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?

Ironically, the fan will actually be producing a tiny bit of heat 😂

I agree with this.

I need fresh air too.

My EX husband used to say the same thing! I now live alone in a cool house because I keep the windows and curtains on the sunny side of my hime closed when it's hot. Your husband, like my ex, is plain old wrong.

Hurrah! Well said!

@ThatLassFromLeeds as you’ll know, the ONLY time to open the windows etc is first thing/when the air is cool. As soon as it’s hotter than indoors, close the windows, draw curtains etc to keep the sun out

Get air conditioning installed will solve the problem for you both!

You are right and he is wrong

I opened up the windows and back door as soon as I woke up (early) and closed around 8.30am as temperature started to rise outside. All curtains closed where sun was on windows. Whilst temperature is slowly rising inside due to heat in walls/windows my weather gauge us still show 6c less than outside. We'll open up windows/doors later on.

I'm a believer in curtains/blinds drawn when the sun is shining on the windows to reduce passive heating and keep a room cool, but the 'windows open/closed' part depends a lot on your house layout and its construction. If you can get an air flow from cool rooms, away from sunlight, started through to warmer rooms then yes keep your windows open. We live in a stone built house on one level which is automatically cooler, and we can get air flow through the house keeping windows and doors open, so yes we keep all our windows open in hot weather. As with a lot of things there isn't a 'one size fits all'

I try to do this too (windows/doors/curtains closed 9am-7pm ish) then open when its cooler. But its a continuous argument with DD and DH

He likes everything open

DD is bothered about bugs that she never wants the windows open!! 😳

I do the “open windows when it’s cooler outside than in, close windows when it’s hotter outside than in.” DH helps me with the window opening and closing, but agrees that only one of us needs to be in charge - he trusts me on physics.

Your DH is completely wrong. As soon as the temp outside is higher than the temp inside, the house will get hotter with the windows open.

You need one of those indoor / outdoor thermometers. You’ll be able to see the difference under different circumstances.

As temps drop in the evening/nightime - open windows to create a cross breeze, using fans too if possible.

First thing in the morning close all windows and then close all curtains on the sun facing side of the house - if you are going out close all that may be affected later in the day.

If you live somewhere, where these temps are regular get insulated curtains that reflect the heat out.

does he also think cold food will warm up if you cover it with a blanket?

Curtains closed when the sun is shining through. Window open when it's cooler outside. Create a through draft if you can. Of course you do need fans dotted around to help things along. Today is ok here, low 20c but creeping up tomorrow.

You are correct OP!

It’s crazy to open windows during the day and let hot air in. It can help at night. If DH wants some air movement suggest he invests in a decent fan.

If only there was a free source of information that he could read using a convenient hand held device!!

He is wrong, but it's partly because humans sense a temperature change due to the evaporation of moisture on the skin, fooling us into thinking the air must be cooler, which it often isn't.

In the same way a piece of wool, "feels" warmer than a stone, when we know they must really be the same temperature.

Good luck explaining it to him.

If all else fails maybe he'll understand a couple of thermometers, one inside and one outside

How about we assume the OP knows how her house behaves when it’s sunny?😂

Never met a man yet who will risk googling something just in case he is dead wrong and his wife was right all along.

IME they would rather be wrong and suffer than admit their OH's are right.

😂😂

There you are @ThatLassFromLeeds you silly woman! Drop several thousand pounds on something you will only need a couple of weeks of the year, and problem solved!

You are right, he is wrong. The end.

That made me chuckle 😃

Tomorrow windows and blinds will be shut from 9am ish until 9pm (or later) when its cooler.

Fans help with air circulation / breeze.

I'm writing this from our second home in one of the hottest parts of Spain.

You are right, DH is wrong.

Just think how often couples on A Place In The Sun go into a property and say it's dark.

There's a reason for that!

Is it any help to discover that we are now being threatened with rain all evening? Will he agree to close the windows then?