How to keep old house warm but ventilated?

[Springmachine]

What is the best way to keep an old victorian house well ventilated but also warm.

Over the years the house has been updated with double glazing and thermally efficient doors.

However, as much as it helps keep the house warm it also keeps it relatively air tight other than the original air bricks ventilating the void under the floor.

In summer its no problem to keep ventilated as the windows are left locked open.

In the winter I air the house in the mornings with the windows open front and back but if I left the windows cracked any warmth in the house is quickly lost.

There is no general damp issue but I dont want to encourage one with lack of ventilation.

Do you have carpets or rugs etc?
I always shut our double glazed bathroom and kitchen windows whilst they are still a little bit open. I'm sure there's a proper name for this. Pull your window half way back as if closing then shut it. Then you have ventilation without the window being wide open. Otherwise like you, I air the flat in the morning.

unless you have water leaks (not unusual) then the rooms with added water will be the bathroom, kitchen and bedrooms.

Use extractor fans generously in the bathroom and kitchen, modern ones can be very quite and use negligible electricity. The bathroom will be generating water vapour all the time the shower and towels are wet.

Open the bedroom windows a few inches every morning when you throw back the beds to air. Leave both open until after washing, dressing and breakfast, or until any mist or condensation on the glass has cleared if longer, and possible.

Water vapour is lighter than air so will rise through the house into the landing and upstairs rooms. you will know it by misty morning windows, even in rooms that are unoccupied.

Any rooms that have wet windows but have reasonable condesation probably have a water leak. Very common with pipes buried under solid floors; but also with radiator pipes. A person experienced in these matters can smell a leaky radiator.

Take a look in the loft. If the roof has been renewed and underfelt added, it may be prone to condensation and damp, possibly from a roof leak, possibly from water vapour rising through the house (especially the bathroom and loft hatch), occasionally from water tanks that do not have close-fitting plastric lids and are warm (this is a serious defect)

Water vapour and warm air rise with glee through holes in ceilings for pipes, and especially for downlighters.

If you have a programmable thermostat you may like to adjust the nighttime temperature to, say, 12C which is quite cool but tolerable.

If you’ve got a suspended wooden floor with airbricks I wouldn’t worry about ventilation too much.