To think that houses in the UK should have window shutters on the outside?

[FinanceLPlates]

These are standard in many countries and so useful. Keep the heat out, provide extra safety and protection against burglary, help with sleep as it’s easier to have the bedroom properly dark…

Why aren’t they a thing in the UK?

And yes I understand it would be difficult to retrofit them to Victorian houses etc but why aren’t they standard for new builds?

My husband and I used to live in Egypt, where we had shutters on all the windows. It does help in moderate heat but in very hot weather like we have been having here, you would still need the A/C. It isn’t worth the expense.

@Ddakji , you might want to google brise-soleil, which are fitted externally above windows and have tilting vanes that reduce sunlight when the sun is high in the sky but allow it to penetrate during the cooler months. They don't affect opening or closing the windows at all, but are drilled into the walls.

It would have to be a massive one (bi-folds all along one wall) and wouldn't help the situation in the bedrooms where the windows are very tall. We do ok with our strategic blind management. 😊

Brise-soleil also don't suffer in high winds like awnings, because of the aerodynamics. I looked at them for our south facing elevation because our prevailing wind direction (westerly) has taken out a series of umbrellas.

Properly insulated houses would keep a lot of the heat out, especially if people understand how keeping blinds/curtains and windows closed impacts on cooling.

I've always thought that Swedish style individual awnings/canopies on each window would be great to reduce heat, here in a top floor Victorian tenement (no shutters - building for mill workers). The slightest heat outside and its 26 in here, the stone radiates heat all night (yes we have insulation but also south east facing large windows).

We don’t have aircon where we live in France- very few people do but the shutters make a huge difference. If we leave them up when the sun comes around in the afternoon we really feel the difference. June has been between 30 and 35 degrees most days. I think they would make a big difference in the UK.

Our bungalow has a porch over the whole front elevation. When we first saw it (many years ago) we assumed it was a storm porch to keep the rain off.

However, we now realise it was actually a shade for summer sun. It keeps nearly half the place in shade at the height of midday. It does mean the kitchen is permanently dark, (but we also know about electricity 😀)

The problem with "technology" like this, is it doesn't really translate into porky government grants like heat pumps and all those scams.

Something to remember about external shutters they are something else for the wind to catch and blow around.

I'd also worry about getting out a house with shutters in a fire.

They would be very useful for approximately 4 nights a year.

They do look pretty, though.

If you want shutters then install them internally or externally. In much of the UK it’s unnecessary for almost the entire year.

The great thing about canopies is you can retract them for the 360 days they aren't needed.

Bearing in mind that will probably be 320 days by 2040.

Where you live perhaps

DH and I have agreed that we will have shutters when we build our own house. They're amazing in the heat. Stop the sun from hitting the glass and your house stays cool..!

It hit 30 degrees in our south facing bedroom last night, despite closing internal shutters and curtains ( lined with reflective white linings). Of course, these methods kept the heat at bay for much longer than without, but eventually the intensity of the sun on the glass heats it and it gets into the room. I think we must live in the same area because even in our leafy garden, the heat was horrible. (It’s gorgeous now - lovely, lovely rain! Until the next time..)

My son and I have often discussed how great it would be to have external shutters so that the glass doesn’t get hot.

I’m finding this discussion interesting - thanks OP

Screens….why are there no screens on new builds…it’s just absurd

@Ddakji If you do find an awning for a bedroom, let me know! 😁

We live in France where everyone has shutters. There's streets and streets of 19c brick terraced housing originally for factory workers just like in the UK except they all have built in external shutters.

I would hate to live in a house without them now they are so good.

For those saying they'd only use them 3 days a year they also keep the heat in when it's cold.

I am a member of an Australian home energy efficient group on fb and they rave about the honeycomb blinds and you can get a cheaper but good quality version from AliExpress. They keep heat out in summer or heat in during winter.

We have thick lined curtains. They keep the warmth in in winter, the rooms cool during the day in summer and they also block disturbance from our opposite neighbours sodding PIR light, which switches on and off continuously all night because they can't adjust the sensor 🙄

Really? i have wood cladding painted black on the outside of my 1977 flat. Funny how no one argues about it when it retains heat and makes us sweat like pigs but as usual the minute Brits want something to keep cool there is always an excuse why we cant This flat has been absolute hell over the past 3 weeks never mind days

@garlictwist we stayed in a very swish apartment in Portugal pre kids and you could put a timer on the shutters - bloody wonderful bit of kit. But yes probably cost prohibitive.

You wouldn't use wood though wood you @IwasDueANameChange surely it would be aluminium or a composite material now.

We stayed in a converted farmhouse in France last year and it had the traditional shutters but they were powder coated aluminium.

We need to get more creative with our new builds that's for sure we make absurd architectural decisions because that's how we've always done it whilst the rest of the western world has moved on!

Altho I will say ours we bought last yr has solar panels, a hydrogen enabled boiler (delighted now heat pump as I think technology isn't great and they're v expensive to run). And you could request an EV point which we did - next car change will be to a hybrid. Still plenty of mad / crappy decisions / not maximising space though

EV points should be standard in a house with a driveway or flats with parking spaces.