Do you have drafty doors throughout your home? You’ve wanted to upgrade the doors to a less drafty model, but there always seems to be another home repair issue that takes up more of your time and budget first. You may consider using draft door stoppers as a stopgap, but do they save energy? If so, how much?
Reducing air leaks with draft door stoppers can lessen energy usage between 10 and 20 percent on your HVAC, but keep in mind that your savings when using door stoppers can vary based on several factors. These include your temperature preferences, climate, number of doors, and how drafty your doors are.
In today’s article, we’ll introduce you to draft door stoppers, then delve deeper into how much energy they may be able to save you. Make sure you check it out!
What Are Draft Door Stoppers?
Draft blockers or draft stoppers are a simple solution that can double as weatherstripping when appropriately used.
The stopper includes a tube made of a soft material like cloth. Stuffed inside the fabric are beans, rice, or batting to give the door stopper weight and allow it to block the air.
Once you purchase a draft stopper, you can lay it wherever your home is draftiest. Draft blockers work well underneath doors but are also efficient for drafty windows.
A draft stopper serves a twofold purpose. First, it locks in whatever warm air is in the house (or cool air in the case of the summertime).
Second, the draft stopper keeps outside air from getting into your home. As a result, you’ll have fewer areas of warm, stagnant air entering your house in the summer and less cold air blowing in during the winter.
Admittedly, a draft door stopper is an eyesore, but hey, if it works, it works!
How Much Energy Can You Save by Using Draft Door Stoppers?
So, does a draft blocker work? Yes, it can!
According to Energy.gov, reducing home draftiness could improve your year-over-year energy savings by 10 to 20 percent.
However, Energy.gov doesn’t mention door stoppers specifically, so you can’t take that estimate and necessarily apply it to using draft door stoppers.
After all, your energy savings rate depends on several factors mentioned in the intro. Let’s look now.
Your Temperature Preferences
How do you like to keep your home? Maybe you prefer in-the-middle temperatures, such as an average room temperature range. In that case, draft stoppers could be an appealing energy-saving prospect for you.
Your Climate
The climate you live in and the temperature extremes you face will also impact how much energy you can save by adding draft stoppers under your doors and windows.
You have to use a lot of heating or cooling to keep your home comfortable throughout the year if you live in extreme climates.
Retaining more of those indoor temperatures while keeping extreme outdoor temperatures from getting in will make a more significant difference for you than for someone who doesn’t have as many weather fluctuations.
How Many Doors You Have
The greater the number of doors, the greater the draftiness.
Even if you were to set up door stoppers in front of a few of these doors, you should notice an improvement in how comfortable your home feels.
If you put draft door stoppers in front of every door in the house, the changes in comfort will be even more pronounced.
You can save more energy since air leaks contribute a lot to your utility bills month in and month out.
How Drafty Your Doors Are
Then again, that does depend on how drafty your doors are.
If all the doors are drafty, then the above benefits apply. However, even if only some of your doors are drafty, you can save energy by covering the gaps.
If only one or two of the doors in your home have sizable gaps, then you’re not really in for significant savings.
What Are Some Other Benefits of Draft Door Stoppers?
The amount of energy a draft stopper will save on your utility bills is negligible. Still, you may consider adding one or several stoppers to the doors throughout your house.
In that case, you can enjoy the following benefits.
Easy to Set Up
Some energy-saving solutions discussed on the blog are rather complex. You always appreciate the easy ones, like lowering your water heater temperature.
Well, using draft stoppers is another easy solution. It couldn’t be any easier!
All you have to do is buy a couple of draft stoppers, lay them in front of your door, and that’s all there is to it.
Low-Cost
You will only spend a little money to acquire a draft stopper, as these air-blocking solutions retail for between $10 and $20 a pop.
You’ll spend under $100 to block drafts if your home has four interior doors.
That’s much more cost-effective than replacing doors outright, which costs at least $50 per door but possibly up to $300 or $500 per door, says Angi.
A door stopper is only temporary if your doors are seriously drafty enough. You’ll save much more money upgrading to Energy Star doors than trying to blockade your old, drafty doors.
No Installation Necessary
It’s also beneficial how adding draft stoppers to your home doesn’t require any installation. As a result, you don’t have to set aside a weekend for the job or even an entire afternoon.
Suppose you have five or 10 minutes and enough draft stoppers. You can cover each door and enjoy a more comfortable home that’s moderately more eco-friendly than before you used the door stoppers.
It Could Help If You Have Allergies and/or Asthma
Do you have allergies? Perhaps another family member in the house does.
Breathing in outdoor air is a great way to aggravate allergies, especially if you react to pollen. That’s why you usually keep the windows closed, even on a nice day.
Your drafty doors can negate all your hard work as the pollen-filled air seeps in from the outside.
Adding a door stopper or several around your home will keep more of that indoor air trapped in place.
As for those with asthma, breathing in cold air can cause your airways to constrict, which makes it harder to breathe. You can also benefit if the air in your home stays at a more comfortable temperature.
So Where Can You Buy Draft Stoppers?
Locally, hardware stores like Home Depot and Lowes carry some in stock, but the selection may be limited. When you visit those sites, be sure to click “In Stock At Store Today” so you can see what’s local to you.
Other stores like Walmart, Target, and others locally may have them as well.
If you know the dimensions of your door (use a measuring tape to measure the width), it’s probably easiest to order online, and we all know what URL we type in first when shopping online these days.
To save you some time (potentially), here are some of the best-selling draft stoppers on Amazon right now:
- ???????????????????? ???????????????? ???????????????????? ????????????????????????????: The 36 inch door stopper for bottom of door keeps the cold air out and the heat in with both sides protection. Great for blocking noise and fumes.
- ???????????????????????????????????? ????????????????????????????????: The under door draft guard is made of soft plush cloth, heavy-duty and lightweight.
- ???????????????????????????????????????? ????????????????????????????????????????: The foam tube in this under door draft stopper can be cut, apply to door length from 35"-36" (length can be adjusted), door width from 1"-3", door gap at most 1.5" high.
- ???????????????? ???????? ????????????????: The under door noise stopper can be quickly cleaned by machine, no more hand wash, save your time and free your hands (NOTE: The draft stopper can be easily move with the door and glides over smooth floor, may not work well on rough ground).
- ????????????????????-???????????????????????????????? ????????????: The insulation under door draft stopper can be used for your front door, back door, garage entry door, bedroom door, bathroom door, it is also suitable for windows to help prevent drafts and seal in hot or cold air.
- 【SAVE YOUR MONEY】 The weather stripping stop the heat and cold from escaping during winter and summer. Makes heating and cooling your home or office more efficient and cost effective for reducing the heating & cooling bill.
- 【NOISE REDUCTION】- The door bottom seal designed by 2 layers of sealer, stop the noise, keep your room cozy and quiet!
- 【NO MORE GAPS】 - 1-4/5" W" Width x 37" Length, . Fits Gaps up to 1 iInches. Self-adhesive door draft blocker for uneven door gaps exterior/interior doors, garage, basement, bed, sofa and cabinet.
- 【WIDE APPLICATION】-It is widely used in various types of doors or windows like frameless sliding doors, glass doors, sliding doors, wood doors, cupboards, wardrobes, furniture and shower room, etc
- 【EASY TO INSTALL 】-Just measure the width of your door, cut to size, peel the backing off the adhesive and stick it to the door! Also preheat the strip with hairdryer in cold winter to help it stick well.
- Large door draft stopper foam is 2 inches in diameter, which is larger than most sellers' foam and can cover 0.5" to 1.7" doors gap.
- Keep you warm by blocking out cold air during the winter months. It’s also an outstanding noise reduction tool and can shut out light and odors. put one in your bedroom to help you sleep better
- We know what you really care about. This door draft blocker stays put as it and moves with the door, there’s no need to reposition it. It won’t damage your doors like other stick-on products.
- Adjustable & Easy to Install: The size of door draft blocker is 36". It can also cut foam to fit 30" 32" 34" doors. Just adjust the length and slide the door down.
- It can be used on interior doors, but not suitable for exterior doors with threshold.
- ????Easy to install: 34 "adjustable size for most homes. Please measure the gap and width of the door before purchasing and keep the door clean to ensure our draft stopper works as intended.
- ???? Large-size sponge: not ordinary slender sponge, which will not move with the opening of the door.
- ????Hook and loop fastener design : Keeps foam tubes safely inside even with constant opening and closing of doors.
- ????Block light and windshield: can block the cold/hot wind/smoke outside, making the indoor more comfortable.
- ???? Can be recycled without damaging the door: detachable bag, can be repeatedly washed and used, can be machine washed. Please keep low temperature when drying.
- ????【ONE SIDED DOOR DRAFT BLOCKER】—SYIPO One Sided Adjustable Under Door Draft Blocker is made from top quality styrofoam and abrasion resistant Fabric. Fits door up to 37”. Total height is 3.5". Jumbo 1.2-inch diameter foam tubes are perfect for blocking extra-large gaps under your door. The Under Door Draft Stopper will protect your home against the elements, taking the brunt of rain, snow, dust, and other weather-related factors.Keep your home safe with the SYIPO One Sided Door Draft Stopper.
- ????【NOISE REDUCTION AND SAVE ENERGY/MONEY】—Our SYIPO Door Draft Stopper designed Door sweep to adopte effectively reduce noise, prevent dust from entering through the door, and keep the room quiet and clean. Bottom door draft blockers prevent the leakage of air conditioning or heating, make your room more efficient in cooling or heating. And help you reduce electric cost so as to save you energy and money. Use our efficient draft blocker and enjoy the peace and quiet of your home, now!
- ✅【EASY AND FAST INSTALLATION】— Install our under door draft stopper,You just have to measure your doors gap, peel the adhesive layer off, stick the velcro in the door side you want,and stick on our door draft stopper. You can take it down whenever you want,and it won't hurt your door. One-sided adjustable door draft has good adhesion and is easy to cut and adjust, and it will move with the door – including carpets, tile, linoleum and hardwoods and securely fits under doors up to 37 inches.
- ????【USE ANYWHERE】—One Sided Door Draft Stopper has a so good adhesion that won't making any annoying scratching sound on the floor or window, no any damage for the floor and wndow. Practical, tough, economical draft dodger for every family. SYIPO one-sieded, insulated door draft stopper is suitable for indoor and outdoor doors, garages, bathrooms, windows, etc. Give the under door draft blocker to your friends and family as a christmas gift, holiday gift!
- ????【MONEY BACK GUARANTEE】—All our door seals are covered with our FAST FREE replacement or FULL refund! Value for money guaranteed. If You Are Not Satisfied with the Purchase for Any Reason, Please Feel Free to Contact Our SYIPO Professional Customer Service! We will respond your message within 24 hours. If there are any product quality problem, we have free return policy. All we want is to let every customer feel happy with this purchase! Thank you again!
Conclusion
Blocking drafts from doors and windows in your home can reduce your utility spending by 10 to 20 percent. Part of the solution for lowering draftiness could be using door draft stoppers.
Draft stoppers are inexpensive, don’t require installation, and can be moved and reused later, so they’re a good value.
That said, they’re putting a Band-Aid over a broken arm. Until you upgrade your drafty doors to Energy Star doors, you will continue to pay for air leaks month in and month out.
Purchasing an Energy Star-approved door will keep your home comfortable, reduce your utility bills, and make air leaks a thing of the past!
