DH won’t believe that we should keep the windows closed

[ThatLassFromLeeds]

With the heatwave predicted, DH and I have come back to our annual argument about keeping the house cool.

I think that once the air outside is hotter than you want your house to be, you should close the windows. I also keep the curtains closed when the sun is shining on the windows.

DH insists that you keep the house cool by having the windows and curtains open.

He says the air coming in cools the house down. I say that it feels cool because it’s moving when it touches your skin, but after a certain point it’s actually hotter than the air in the house.

He insists on doing it his way, and the house is always boiling. One day recently was really hot and I closed the curtains before going out for the day; when we came back it was nice and cool inside, but DH still won’t believe me that that was why. He says my way just doesn’t make sense.

What would you do? Is this the hill I need to die on?

There’s an article on the BBC News app about this. It says to have windows open when it’s cooler so overnight and early morning but to the close them and curtains when it gets hotter outside.

This kind of ignorance is just baffling, when there are convenient ways he could look this up and find out he's wrong.

Lived in Spain -Caceres 45/48 in the shade in summer

windows/doors open if you are up at 5/6am and shutters opened a little

by 8/9 am all closed again and house in darkness/ shade

10/11 at night open up again making sure someone will close windows n shutters/curtains by 8/9 x

I can’t bear not feeling like I’m getting a source of moving air.
We keep bathroom and kitchen windows open year round, only shutting them if it’s way below freezing. We’re healthy!

Double glazing works by stopping heat transfer….if it’s warm inside it stops the heat getting out. The same principle works when it’s hotter outside than it is inside, stops the heat getting in.
Heat flows from hot areas to cold areas.
Once it’s cooled outside open the windows, let the heat out.

You are technically correct but it's miserable having curtains shut in daytime and I like a breeze. Also all our curtains are thin so not sure they keep the heat out much anyway, we don't have thermal linings. I don't think it makes a huge amount of difference.

I hate the heat but live in the se. Today is bearable so I have windows open in the room I’m in for the breeze. When it drops the windows get shut.

in the bad heat days I have all curtains drawn and windows all closed. I have thermal backed curtains to keep the heat out I bought them for that reason. I run cold water in all sinks and in bowls in each room. We have fans in each room. The windows get open in the evening when the temperature drops.

Windows, curtains & blinds all closed here between the hrs of 6am - 10pm. At 10pm we open all blinds, doors & windows & internal doors. Skylight flung wide open. The heat from the house rises up and out of the skylight, drawing cool air in on ground level.
Works well!

Technically you are right, but the stsuffiness of windows closed is unbearable for me so I always have windows open and hope to catch as much of a brreze as possible. I do avoid the front room when the sun is absolutely blasting in and poor DD's bedroom on the front of the house does get roasting.

Follow public health advice which is closed windows and curtains ..windows only opened when temperature drops outside

I’ve just been outside and there is an enormous difference between outside and in, inside is cool in comparison.

and as said, I’ve only closed the blinds when the sun is beating on that side of the house and had every window open fully.

ss the evening comes in, outside will cool. Cooling inside even more.

It's quite breezy and only about 28 today here today so my whole house is open, it's very pleasant. I have sorted out the portable aircon units for tomorrow evening

28 degrees outside 22 degrees inside from closed windows until overnight and blinds and curtains drawn

It's been lovely today, I just walked to the shopping mall and back with my big sunhat on and had an iced latte in M&S, it was all quite empty. got back and washing all dry.

This

You are absolutely right op.
Windows are shut. Curtains are shut until it's cooler outside than inside. Right now here its 20 inside and 24 outside. I'm not letting 24degree heat and much hotter expected tomorrow into my nice coolish house

A 30 degree breeze will not cool the house down

I watch our thermostat temperature in hoyse, and things like alarm clock have thermometer too. Then compare to weather forecast. Only open if house warmer than outside

It is cooler if you keep it all closed, just looked at mine with all open apart from when I went out and its 24-25 inside and 28 outside, I like it about 24-25 though so that's fine, keeping it all shut would have been probably about 22-23

I hate ai but ask him to ask chat gpt as ppl seem to believe that more than other humans with lived experiences, or do his own simple research. Its all clear, windows open all night when it's cool, and then closed and curtains shut during heat of the day. There's often no wind to speak of during the hot day too. If he wants a breeze then stick a fan on in the cooler air in the house.

Fortunately we’ve got a good breeze today, so everything is open, despite the heat.

Over the next couple of days we will probably keep closed up during the day. It felt wrong, but we did it a couple of years ago when it hit 40 degrees and it worked. Just needed an internal fan though to keep the air circulating, but didn’t bring in any air from outside once it was hotter than inside.

This is the one week a year where I actually enjoy having a really old, really damp house. The bit that's built directly onto soil is so pleasantly cool and 'inside of a church crypt'-like that it feels as if Danny Robbins should be doing an Uncanny live podcast in there.

He’s an idiot - Google it then show him.

air moving through actually cools the house

Not if it's hotter than the air inside the house. Hot hairdryer does not freeze your hair, does it? But yes to his defense, I moved from a cold country to hot one and also took me a little while to figure out that windows open does not automatically mean house gets colder. Habit of a lifetime. Everything is firmly shut and shaded now.

For me- I am team reflective sun visor on windows. Then curtains closed- I feel it is much cooler than way!!
Containing down the days till the air-conditioning is fitted currently though- less than 3 weeks ....

SunnySunnyDayz
I'm not convinced the air outside is ever warmer than in my home.

You keep your house at 35 degrees, which is what the BBC is forecasting the in-the-shade temperature round here to be later this week (36 on Wednesday)? Strewth. Your heating bills must be gross.