To feel baffled as to why buildings don't have shutters in the UK

There are lovely awnings for those. My parents also have fitted blinds on their conservatory.

It would be really annoying if you'd declined those options though.

Someone else with more knowledge is welcome to correct me if I am wrong but all housebuilding I see in nearby communities in Scotland have solar panels fitted as standard on their newbuild properties. Social housing and private.

I am wondering if those who have kitchen/reception extensions with glass lanterns and/or floor to ceiling windows which don’t have any openings actually regret having these in the recent heat

You have the old stone sills but no part of the actual window sticks outwards, what I do like about them is it keeps the huge single panes of glass (big windows due to age of house and ceiling height) not like the modern type with the small opening window at the top, it also means the whole window opens which is good for airflow, or you have the tilt option in winter so you don't get damp

So does any part of the window protrude outward?

Im not keen on period houses having modern windows but then practicalities are important as well.

Tilt and turn, so inward opening. Edwardian house, here when we moved in ten years ago

What sort of house do you have, are they sash windows?

I think people on here are making the distinction between windows that open inward, vs windows that open outward. Not windows that do neither, aka sliding windows like sashes or sideways sliders.

Mine don't

I would have very much liked them in the middle townhouse I used to live in! Such faffing we had.

It would be a good idea because its a nighmare to clean our bedroom window because theres a conservatory under it so the window cleaner cant get to it properly

So high rise flats, European imports and passivhaus type developments.

Maybe it's more normal in areas with high housing density because of the window cleaning then?

If you're really interested, it would be worth looking at some local area building codes for guidance.

I did so myself off the back of this interesting thread and it does seem possible I could look onto awnings/exterior shutters as my house is 70s. We are in some kind of conservation zone though so the first thing I will do is speak to the planning guy in the residents' association.

Im sure, and very helpful, but the poster says every house she has lived in after having sash windows, have inward openers.

Its unusual to say the least so I would like to know what style house has these as a norm.

The part of the UK with less sunshine 😂.

Not laughing at the sensible Scots, but what a waste of all that free energy in the SE.

We find this - our house is always noticeably cooler inside than outside in summer. I’ve had to train myself to notice this so as not to wear too warm clothes.

That said, the house does cool down overnight due to its orientation & having some shade at different points of the day. In recent years with the hot summers we have managed this by keeping windows shut at hot times & opening them when it gets cooler & keeping curtains shut when the sun is on rooms. It’s also an older house so there is more airflow. There’s definitely a lot that can be done with passive cooling at least with some buildings although I suspect there will be an issue that some buildings just aren’t designed for a hotter climate.

As well as awning for houses, I wish that shops would start to install them too as they do make a difference when you are walking through a town or city (& look pretty). I’m fairly sure that I’ve seen historical photos with shops with awnings, which suggests that they used to be more common. We also need more street trees too for similar reasons.

You can have them fitted, at a price. My colleague did so, to facilitate cleaning the windows in her top floor flat.

It is in Scotland.

ok.

Well it is a lot more complex than this which is why its not working!!

Due to people actually living in properties, movement and in particular window heat, heat is not prevented from entering into the property and then it doesnt leave and then it builds up.

Thats not the same with cold.

I got it slightly wrong (I posted again to mention this) - but my main windows are ones that can tilt inwards or open wide inwards. They all have top windows (I think they're called a 'transom' window) - these actually do open outwards. So I was both right and wrong 😀

nope, but ok. It might be more complex than this,
with more factors that affect it but basically it acts like a barrier,
in winter it stops the warm air leaving, and in summer, prevents it entering.

Well of course it will trap the heat in. If it prevented heat coming in, in the first place it wouldnt work very well for cold.

You said we are built for the cold and all the extra insulation is making peoples houses hot.

Insulation shouldn’t trap the heat in, it should prevent it from getting too hot to
start with. I assume there is a limit to that though.

You need a cassette at the top and then enough clearance above your window before the bottom of the roof. We dont have that with our windows in any case.

Its a huge job to try to retro fit that

Bay windows wouldnt work for example.

Its like starting a thread being baffled about how people in the Caribbean dont know how to live with cold weather.