible strips that attach permanently to the bottom of your door. Fitting a weather seal to your window or door may also help eliminate or minimise problems such as light, sound, dust, draughts, wind, rain, insects and rodents. It seals the gap and acts as a barrier to anything trying to creep through, blocking out the heat or cold and other pests.
Internal Doors
Available in a range of colours and materials to suit any kind of door and floor surface, an internal door seal will dramatically improve the functionality of your door by minimising the amount of light, sounds and draughts from other areas of your home.
Windows
To further protect your home from heavy rainfall and strong winds, Window Perimeter Seals are easy to install and come in a variety of sizes.
Filling Internal gaps
Increase the energy efficiency in your home by installing easy-to-use gap fillers. They have been developed to easily manoeuvre around corners and come in a range of sizes to suit your needs. Gap Fillers offer even further protection as they are moisture resistant and highly durable.
External Doors
Install a Weather Seals to suit your front or back entry door and minimise the effects of external elements such as wind, rain, light and sound on your home and its contents while improving the energy efficiency in your home.
Where to start
When fitting a weather seal to your home, the best places to start are:
- In your roof area and underneath your home, check that all openings for pipes, ductwork, and chimneys are well sealed.
- Look for gaps where pipes and wires pass through floors and walls and check for air leaks along the edge of the flooring and around door frames.
- Seal gaps between floorboards.
- Outside, look for any cracks and holes in the mortar and foundations.
- Inspect windows and doors for air leaks.
- Check around exhaust fans, ceiling mounted ducts, wall vents or vented skylights.
- Seal off unused fireplaces.
The Weather-seal range
The range of weather-seals and gap fillers can be fitted to jambs, faces or edges of most windows and doors. Choosing the right product, depends on your needs:
Gap Filler
Gap Filler seals gaps in most windows and doors that are 3mm – 4mm. It is easy to apply and saves time and money on expensive sealants when large gaps or cracks require filling. It is suitable for domestic and commercial applications and is available in 6mm, 10mm and 15mm diameters. It comes in a 5m roll and is available in white.
Foam Windows & Door Seal
This continuous foam seal may be fitted to jambs, faces or edges of most windows and doors. It is suitable for most windows and doors and seals against the heat, cold, dust, draughts, noise and insects.
Rubber Windows & Door Seal
This continuous rubber seal may be fitted to jambs, faces or edges of most windows and doors. It suits most windows and doors and will seals against the rain, heat, cold, dust, draughts, noise, insects and seals against rodents. It will seal gaps 3mm to 5mm, is 5m long and comes in white or brown.
The Door seal range
The seals cater for a range of different door needs, eliminating lights, sounds, dust, rain, draughts and insects. Door seals increase the energy efficiency of homes, ensuring it is kept cooler in Summer and warmer in Winter, whilst saving money on your bills. There are eight options in the range:
Rolling Door Seal
This is a furry door seal which hangs off hooks at the base of the door and rolls as the door is opened and closed. It suits single and double hinged, inward opening doors and will seal gaps up to 19mm. These are especially suited to uneven and rough surfaces, seals against the heat, cold, dust and draughts and comes in light grey.
Extruded PVC Door Seal
This extruded PVC door seal comes with a self-adhesive backing tape, but can also be screw fixed. It suits single and double hinged, inward and outward opening doors, as well as sliding security doors and sliding screen doors. It seals gaps up to 15mm, blocking out heat, cold, dust, draughts and insects. It is 915mm wide and comes in brown.
Brush Strip Door Seal
This extruded aluminium door seal comes with a brush strip insert and self-adhesive backing tape, but it may also be screw fixed. It suits single and double hinged inward or outward opening doors and is suitable for sliding doors and security screens. It seals gaps up to 19mm from heat, cold, dust, draughts and insects. It is available in three colours.
Automatic Door Seal
This extruded aluminium door seal includes a rubber insert with a cam operation that automatically lifts and drops the seal as it is opened or closed. It suits single and hinged inward opening doors and seals gaps up to 16mm against the heat, cold, dust, draughts and insects. It is available in 915mm and 1220mm wide and comes in bronze anodised, clear anodised and gold anodised.
Weather Proof Door Seal
This extruded two-part aluminium door seal includes rubber inserts. The seal fixes to the door while the tread plate fixes to the floor. It Suits single or double hinged and inward or outward opening doors. A gap of 25mm is required between the bottom of door and sill and it is ideal for doors exposed to the weather.
Rubber Strip Door Seal
This extruded aluminium door seal with rubber insert screw fixes to the bottom of the door. It suits single and double hinged doors – inward and outward opening and is also suitable for sliding security and sliding screen doors. It seals gaps up to 19mm against the heat, cold, dust, draughts and insects.
Weather Proof Door Seal
This extruded aluminium tread plate fixes to the floor while the extruded rubber seals fix beneath the doors. It suits single or double hinged doors that are inward opening and a gap of 22mm to 25mm is required between bottom of door and sill. It seals against the rain, heat, cold, dust, draughts, insects and rodents.
Automatic Door Seal
This extruded aluminium door seal features rubber inserts. The pin trigger automatically lifts and drops the seal when door is opened or closed. It suits single and double hinged, inward opening doors and seals against the heat, cold, dust, draughts, noise, insects and rodents.
