Families are rushing for this £9.99 Home Bargains draft excluder: will it cut your heating by 10%?

Cold snaps are creeping in while energy prices still bite. Small fixes now can spare shivers later without wrecking budgets.

As mornings turn frosty and evenings feel sharper, households are hunting for budget-friendly ways to trap warmth. One seasonal quick win is catching attention for its price, its look, and its promise to tame those door-bottom draughts that chill your toes first.

What is the £9.99 pumpkin draught excluder?

Home Bargains is stocking a seasonal door draught excluder shaped like a row of mini pumpkins, sold under The Lifestyle Edit name. It sits neatly along the base of a door, acting as a soft barrier that slows the flow of cold air into a room. The piece leans into autumn style, with a deep orange option that nods to Halloween displays, plus a cream version for a calmer look.

Because it’s lightweight and portable, you can move it between rooms during the day. Slide it against the living room door for film night, then pull it to the hallway at bedtime. It’s a small, tactile object rather than a permanent fix, which suits renters and anyone who can’t drill or stick hardware to frames.

Price check: £9.99 at Home Bargains for a seasonal, pumpkin-shaped draught excluder you can move room to room.

How it helps keep heat in

A closed door rarely seals against the floor. That narrow gap becomes a tunnel for cold air, especially in homes with suspended floors or blustery hallways. A soft excluder fills the space and limits the draught, so rooms stabilise faster and stay comfortable for longer between boiler cycles.

Energy specialists have long pointed to draught-proofing as low-hanging fruit. The Energy Saving Trust estimates that cutting draughts around doors and windows can save around £45 a year in a typical gas-heated home, with the real figure varying by house type, exposure and energy prices. While a single door snake won’t perform miracles on its own, it’s a gateway fix: block the worst leaks first, then layer other simple measures.

Draught-proofing around leaky doors and windows can trim bills by roughly tens of pounds a year in a typical home.

Where it works best

• Internal doors that open to cooler halls or porches where cold air collects.
• Back doors on still evenings, when air seeps along the floor towards warmer rooms.
• Spare rooms kept cooler, to reduce cold spill into heated areas.
• Ground-floor rooms with wooden floors and noticeable floor-level draughts.
• Temporary gaps under nursery or study doors during night-time heating schedules.

A note for busy households: children and dogs may treat a plush excluder as a toy. That’s charming for a minute and less helpful for heat retention. If curiosity takes over, position it where you can keep an eye on it, or tuck it behind the side of the door when not in use. Avoid placing it where someone could trip in low light.

Set-up in five minutes

• Open the door and vacuum the threshold so the excluder sits flush to the floor.
• Place it along the inside edge of the door, spanning the full width where practical.
• Nudge it tight against the gap to minimise air movement but still allow the door to open smoothly.
• Check at different times of day, when air pressure shifts, and adjust position as needed.
• At night, pair with thick curtains to reduce both draughts and radiant heat loss from glazing.

Real-world value: quick sums that put £9.99 in context

This is a small outlay with potential to pay for itself quickly. The exact saving depends on your home, but the direction of travel is clear: fewer draughts, less boiler cycling, steadier comfort. Here’s a simple illustration, using cautious assumptions:

Your numbers might differ. A particularly draughty hallway or a windy aspect could make the payoff faster. In a well-sealed flat, gains may be smaller. Either way, a ten-pound fix that improves comfort immediately is hard to argue with.

Small cost, quick comfort: a £9.99 stopgap that helps tame floor-level chills without tools or drilling.

Things to keep in mind

• Fire safety: don’t block escape routes or wedge fire doors. Keep exits clear.
• Ventilation balance: never cover air bricks, boiler vents or trickle vents needed for safe combustion and fresh air.
• Moisture control: warmer air holds more moisture. Keep background ventilation in kitchens and bathrooms to avoid condensation.
• Care: the fabric can scuff. Spot-clean gently and let it dry fully before reuse.
• Storage: keep it off damp floors when not in use, and away from pets who love a soft chew.

Pair it with other low-cost fixes

Stacking several simple measures multiplies the effect. Consider these inexpensive additions to tackle the common leak points:

• Self-adhesive foam strips around door frames to close hairline gaps.
• Brush seals for the bottom of external doors if you can fit hardware.
• Letterbox brush and internal flap to stop wind tunnelling straight into the hallway.
• Keyhole covers for old mortice locks that whistle in a gale.
• Thermal curtain linings to cut radiant loss from large panes after sunset.
• Chimney balloon or cap (if the fireplace is unused) to stop a column of cold air pulling heat up the flue.
• Reflective panel behind radiators on external walls to bounce warmth back into the room.

Why seasonal style helps

A practical tool that also earns a place in your autumn decor gets used more. The pumpkin design signals the cosy season, which nudges you to deploy it as soon as temperatures dip, not weeks later. That matters because early-season draught control reduces the temptation to crank the thermostat when only the hallway feels cold.

Draught excluder versus door sweep

A soft excluder is removable, renter-friendly and ideal for internal doors. A fixed door sweep or brush seal gives more robust performance on external doors, especially where gaps are uneven. Many homes benefit from both: a fitted brush at the front door to face weather, plus a soft excluder for the lounge or bedroom where you want easy movement and zero drilling.

Extra tips for better comfort and lower costs

If you use a room-by-room heating schedule, position the excluder at the boundary between a warm space and a cooler corridor. That reduces heat drift and helps the heated room reach setpoint faster. If you prefer a lower whole-home setpoint, combine the excluder with a cosy rug to limit cold-air pooling at floor level.

Finally, fit a carbon monoxide alarm in any home with gas appliances, and book regular servicing. Warmer rooms feel good, but safe ventilation remains non-negotiable. The art is to block unwanted draughts while preserving the air pathways that keep your household healthy and your boiler operating properly.