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Original poster

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

192 replies

DontSingSusan · 14/08/2026 07:26

I just find it baffling that virtually no buildings in the UK have shutters.

I get that the climate is changing and they wouldn't necessarily have been needed in the past but why don't new builds have them?

Every time there's a heatwave, people are going on about AC, but shutters are a much easier, cheaper and more climate-friendly option.

It's really striking in the UK as everywhere else in Europe seems to have them.

We've got temperatures around 40 degrees all week (not in the UK) and couldn't survive without them.

OP posts:
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7
muddyford · 14/08/2026 09:25

The south-facing windows on my last house had awnings, which are another eco-friendly option, unlike air-conditioning. You want to stop the light getting to the glass in the first place.

InterestedDad37 · 14/08/2026 09:24

sashh · 14/08/2026 09:09

Where do you live?

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Oops! Actually the top sections open outwards 😂 Apologies for being a numpty 😂 🪟

Gowlett · 14/08/2026 09:24

InterestedDad37 · 14/08/2026 09:22

Not yet

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Good point!

DemBonesDemBones · 14/08/2026 09:23

@Theeyeballsintheskythey also keep heat in. Very common in Scotland.

InterestedDad37 · 14/08/2026 09:22

Gowlett · 14/08/2026 09:20

There isn’t consistent heat or sunshine in the UK. Most houses don’t need shutters.

Not yet

Gowlett · 14/08/2026 09:20

There isn’t consistent heat or sunshine in the UK. Most houses don’t need shutters.

GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER · 14/08/2026 09:18

Until recently it wouldn’t have been thought that they were needed. The U.K. was hardly renowned for blisteringly hot summers.

As pps have said, outward opening windows mean that we can’t have the type you see in so much of mainland Europe.

For myself, I’d never have windows that don’t open (to me) properly - outwards. Sashes are also fine - at least you can have half the window properly open.

The answer is surely blinds on the inside.

Wallywobbles · 14/08/2026 09:17

Windows open outwards in the uk.

InterestedDad37 · 14/08/2026 09:15

sashh · 14/08/2026 09:09

Where do you live?

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England. In my childhood house(s), the windows opened outwards. Since then I've lived in houses with sash windows, or with inward-opening ones. So that's about 45 years.

dizzydizzydizzy · 14/08/2026 09:14

DozyCrow · 14/08/2026 07:42

With our window types, you're probably better off having thermal blinds fitted, like these. They keep the house warmer in winter and cooler in the summer.

We currently have wooden Venetian blinds on our rooms. Although they block out 95% of light when closed, the rooms still get incredibly hot. Blocking light through windows does help a bit, but the sun heats up the building itself and heat rises internally. You'd keep cooler by installing AC.

I live in a flat and have bought a parasol that clamps onto the balcony railing. It is FAR more effective at keeping my flat cool than shutting my curtains. It only cost £50. A fantastic investment!

I agree, Op, new builds should be built to prevent too much heat building up and obviously also to stay warm in winter: Passive cooling such as shutters and shades are very effective and cheap. It’ll only happen with legislation or possibly intense consumer demand.

NC9000 · 14/08/2026 09:13

B1anche · 14/08/2026 07:41

Do people ever get baffled in real life or is it a Mumsnet phenomenon?

MN: shocked, baffled, hurt, ban, report......

Squirrelintree · 14/08/2026 09:12

I don't understand all the objections to the word "baffled". I hear people use it in real life too.

I would love external shutters on my house - they are very common in Alpine places like France and Switzerland so they must be good for hot and cold weather. Have also used them on holiday in Spain and Portugal and they're great at keeping the heat out.

Also to the poster who said the west is damp and doesn't need shutters, sadly it was 33C here yesterday and our grass is brown. 😫

sashh · 14/08/2026 09:09

InterestedDad37 · 14/08/2026 07:42

Since my childhood, I have never lived in a house with windows that that open outwards!

External shutters, as are commonly seen in (for example) Spain would be great - a good time to set up a business, if anyone fancies getting in there early.

Edited
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Where do you live?

dizzydizzydizzy · 14/08/2026 09:06

Littlegreywolfcub · 14/08/2026 07:43

What is also utterly baffling is why it isn't law yet for all new properties to have solar panels to generate electricity.

Agreed! I have been thinking that.

SeriouslyAreYouSure · 14/08/2026 09:02

likelysuspect · 14/08/2026 07:30

Our windows open outward in this country so you cant use shutters on them

Nothing to stop new builds working in the other direction of course but then you have to think about window clearance inside the house.

Sash windowed houses can work with shutters of course but theres not a huge number of original sashes left compared to other styles of windows.

We're not generally a hot country so its not really built for heat, we build for cold, hence the ridiciulous amount of insulation requirements now which is why people are cooking in their flats now and its unbearable for them.

This. There is nothing baffling about it.

BillyBites · 14/08/2026 09:02

Baffled? Really?

nomorekitchenislandsplease · 14/08/2026 09:01

DontSingSusan · 14/08/2026 07:32

Yes, external shutters.

We also have internal shutters on some windows (on the north-facing side), but they're not as effective.

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I would love external shutters. Our next big house project will be replacing old windows with sashes and fitting shutters on all but North facing windows.

NC9000 · 14/08/2026 09:00

Littlegreywolfcub · 14/08/2026 07:43

What is also utterly baffling is why it isn't law yet for all new properties to have solar panels to generate electricity.

I never understood a) why the UK is going to be at the forefront of 'blocking the sun' when we are renown, throughout the world and time, for lacking sun most of the year - surely other countries would be more suitable for this ridicilous experiment b) solar panel reliance - see point a c) wind turbines - what wind, ffs

There have been exceptionally hot summers in the UK, for the UK where this type of thing is not common but not unheard of, but shutters aren't something I would expect to see, as a result.

Those are more prevalent in places like Malta, Italy, Israel etc. We just don't have that climate.

Original poster
DontSingSusan · 14/08/2026 08:59

BitterTits · 14/08/2026 08:24

Why are you 'baffled'?

The sensible and logical explanation is that we're only just starting to notice climate change, so shutters haven't been necessary up to now. If summers like this become a pattern, perhaps they will become commonplace.

'Baffled' is maybe the wrong word (too much MN!)

I can see that historically, the lack of shutters was cultural. And retrofitting is obviously complex and costly. But with climate change I think they're now a necessity on new builds although you rarely see them.

As other posters have pointed out, it's not just about temperature, but also light and security.

OP posts:
MargoLeadbetterisQueen · 14/08/2026 08:59

Somersetbaker · 14/08/2026 08:57

Retractable awnings are what you need, fairly pricey but easy to retrofit. Look at any old photo of your local High Street and almost every shop had them to keep the sun off goods displayed in the window.

Yes, they were a great idea. Shops always used to have them.

Somersetbaker · 14/08/2026 08:57

Retractable awnings are what you need, fairly pricey but easy to retrofit. Look at any old photo of your local High Street and almost every shop had them to keep the sun off goods displayed in the window.

MargoLeadbetterisQueen · 14/08/2026 08:57

I remember staying in a very old stone house in the Middle East. The walls were built to funnel through air and drafts. There was a courtyard in the middle which was pleasant to sit in. No air con, but very comfortable.

Theeyeballsinthesky · 14/08/2026 08:56

SusanChurchouse · 14/08/2026 08:20

I had proper traditional internal shutters in one of my old tenement flats in Edinburgh. They were amazing. Room was pitch black at night, and it kept out a lot of noise. Not sure they did much about heat, but I’d say that was rarely an issue in Edinburgh.

I love those big old shutters and yes it was very much more about keeping heat in

FourSevenFive · 14/08/2026 08:54

Yes, we can say that the UK is build more against cold than heat - but still, the number of posters with single glazed windows and cold draughts is surprising.

Central Europe, external shutters were common here in past to protect windows during storms and to be closed in the winter - if the snow went up to the window or it was just very cold.

After the modern heating they are less comnon, but coming back to suppport in the summer.

And yes, it would be good if everyone considered passive cooling before going for AC. I was surprised how much good external shutters did in Spain/Italy when used correctly.

MargoLeadbetterisQueen · 14/08/2026 08:47

BurntBroccoli · 14/08/2026 08:45

I think OP means external shutters which work much better than internal. With internal, the heat is still trapped next to the window and rises up into the room - a mini radiator really.

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Yes, I understand that, we had them when I lived in Germany. I am just supporting the points that they've not really been necessary until now.

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