How long do you open your windows for this time of year?

[SpringMeadows]

If you are in the UK, how long do you open your windows for in the morning in winter? We have dogs and I leave them open (including the back door) for an hour or two, first thing in the morning. This is because I like to have fresh air in the house daily, but also because I'm rushing around during that time so don't go and shut them. WHen I get to my desk ready to work, I go around and close them. My DP would open them for 20 minutes and then turn the heating straight back on.

It's true that the house gets rather cold during the time the windows are open but are we supposed to live in a stuffy place? So I'd like to hear what others do. Thank you.

Yeah it’s basically just letting the heat out surely unless it’s just the bathroom window or one of the bedroom windows that’s left open.

So either heating must be off for all the hours they’re leaving the windows open or they’re letting the heat out and then having to heat for longer as the windows are open.

I open my windows every other day for 15-60 minutes depending on how cold it is. Always before I switch the heating on.

It’s a new build though and my last flat was a a newish flat too where I barely opened the window in winter and it never had mould. It probably depends on the building.

I find it weird that people don’t to be honest.

I love having the windows open in any weather, unfortunately the boyfriend isn’t quite as keen, he’s nesh. The minute he leaves the house every window is flung open.

Very rarely, when it’s a nice calm day they get flung open as long as possible, but even on the safety crack and rain and snow gets through into the rooms because of the wind. Try and open the bedroom ones at least once a week but not always possible.

If fits with my experience of real life. If I walk into town on a Saturday morning then come back mid morning when people are cooking breakfast, it's very common for kitchen windows to be open. My next door neighbours have their kitchen window open more often than not and their back window open to vape frequently. Most people I know have a window cracked or small window open at some point in the day.

Judging by the amount of posts about how to deal with condensation/mould it's clear many people don't ventilate their homes at all.

It's clear to me why so many people on here have such high heating bills!

I find it weird that people don’t to be honest.

What is weird about not creating freezing cold drafts in the winter and warm air inside in the summer?

Our house is old and the chimneys provide enough ventilation without the need to open any windows.

10 min blasts will not make your house cold enough to raise heating bills. It just exchanges air but it is not long enough to cool walls etc. When you close them the thermometer will go back up to normal very within minutes.
My energy bills are well below average

Never

We don't really open the windows but they all have trickle vents.

Ours are open when we get up in the morning and get shut at lunch. I can always smell a house that never opens its windows. It's not nice.

10-20 mins in the bedrooms at the moment - longer in warmer weather.

Downstairs is ventilated by an open chimney and we'll have the kitchen window or door open when cooking, so I rarely open the downstairs windows other than in summer.

Our bedroom windows are always opened. We open the others a few times a day.

Mine are half the average and I regularly open windows. Fresh dry air is easier to heat.

I don't. It's Baltic.

Our bedroom window is open all night, year round, unless it's too windy. It was -6 the other night and we still had it wide open - I can't sleep in a stuffy bedroom.

Heating comes on half an hour before I get up which is fine - by the time I'm ready to shower it's nice and warm.

I don't open my windows for the sake of opening my windows. The bathroom window is opened and closed depending on whether someone has had a shower or a dump.

The kitchen window gets open when the extractor fan isn't keeping up with the steam.

The bedroom window gets opened when I'm drying washing.

But I don't ever fling windows open to 'air the house'.

We have no problems with mould or damp.

OK I take it back. You are right.

To test it out I just opened all of ours up for a half hour. It feels much fresher. The temperature only dropped by 2 degrees (from 19 to 17 even though it’s only 5 degrees outside). And the air quality monitor thingy (co2?) dropped from 600 to 300.

DH is fuming though! 😂

Bathroom window gets opened most of the day with door shut. Kitchen window if cooking something smelly. Otherwise everything else shut.
However we do have a Postive Input Ventilation system which keeps fresh air moving round the house.

Because the house will smell stale for a start.

Our house was 11 degrees this morning. If I opened a window I'm not sure we would have made it.

Bedroom window - I have it open all the time. Not fully in this weather obviously, but if I shut it the house just feels stuffy.

I live on a fairy busy road. I very much doubt the air coming in through an open window is fresh.

Ours was two degrees warmer than that and we'd had the window wide open all night.

I’ve never had any problems with condensation and mould and I don’t have all my windows open for hours.