If your home is leaking heat, it's essentially throwing your hard-earned money out of the window in the form of energy consumption. In addition to costing you, heat loss is also environmentally unfriendly and simply makes it harder to keep warm and make your home comfortable.
Of course, there are ways to help combat the problem, like getting good insulation and having double-glazed windows fitted. But there might still be heat leaking out, and it's difficult to pinpoint the problem. Here are some ways you can check if your house is prone to this issue, and how you can work out exactly where it's occurring.
Look for gaps
You might be able to spot problematic gaps simply by carrying out a visual inspection. Common places to find gaps are around windows and doors, and anywhere there's a seal between indoors and out. Look carefully, and check the state of any sealant, as it may start to degrade or peel away after a few years.
Use your hands
While you're looking, you might not spot particularly small gaps. You'll likely be able to feel them, though, especially if it's a cold day and there's a draught from outside. Feel around the edges of any potential problem areas with your hands, taking note of any changes in temperature or breezes.
Try the smoke test
A simple test that can be extremely revealing involves the use of smoke. All you need is an ordinary incense stick. Light the stick and get it going, then close all your doors and windows. Turn on a kitchen extractor fan and set it up high, so it's sucking air out of your home. Anywhere you think there may be a gap leaking air, hold the incense stick next to it. Because of the extractor fan, the smoke will move if there's airflow where you suspect a leak. If it stays still, it should indicate that the sealant is working properly.
Compare your rooms
Sometimes, despite all of your thorough checking, you might not find any signs of leaks. Hopefully, this indicates that your home is well sealed and insulated, and you're making the most of your heating and cooling equipment. However, if there are significant differences in the temperature between rooms, this signals a problem. If you're unable to work out what's causing it, you may need to call out a professional to check for you, but at least you'll have a good idea which room the leak is in.