Keeping the home warm and cosy is everyone's top priority in winter. However, it can sometimes feel like a constant battle, particularly if there are many areas where heat can easily escape.

Insulating your internal and external doors is one of the easiest solutions to ensuring your home stays warm. Draught proofing can be a cost-effective and energy-efficient way to reduce your energy bills, helping you to keep the heat in and the cold out.

In this guide, we're addressing the common questions surrounding insulating external doors so you can decide whether revamping yours will help improve your home's insulation. From quick fixes on insulating your internal doors to learning whether or not it's time to replace your external doors if they aren't performing at their best, we're here to help you achieve a cosy, cost-effective home!

Should I insulate my external doors?

Insulating your external doors is important for many reasons. Not only does it help you to save on your heating and cooling costs, but because your heating systems don't have to work as hard, it reduces your home's greenhouse gas emissions, making it a better solution for the environment, too.

Alongside this, insulating your internal doors can prevent cool air from travelling around your home, help reduce noise pollution and further insulate your home, creating a cosy, relaxing space. Sealing gaps around internal doors can also aid fire safety should an accident occur.

Energy Saving Trust estimates that correctly draught-proofing your windows and doors could save you around £40 per year, another great incentive for insulating your external doors.

Finally, insulating your external doors helps to regulate humidity and moisture and can influence air quality, preventing pollution, dust and allergens from entering your home.

With all these benefits, insulating your doors is a no-brainer if you want a cost-efficient and comfortable home. And the good news is that insulating your internal and external doors can be relatively inexpensive, if you regularly maintain your doors.

Round-up: The Benefits Of Insulating External & Internal Doors

• Saves on heating and cooling costs
• Reduces your home’s greenhouse gas emissions
• Prevents draughts from travelling around the home, keeping it warm and cosy
• Reduces noise pollution
• Aids fire safety
• Regulates humidity and moisture
• Protects air quality, preventing pollution, dust and allergens from entering your home

How to insulate a front door

You can insulate your front door in many ways to keep out draughts. From simple, quick fixes to adding weatherproofing solutions, keeping the cold weather at bay has never been easier. Here are our top tips on insulating your front door;

Insulate keyholes

Although small, it's amazing how much heat can escape from your home through the keyhole. Fitting a purpose-made escutcheon is a simple solution to prevent heat from leaving your home via the keyhole.

Atlantic UK Status Round Key Escutcheon Pair

What is an escutcheon?

An escutcheon, put simply, is a fitted cover that drops over the keyhole temporarily blocking it to prevent heat from leaving. It's also a great way to keep the mechanism of your door locks protected from the elements for long-lasting functionality.

Letterbox insulation

Although your letterbox has a flap, this isn't enough to keep out the cold, particularly on windy, wintery days. Add a letterbox brush to your existing letterbox to eliminate draughts.

Weatherproofing your front door

Gaps appearing between the door and frame are a common reason why cold air enters the home. This can occur for several reasons, including the wrong size door frame originally being installed, shrinking or warping of the door, or simply that the door wasn't installed properly.

Gaps appearing around the door are often easily visible, so take a step back and look for them. Can you see any light shining through from the inside of your home, or can you feel any air passing through the door from the inside? If so, closing gaps with proper weatherproofing techniques is the best solution.

Start by looking at the existing fittings and screws and tightening them. If your front door is already weatherproofed, it might be time to replace this. There are a number of weatherproofing solutions that are simple and effective. Here are some of the most common options;

• V-strip tension seal is commonly used on sliding and double-hung windows and to seal the edges of doors. A v-strip tension seal is a type of weatherstripping taped onto the door's edges to block draughts. Shaped like a 'v', it springs open when compressed, creating a tight seal and protection against draughts.
• Foam tape works similarly to a v-strip tension seal; it is taped to the edges of a door or frame to block draughts. Ideal for installing around unusually shaped corners, it is self-adhesive, easy to apply and a cost-effective investment. However, what it offers in convenience, it lacks in durability and may need to be occasionally replaced.

• Weather bars are attached to the bottom of a front door to help keep out draughts and rainwater, preserving the lifespan of your front door whilst keeping your home warm.
• A door sweep or a draught-stopper can be attached to the inside of your front door to seal any gaps at the bottom. The bottom of the door sweep is made from a flexible material, usually bristles and 'sweeps' across the threshold floor when the door is opened and closed. The flexible section is the part that keeps out the draught when the door is closed.

Sealing glass panels

Alongside gaps, if your front door has glass panels or glass side panels, these can also be responsible for heat transfer.

Insulating glass panels can help improve energy efficiency within your home and is a relatively easy fix.

Apply window insulation film to any glass door panels and install blinds or heavy-duty curtains behind glass side panels to prevent heat loss via the glass.

How to insulate internal doors

Once you've taken care of your external doors, sealing or insulating your internal doors can be a great way to help your house retain heat.

When you're at home, try to keep your internal doors closed to prevent cold air from moving around the house, but if you can still feel the chill, it might be time to add some insulation to your doors.

Generally, your internal doors shouldn't need draught proofing if they link two heated rooms, but if a door links to an unheated room, such as a garage or an unused spare room, you may need to add some insulation.

Pay attention to the gap between the door and the floor. If this is significant, block with a portable draught excluder to close the gap and keep draughts at bay.

Here are some other ways you can insulate your internal doors and the best solution depending on the task at hand;

• Adhesive foam tape is the best solution if there are gaps around your door frame. Measure the door frame, cut the tape to size, and peel and stick it to the door jamb.
• V-Strip tension seal is just as useful for insulating internal doors as it is for external and is the best choice if there are tight, even gaps around your internal doors. Installed similarly to foam tape, measure your door frame and then cut the tension seal to size. Tension seal is usually installed via peel and stick, but if you want to make it extra secure, screw it into the door frame once you're confident it's sitting in the correct place.
• If the bottom of your internal door has a significant gap, a door sweep can rectify this problem. Simply measure the door and cut the sweep to size, then attach to the bottom of the door with screws or nails.

How do I know if my front door needs replacing?

If your front door is showing cracks, warping, or dents, it might be time to consider replacing it.

Reduced functionality, visible damage or decay, and squeaking can all indicate that your front door needs replacing. Poor weather sealing can also create significant problems and gaps between the door and frame if not regularly inspected and maintained.

Shop for external doors at Leader Online

If your door looks weathered, why not choose a new external door from Leader Online?

With an abundance of options to choose from, from composite doors that are exceptional at keeping in heat, to classic oak doors that offer a rustic finish and, with regular maintenance, are naturally built to withstand the weather, you're sure to find the perfect fit for your home when you explore our extensive collection.

Or, for the best equipment to weatherproof your door, why not browse our accessories? Find everything you need to maintain your door, including door seals, finishes, and stains.

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How To Treat External Wood Doors

How To Weatherproof Your Doors

How To Fit A Letterbox