TRICKLE ME ELMO

Interesting email exchange I had last Friday with the patio door installers regarding the subject of external trickle vents. 

Since forking out a small fortune for a new pair of patio doors, I had expected a significant reduction in the level of draughts coming in from the new ones but ambient temperatures in the lounge are still as nippy as a dog kennel.  The culprits?  You guessed – trickle vents.

 

What a waste of energy!

I emailed the patio door installers to ask if there was anything that could be done to minimise the amount of cold air coming in through the vents only to be given a resounding ‘NO’ in response.  In a polite way, they pretty much told me to lump it and blamed the Government. 

It appears that back in 2022 due to some very high-profile cases of black mould, the Nanny State decreed that trickle vents would be made mandatory under building regulations as us plebs could not be trusted to ventilate our own homes.

With hilarious irony, the same Nanny State is now handing out grants hand over fist to get older homes retro-fitted with insulation and other measures to make them more energy efficient.  Yet it allows new windows with draughty trickle vents to be fitted.  If ever there was an example of bad policy making then surely this must be top of the list.  Wouldn’t it just be easier to remind the general public to open windows instead of subjecting them to this costly form of passive ventilation? 

I’m not alone in thinking that trickle vents which let the cold air in are a good idea.  A casual surf on this topic yielded a great deal of information that even suggested the window fitting industry is not generally happy with this new regulation.  

Surprisingly, a lot of folks are now finding ways to cover their trickle vents in order to reduce draughts and ultimately save on heating bills.  

Perhaps window manufacturers could be persuaded to change the design of the external trickle vents so that they come with an adjustable grille cover that slides open in the summer but can be closed in the winter months – the perfect win/win solution.    

But until that happens, pass me that roll of gaffer tape.

No draughts over here