A project that started with one woman’s idea to help local householders draught-proof their homes has grown to become part of a community initiative that helps local residents cut their energy costs.
With its latest projects, the scheme is also offering training to young unemployed people.
Using Q Lon weatherseal from Schlegel, Community Draught Busters helps householders draught-proof their homes and is now working on two draught-proofing projects on civic buildings in the London Borough of Lambeth, one of them being the iconic Lambeth Town Hall, where they will be training young people in draught-proofing skills.
The Draught Buster concept, which has now spread to communities throughout the country, was the brainchild of Londoner Sue Sheehan who, when working from home one winter, became aware of the draught from her Edwardian terrace’s sash windows. Deciding that this was a problem that was probably shared by many of her neighbours, Sue set about finding out how to install draught-proofing. After attending a training course which covered the basics of measuring up and fitting draught seals, she brought together friends and neighbours in a house where everyone could have a go at sealing doors and windows. Sue used her own money to bulk-buy specialist Schlegel weatherseals to achieve the best result and started putting on other draught-proofing workshops in her local area.
Having started the scheme in her local community, Sue Sheehan became a council employee and in her new role looked at how it could translate into something bigger through the Transition network which supports community-led responses to climate change. So, from a team of individuals, TTB (Transition Town Brixton) Community Draught Busters evolved as a not-for-profit social enterprise that helps local people draught-proof their homes and improve their energy efficiency.
Martin Abraham leads TTB Draught Busters, which continues to use the market-leading Schlegel products. He says: “Following Sue’s principle of encouraging people to learn draught-proofing skills through local workshops, we purchase the Schlegel seal in bulk and supply it at competitive prices to home owners and organisations. We use the Schlegel seals because, to be quite honest, there is not really much competition in terms of durability and quality. Basically, it works!”
The two civic buildings that TTB Draught Busters is tackling are a centre for young people with emotional initiatives, a former NHS building in Water Lane, Brixton, and Lambeth Town Hall and the Schlegel seals will be used throughout both these buildings. Malcolm says: “We are very proud of the fact that we have got funding to provide employment for young unemployed people. We train them in using the Schlegel products and they learn while carrying out the work on the buildings. For the community, this improves the civic buildings, saving energy and making them more comfortable for the people using them. In addition, we are providing the trainees with a portable skill. We would hope to employ some of them on our own projects, while we will have equipped others with skills that will enable them to become self-employed and generate an income.”
For homeowners, TTB Draught Busters specialises in pre-1960s properties. For sash windows, the teams use Schlegel’s Q-Lon Retro B for the vertical sides of the frame, Q-Lon FS for the point where the sashes meet, and Q-Lon 21B for external doors or wider gaps on windows. The products are featured on the scheme’s website and are sold from its base in Brixton.
