SHADE NEEDED

Looks like regardless housebuilding & retrofitting viable options be it solar glazing, interior shutters or alternatives (?) is going to have to become part of the way we live going forwards. Booming industries for those areas! Will this mean all our energy efficient homes will become inefficient (in as much as they don’t allow for heat escape/exchange) & there’ll be a clamour to make them all efficient? Wld only be a good thing if so although potentially costly & down most likely to the homeowner to have to remedy.

Foil. Shiny side facing out. You could mount it on cardboard if you want to remove it when the sun isn't blinding.

You can also get thermal film for windows and doors to reduce inside temperature.

We have curtains and blinds that stay closed during daylight, and we open them and the windows at night.

All valid points. I was thinking there might be a way to ‘hook’ the cords to the side such that you could reach them if you opened your window a bit? The window recess should allow for couple of inches (assuming the blinds are hung outside the recess).
I also assumed the blinds would be down in afternoons/evenings and rolled up for nights with windows open for coolness.

we have an acute heat problem in my DD’s south facing bedroom which is only partly solved by a combination of roller blinds + window reflective blinds + curtains. I might just take the plunge and get a wooden blind for her bedroom as a trial. There are 2 windows and 2 smaller vent type windows on top so a combination of things to be tried…

will update here 😅

Plus the safety risk of having external shutters over uk outward opening windows means effectively you’re locked in & could not get out in the event of a fire or hazard?

From my understanding, there’s a bit of drilling to install a turn/pull cord inside the property, to control the blinds outside. Or electronic of course.

FitnessIsTheOnlyWealth My point is that with externally opening windows, how do you open/close the external shutters other than doing it from outside the property and if you are happy to do that, how do you reach the upper floors?
Maybe they are remote control or have some other operating control?

With inwards opening windows, while it precludes having anything on the windowsills or furniture in the way, at least you can easily access the shutters to open/close them. Also, if you want to you can leave the windows open to take advantage of any breeze through the shutter slats.

@Nourishinghandcream- I’m looking into external wooden blinds. I wanted ones that can be removed at the end of summer so they don’t have to take the brunt of winter. The blinds can be rolled up using strings and windows can thereafter be opened. I suppose at peak heat the windows will be kept closed so it should be ok? Trying to understand your point around outside-opening-windows - are these really a show stopper or can we work around it.
I liked the greenblinds option which someone upthread posted.

Interestingly I had a quote this week for external shutters (they’d work with our house). Around £300 per large window. If you think about the cost of a good aircon unit and the electricity to run it is looks worthwhile.

External shutters are of course the ideal long-term solution as stopping the heating hitting the glass in the first place is the first (and most effective) step in keeping the heat out.
Unfortunately (and as has been pointed out many times) in this country we are not set up for this as we have outward opening windows which would not permit such shutters to be fitted.

We have shutter blinds matched with heavyweight curtains and together they do a great job at helping to keep the heat from the windows reaching the rooms but we would love to have external shutters.

houses in Spain including flats use wooden shutters + awnings as standard. It’s time we start using them too to cover glass from the outside.

Silver sun screen for cars with suckers on to stick to the glass.

I wonder if this would work
ENOCENT White Honeycomb Paper Packaging, 30cm X 30M Biodegradable Paper Bubble Wrap, Eco-friendly White Packing Paper for Moving and Gift Wrapping, Great Alternative to All Plastic Packaging Wraps : Amazon.co.uk: Stationery & Office Supplies https://share.google/4nA8zriazasYdIt5C

1. No cooking other than microwave!
2. If it’s too terrible at tea time and you just need to get them fed and they had sandwiches for lunch, take them to a supermarket cafe. They can eat in the AC.
3. Get a big, monster fan on a tall stand
4. Get an awning to come out from the back of your house
5. Get AC installed. This heatwave WILL pass but more will follow. This year and beyond. Climate change.

I didn’t do a thorough job on the yoghurt, pasting it over most of the window that’s not covered by houseplants, and calling it a day.

By 16.32 today, the temperature was… 26.1C. What’s more, the room is darker - I can definitely tell the yoghurt is doing something. And so far, it doesn’t smell, it hasn’t attracted flies, and it doesn’t even look that bad. It just looks like white paint.

www.express.co.uk/life-style/property/2080769/putting-yoghurt-windows-heatwaves

https://www.heatwavetoolkit.com/solutions#:~:text=Return%20to%20Top-,Paint%20Yoghurt%20on%20Your%20Windows,washed%20away%20when%20not%20needed.

They didn't say...
They did say that it dries fast and leaves a film on the glass that stops some of the heat from passing through.
I mean, if I was as desperate as the OP and had a tub of yogurt in the fridge, I'd be looking for a paintbrush. I can never do a link on here otherwise I'd link it but it's a recent article.

Wouldn't you end up with a plague of ants ?

According to the BBC, you paint the outside of your windows with Greek yoghurt (10% fat apparently)

Is it unreasonable to fit a fixing in to the next door neighbour's extension wall whilst they're out?!😅

Absolutely (but you knew that).😱

Most have slightly curved edges as then they don’t sag. You fit them trying to pull diagonally outwards from the corners if you can rather than square on to get the right shape.
The gap is not really big enough to make much difference but keep in mind that if it’s very low sun that’s the bother (with the glare of the cooker etc) then you need to angle it down, but as ours makes it so much cooler in the day a little late sun doesn’t bother us.

Temporary black out blind which come with suction cups for windows are a god send. www.amazon.co.uk/MaximoLife-Blackout-140x240cm-Temporary-Permanent/dp/B08K95N9LR/ref=ex_alt_wg_m?_encoding=UTF8&pf_rd_r=GYPYV45KRC79NHKJG17T&pf_rd_p=d259b6e9-3107-41f5-a02c-8909afb44623&pd_rd_i=B08K95N9LR&psc=1&pd_rd_w=l1YVI&pd_rd_wg=aDQPZ&pd_rd_r=81213a95-31d5-48de-9b6f-3b9f9e362506&content-id=amzn1.sym.d259b6e9-3107-41f5-a02c-8909afb44623

Time to decorate & sell the house & move somewhere more suited to your needs even if it's a flat.

Solar glare film on your windows...its amazing we just put on our s.east facing windows and skylights which are horrendous in this weather..
Bought on amazon and b&q as needed different suppliers due sizing..not that dear ... Bit of a pain to put on....but degrees of difference

This is what we use. I stick them up in early summer and take them down in autumn. They're £3.50 each so I don't mind buying new each year