Draughtproofing
One of cheapest, most effective and easy ways of reducing heat loss, and therefore energy use, in older buildings is draughtproofing. This house is not typical of a lot of older buildings because it already has double glazing and so there was no draught proofing to do. The draughty rear doors were replaced, the ventilation grills in the brickwork in various rooms were removed and the gaps in the attic room were sealed. The floor boards on the ground floor were covered over by thick insulation and some of the skirting boards were sealed.
Ventilation
There is a balance here to be made. Basically draughts mean heat loss but it is also necessary to get fresh air in the building. Having looked at the issues and discussed it with various people, I am taking the view that it is best to seal it as well as possible and not to be too concerned about providing extra background ventilation. An older house like this is unlikely, even after the works that I hope to do, to be airtight. There are extractor fans in the kitchen and bathroom. It would be possible at a later stage to add some kind of background ventilation if it proved  necessary.
Existing vents in walls
Having installed the log burning stove, there is a question about whether the air supply is sufficient for the stove given that I am trying to seal the house from draughts. Under building regulations it is only necessary to install extra ventilation if a stove is over 5 kW but of course it all depends on circumstances. Given the way the house has been sealed I decided to be prudent and put in a ventilation grill (one that can be shut when the stove is not used) in the floor.
One possible extra to put in is a heat recovery ventilation unit which allows ventilation in the house but recovers the heat from the warm air that is being expelled. This can be done for a whole house but a bit expensive and probably only justifiable on a new well-sealed house. It might be possible for one room such as the bathroom where there is ventilation anyway. It is not something that anyone has particularly recommended I should do and I have not done anything about it.
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Draughtproofing and ventilation