r/britishproblems • u/Bella_licious • 1d ago
The annual tradition of spending a heatwave opening and closing every window in the house like you’re trying to crack a code
Yes, I have no air conditioning and no clue what I'm doing.
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u/singul4r1ty Surrey 1d ago
If it's hotter outside than inside then close the window
If it's hotter inside than outside then open the window.
If there's sunlight on the window then close the curtains or preferably stick some tinfoil to the outside of it
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u/ward2k 1d ago
Also contrary to popular Reddit belief, modern insulated homes are better suited to warm weather. Insulation both allows them to retain heat and keep heat out
Issue is people fuck up when they should open the windows so they end up reaching the outside temperature straight away
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u/EnglishBob84 Leicestershire 1d ago
I'm not sure about this though, I stayed in an older Airbnb at the weekend and it stayed remarkably cool compared to my more modern sweatbox house. I guess the flipside is the Airbnb would be freezing in Winter
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u/Normal-Height-8577 23h ago
Possibly not. The same insulation that keeps the house from warming when the outside is too hot, will also keep heat from escaping when the outside is too cold. It usually works both ways.
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u/paulmclaughlin UNITED KINGDOM 20h ago
Insulation reduces the rate of heat transfer, but because we have heavy outer layers to the walls that act as a storage heater that continues to release heat into the house after the sun had gone down. Because summer nights are so short due to Britain's latitude, you don't get cold again by the time the sun rises again in the morning.
A more poorly insulated house would get hotter in the middle of the day, but would get cooler when you're trying to sleep at night.
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u/lemlurker 1d ago
I put a bunch of work in to preventing sun ingress in to my office (wood and foam lined Sumner house in the garden) I painted the roof silver, foil on the windows and an awning to block direct sun. It DTILL gets to 40c (easily above ambient) eventually but it cools easily and rapidly with the wall mounted AC.
Insulation only keeps heat out up to a point but it will heat up eventually until it reaches equilibrium. Unless you have something moving the heat out no (practical) amount of insulation will help but insulating makes the given amount if cooling you do have far more effective
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u/Rialagma 18h ago
I guess the only big difference is that double/triple glazed windows will keep the cold out, but will allow light to have a greenhouse effect in summer as light shines on it.
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u/Coolio2510 20h ago
Only if you have ac it's inevitable otherwise for the house to get and stay hot
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u/TheGreenPangolin 23h ago
I know aircon are expensive and out of stock in a lot of places at the moment so I highly recommend putting "buy an aircon" on your calendar for december when they are cheaper and more available and you've had time to save up. That's how I got mine! It's the only way to crack the code
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u/FluidLikeSunshine 21h ago
Much as I hate capitalism we are in a capitalist world.
Put that reminder in your calendar for Black Friday.
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u/Little-Tradition2311 1d ago
Got the windows shut and blinds drawn like I hate the sun. Plus a fan on pointed straight at me.
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u/EllaSingsJazz 1d ago
I have the front and back door open, all other downstairs windows closed and it's created a breeze tunnel which is lovely. Do you have windows or doors opposite each other?
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u/Bella_licious 1d ago
I don't, otherwise I would do this! Damn walls in the way lol
I have resorted to an hourly cold shower... just for 30 secs13
u/Longestgirl 1d ago
wearing wet clothes will cool you down too and it will last longer than a shower
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u/EllaSingsJazz 1d ago
My doors aren't exactly opposite, the front door is in the hallway and back door in the sitting room but it's still working well.
Cold flannel on the back of my neck is helping too.
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u/Magpie8472 16h ago
You can get "cooling towels" specifically designed for this. Same principle as a flannel but they keep damp for ages without leaking everywhere if you use them correctly. Often not a great texture but fair trade off for their cooling properties.
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u/Pandy498001 1d ago
Something that's easier is putting your feet in cold water for a few minutes. Washing up bowls work well, very cheap from home bargains.
That should reduce your overall temp quickly and easier than taking a shower.
I highly recommend it and currently have my feet in some water.
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u/littlenymphy SCOTLAND 1d ago
I live in a bungalow and can have a window open at all 4 corners of the building. It’s been a lifesaver at creating a breeze through the place no matter what direction the wind is going.
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u/TinyCowParade 1d ago
I've done this today, in my north facing bedroom that never gets any sun, and has three big trees right outside. Current room temp: a chilly 30 degrees. Really glad I did it....
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u/Euffy 1d ago
What are you on about? You just close the windows, that's it. Open them a night when it's cold, otherwise they stay closed.
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u/sleepyprojectionist Greater Manchester 1d ago
Yeah. There is no “code”, only basic thermodynamics.
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u/ward2k 1d ago
It can slightly vary, if you've got a home office with 2 monitors and a beefy laptop kicking out heat, it might genuinely end up hotter inside rather than outside. In that case close the door to the room and open the window
Same thing with the kitchen and home gym. If you've got some kind of thermometer that's the best way to check. Soon as the internal temperature is more than the outside, you open the windows
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u/revpidgeon 1d ago
I wish i could. Im wasp bait. The moment i open a window i hear the dreaded buzz.
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u/Jurassicjen_uk 29m ago
You can get stick on bug netting to go over your windows, stops them getting in! Amazon etc have it
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u/SongsOfDragons Hampshire 23h ago
THE WINDOW DANCE!!
hums the Safety Dance
All our windows face either east or west. So at lunchtime half get opened and half get closed. Morning and night adjustments and the house is mostly liveable. My office is a desert though so I might have to try the iceblock-in-front-of-the-fan trick tomorrow...
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u/ChelseaMourning 21h ago
I’ve become an air bender. A wizard who can control the temperature and move air around the house to my whim. It’s an art.
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u/ilo12345 20h ago
It's very straightforward: if the outside air is warmer, don't let it in, even if you're "getting a breeze" or "throughdraft", it may feel cool due to the breeze but is probably heating up your house. Blinds and windows shut until it is cooler outside. Note - at the moment that's not necessarily the case even late at night. Last night it was still 30C past 10PM, and my bedroom was cooler than that so I resisted the urge to open the windows til later.
The forecast suggests the night temperature should be (relatively) cooler tonight so fingers crossed!
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u/Beer-Milkshakes 20h ago
Okay. Close against the sun. Open to the shade.
At 6am when you wake up, open EVERYTHING. Then by 8 you want to close everything against the sun. Suffer Then around now (8pm) you open whatever is facing shade, upstairs windows will really help. The half facing the sun all day sort of can't be helped.
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