To think that houses in the UK should have window shutters on the outside?

And are housing associations willing to pay for them??!!

https://hyphenonline.com/2024/09/09/we-feel-suffocated-hot-housing-social-uninhabitable-in-heat-summer/

I saw it and I'm explaining that emotive programmes such as this are useless if they're not accompanied by the explanations of the modern technologies available to mitigate this.

On BBC2 last night there was a programme Heatwave The New Normal and it was mentioned that houses and flats WILL become uninhabitable
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002f1gm

Our new build came with flooring and carpets, white goods, an EV charger and air source heat pump. Can’t afford solar panels, but I’ve noticed some high volume builders are putting one or two on their houses.

If it's truly air tight then it should have an MVHR system - ours has a summer bypass facility as well as an optional cooling system. No issues in hot weather and the the same regular air changes.

https://www.msn.com/en-my/news/other/my-new-build-flat-is-unbearably-hot-i-can-t-work-cook-or-sleep-in-it/ar-AA1HXq9l

Modern, high quality heat pumps are very cheap to run in well insulated homes. However, the cheap rubbish often installed in standard new builds is generally awful - you get what you pay for.

EV points should be standard in a house with a driveway or flats with parking spaces.

We need to get more creative with our new builds that's for sure we make absurd architectural decisions because that's how we've always done it whilst the rest of the western world has moved on!

Altho I will say ours we bought last yr has solar panels, a hydrogen enabled boiler (delighted now heat pump as I think technology isn't great and they're v expensive to run). And you could request an EV point which we did - next car change will be to a hybrid. Still plenty of mad / crappy decisions / not maximising space though

You wouldn't use wood though wood you @IwasDueANameChange surely it would be aluminium or a composite material now.

We stayed in a converted farmhouse in France last year and it had the traditional shutters but they were powder coated aluminium.

@garlictwist we stayed in a very swish apartment in Portugal pre kids and you could put a timer on the shutters - bloody wonderful bit of kit. But yes probably cost prohibitive.

Really? i have wood cladding painted black on the outside of my 1977 flat. Funny how no one argues about it when it retains heat and makes us sweat like pigs but as usual the minute Brits want something to keep cool there is always an excuse why we cant This flat has been absolute hell over the past 3 weeks never mind days

We have thick lined curtains. They keep the warmth in in winter, the rooms cool during the day in summer and they also block disturbance from our opposite neighbours sodding PIR light, which switches on and off continuously all night because they can't adjust the sensor 🙄

I am a member of an Australian home energy efficient group on fb and they rave about the honeycomb blinds and you can get a cheaper but good quality version from AliExpress. They keep heat out in summer or heat in during winter.

We live in France where everyone has shutters. There's streets and streets of 19c brick terraced housing originally for factory workers just like in the UK except they all have built in external shutters.

I would hate to live in a house without them now they are so good.

For those saying they'd only use them 3 days a year they also keep the heat in when it's cold.

@Ddakji If you do find an awning for a bedroom, let me know! 😁

Screens….why are there no screens on new builds…it’s just absurd

It hit 30 degrees in our south facing bedroom last night, despite closing internal shutters and curtains ( lined with reflective white linings). Of course, these methods kept the heat at bay for much longer than without, but eventually the intensity of the sun on the glass heats it and it gets into the room. I think we must live in the same area because even in our leafy garden, the heat was horrible. (It’s gorgeous now - lovely, lovely rain! Until the next time..)

My son and I have often discussed how great it would be to have external shutters so that the glass doesn’t get hot.

I’m finding this discussion interesting - thanks OP

DH and I have agreed that we will have shutters when we build our own house. They're amazing in the heat. Stop the sun from hitting the glass and your house stays cool..!

Where you live perhaps

The great thing about canopies is you can retract them for the 360 days they aren't needed.

Bearing in mind that will probably be 320 days by 2040.

If you want shutters then install them internally or externally. In much of the UK it’s unnecessary for almost the entire year.

They would be very useful for approximately 4 nights a year.

They do look pretty, though.

Something to remember about external shutters they are something else for the wind to catch and blow around.

I'd also worry about getting out a house with shutters in a fire.

Our bungalow has a porch over the whole front elevation. When we first saw it (many years ago) we assumed it was a storm porch to keep the rain off.

However, we now realise it was actually a shade for summer sun. It keeps nearly half the place in shade at the height of midday. It does mean the kitchen is permanently dark, (but we also know about electricity 😀)

The problem with "technology" like this, is it doesn't really translate into porky government grants like heat pumps and all those scams.