Opening the windows

[Moussemoose]

My DP tells me I shouldn't open the windows if the heating is on.

I think he is odd AIBU.

What does you’re bedroom smell of OP??

KittysMyName

Hot sex

Well actually chilly, under the duvet cos it's a freezing sex.

Stale air, with the combination of moisture created from showering, boiling the kettle, cooking and breathing builds up in an unventilated house - with the raised relative humidity, mould can grow as the moisture condensates on colder surfaces such was windows and external walls.

It is far harder to heat this type of air so with that in mind, we have a few windows opened on the latch and locked. We've noticed a relative humidity drop in the house and the heating bill has also dropped a little, due to the moisture being forced out of the windows and a constant supply of fresh air, which is 'easier' to heat. Positive input ventilation works the same way, although the incoming air is heated.

Windows shut all winter may incur larger bills in other areas, such as heating and mould treatment...

You could just air th bedroom every day for half an hour at a time when the heating is off. Or turn off the radiator in th bedroom, open the window for half an hour and shut the bedroom door.

We don't heat the bedrooms so we have the bedroom window open a crack all day

Close the bedroom doors, turn the radiators down then open the windows.

There's no point having the heating on and the windows open at the same time - you're just paying to get the air outside your house!

We open all the windows everyday for 20 minutes or so - longer in summer but at least that in winter, otherwise we get damp and condensation.

Heating off and windows open all day every day rain hail or shine, inside doors open and air the house out daily. Back Door open when I’m home. I’ve never understood how people can stand to be in their own stale air day after day.

I have them open a bit from time to time as I love fresh air and feel central heating makes rooms feel stuffy.

When I sneak the windows open for fresh air - they use it as an excuse to berate my lack of moral fibre for feeling the cold.

That’s backwards. If you felt the cold you would be closing the windows, not opening.

I do it all the time have the windows upstairs open while the heating is on its the only way to air the house and stop getting damp in the winter. If I opened the windows without any heat on the rooms wouldn't air properly at all.

i dont think its odd, the heating is being wasted with the windows or the vents open.

better to turn down heating for a bit and open all windows to get rid of the warm, damp air a couple of times a day.

I would turn the heat off in the bedroom and open the window with the door closed.
If the whole house smells then turn off all heating and open all Windows and May be even back door and let the whole house be "aired"
Then close up and put heat back on.
If your too cold while you're airing, put a coat on and vacuum or clean.
You shouldn't be having Windows open with the heat on.

Used to have this discussion regularly. Now we’ve left the uk and are renting a flat. In our rental agreement there are instructions on heating / airing and mould prevention. We are supposed to open all windows fully (not tilted) 3xdaily for 15 minutes, turning down the thermostat first. It is currently -4 here and whilst cold while the windows are open the temperature goes back to normal pretty quickly. Contract explained that heat retained in furniture and soft furnishings etc. Usually do it while I’m in the washing machine room in the cellar so don’t actually feel the cold and then close the windows again when I get back up.

Why pay for the cost of heating just to open the window? that is odd and a waste of money.

I do ‘air’ the house out each day by opening with windows for a while each morning but I wouldn’t pay for the heating to be on with the windows open

YANBU. I fling all my windows wide open briefly first thing (10 mins or so as they are big and open fully) in the morning. It lets the air circulate without drastically reducing the room temperature. Yes, that means I let a small amount of heated air out. But I’d rather do that than wait until the heating has gone off as the rooms will get too cold and then I’d need to press the boost button and use even more gas. In the summer, the windows stay open until the outside air temperature heats up too much and then I shut the, and close curtains to keep the bedrooms cool.

nellie
when I rented a flat in germany there was an 'airing table' attached to my contract. basically how much you should air to prevent mould.
drying clothes indoors is strongly discouraged (but drying rooms in cellar or attic are standard).

rule of thumb was roughly 1min airing per person and hours spent in the room. so for example: 2 persons in bed at night for 8 hours = 16 min airing.

Well that's cleared that up. Not.

You sound ungrateful.

Why pay for the cost of heating just to open the window? that is odd and a waste of money. Cos I'd have to pay to warm the house up again anyway?

And, as I said, in my case, the most problematic rooms here need a bit of help, so, by opening/closing specific doors and windows I use the warm air rising up the stairs to suck in cold air through the stuffy bits. I think you might have to live in a weirdly shaped older house to understand how some corners never ever get any airflow and so get damp quite easily!

Purple - grid sounds very prescriptive! We’ve got listed that in addition to the 3x15 mins daily we should also open the windows after showering/steam ironing/mopping the floors/cooking. Can’t honestly say I’m doing it that often at the moment but it is nice to have fresh air in every day.

I agree with your dp. Also Imonasabbatical's comparison about filling a bucket with a hole in it.
If your bedroom needs airing, then open the window during the hours when the heating isn't on. Daft to try heating the sky.

I can't stand this - it's so wasteful on so many levels. Set the heating to a sensible temperature so it doesn't get too hot, and if you like a cold bedroom then turn off the radiators in it, shut the door, and open the windows to your heart's content.

I open the windows for ventilation for ten minutes each morning, not because we are too warm. Can't stand it if it feels stuffy. We sleep with the bedroom open every night all year round.

The heating goes on and off re the thermostat.

*bedroom window