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

The fact is where housing is concerned the UK is very far behind lots of countries in Europe, and it has been for decades.

Just a couple of very simple examples of this is very few new builds have solar panels (but the government want us to gave electric cars), and a lot of new estates don’t have trees which are good for shading properties, good for the environment and good for MH.

It’s all about cost cutting for the here and now, rather than advancement and investment for the future.

It depends what type of shutter you're talking about. Abroad, you open the window, which opons inward, you lean out and pull the shutters closed, pulling the little latch over, then you close the windows

How would you do that if your windows open outward?

You could have the cassette type aluminium shutters which of course mean you just have a pulley inside the room on the edge of the window frame, you wouldnt need to open the windows to do that

Yes thats the point isnt it.

What style of house has windows that open inward in the UK?

Windows open outwards as standard, you can’t retrofit internal opening on already installed upvc windows, so people would either need shutter frames that stick out as much as the full opening distance of the windows, or people would be paying thousands for new windows and then thousands for shutters. Upper windows would also need at least one quick release shutter as a fire escape, I have no idea if that would be more costly.

Windows here open inwards as standard. But even with outward opening windows, you would not need shutter frames that stick out as far as the full opening distance of the windows if you had the electric roll down or electric sliding shutters. You’d close your windows and then push the button.

I live in europe, I rarely see a curtain at a window, I have never seen shutters on a building apart from places like banks for security.. You must not be in Southern Europe? Every building here in southern France has shutters. Manual folding outwards or sliding over or electric roll downs or sliders.

It’s 40C here and I have shutters and aircon. If I were to choose between the two, aircon wins.

If not shutters and not curtains then what are you using? Blinds?

Of course there's a difference, one stops the glass getting hot and the other doesn't.

Could you possibly link to what you bought to do this? I'd be very grateful.

We have external shutters where we live. It makes a huge difference. It hit 41 degrees this week and it was around 22-23 inside house. W have no air conditioning, and don’t even use fans as no need.

we also get really cold and snow in winter. We also use the shutters overnight then ( daytime in summer) and it makes a huge difference also to heat loss from inside out overnight as our windows are basically solid. So when it’s -18 at 2am outside in January the house stays warm overnight even though out heating goes off at 9pm.

So external shutters would really help in uk also in winter when it’s windy/rain and cold overnight

We haven't needed them.

I live in Cumbria, a place that hasn't been particularly hot this summer, with a low crime rate and in a house with outward opening windows. They'd be pointless.

I agree. Aircon should be reserved for public 'cool' spaces imo (like schools and hospitals) and most of us should try to avoid it in our homes if possible, though some people may need it due to medical or other reasons. But long term, it's just going to make us all hotter.

We need better measures to keep heat out of homes, and more grass, trees and shade, especially in urban areas. We also need better storage measures to store rainwater. It rained practically everyday from October until April! We've discussed getting a rainwater harvesting system installed in our garden, but it isn't big to begin with and they're quite expensive. But maybe this is something the government should consider subsidising.

My new build flat (2023) has blinds installed in boxes above all the windows and they're really thick and good quality, keep the heat out and I have sheer curtains on a rail for when I want light and privacy.

Ok so we know that the reason is that we have outward opening windows. So regarding ‘retrofitting’ shutters, has anyone looked into this in any depth and established if it’s cheaper than having aircon fitted? I imagine it must be when you take into account future electricity bills on top of the thousands it costs to fit the aircon in the first place.

We have internal shutters and they have been a god send in this heatwave. We open the windows and the shutters slightly overnight and close them during the day. Keeps the house fairly cool. We've had these shutters for ten years and it's the first time we've had to use them in this way.

What we need to do is stop the heat before it hits the windows. Closing curtains and interior blinds help, but rooms still get hot. External shutters would work, but are quite cumbersome and expensive and may not be needed/wanted all year round. Some people have been putting external window film on their windows, which I think helps but is fiddly to fit/cut to size etc.

The best solution imo is lightweight external awnings that clip on to windows and direct the heat away from the windows. I am not handy myself, but I believe some people have had success making them with reflective sheets and window clips. Definitely a business opportunity here for someone.

I'd be wary of investing ... there really is nothing new under the sun.

The biggest "problem" is how to ensure everyone makes a good profit from it all.

Remember the UK didn't mandate double glazing for new builds until 2002, because the double glazing companies needed to make money. Probably better not think about the environmental impact of ripping brand new single glazing out of your 2001 new build to have double glazing retrofitted.

I was thinking only a couple of weeks ago that this horrible heatwave is a business opportunity in many ways.

If you're an inventive person, a scientist, engineer or any kind of creative really, there are just SO many things we need to change.

Clothing that keeps you cool, room coolers which don't use electricity or which don't depend on CFCs etc, architectural adaptations - re-popularising awnings, as a pp said. I've seen a lot of people with those plastic neck-coolers, for eg.

Some people's conservatories are going to be hellish...so perhaps that industry will disappear!

I assumed the same. I was thinking electric/ones that wind down rather than the traditional ones that open to each side.

It was a while ago now, but the showstopper was that they were not permitted in a ‘heritage’ street facing part of a house, and fire safety was also a problem I think, as they are not allowed (in the UK) on a window that forms part of a fire escape route. Which seems fair enough - trapping someone inside a burning building with a metal shutter doesn’t seem ideal. Though, it’s fine elsewhere so are building regs too conservative?

But I think our predecessors were better at designing houses to cope with heat/light/cold than modern ones. We have a south facing edwardian detached house in the UK, with large projecting bays at the front that extend to the upstairs, and bays downstairs only at the back (north). The projecting bays let light in while keeping providing shade in the room itself because of the ‘roof’ on the bay. The high ceilings and sash windows mean that air circulates well without fan assistance. And it also has internal shutters at the front. There are mature trees in the front and back gardens. I’m not there this summer, but based on the hot summers of 2016, 2018 and 2022, closing the shutters and using the natural designed-in shade of a bay window kept the inside perfectly pleasant even with temperatures in the 30s. Come the evening open the sash windows top and bottom, and those windows at the back (north) of the house and it’d cool down to low twenties over night. With added bonus of the north facing garden being big enough to always have somewhere sunny, but also lovely and shady near the house so preventing the back warming up too much in the first place! In the winter the lower sun provides plenty of useful solar gain through the same big bay windows, and come the event shutter and curtains keep the heat in. For ventilation just crack the bottom sash open a little, and all the hot if, which rises up in the room, stays inside :)

Many houses do have shutters... on the inside

Our windows open outwards

Because for 6 months of the year it’s grey, damp and cold.

Many UK houses have a bay window (or more than one). I haven't found any viable way to fit shutters on a bay..