Keeping the house cool

[Reluctantadult]

I'm interested to hear if anyone has retrofitted measures to keep the house cool? Such as shutters, screens, different glass, awnings, ceiling fans... Not really meaning ac units. I'm surprised shutters are not becoming more of a thing!

Put curtains on the outside. If at all possible, put aluminium kitchen foil over them.

The main thing is to stop the house heating up in the first place which is easier to do than trying to cool down an already hot house.

We would love external shutters (to prevent the glass heating up) but we are not prepared for them here in the UK (externally opening windows for starters) so for the moment they are a no no.

Internal shutter-blinds AND blackout curtains / roman-blinds on all windows, use them to prevent sunlight (heat) getting in (so much so that we sometimes have to use lights during the day!). Keep the windows shut unless the external temperature is lower than internal (i.e. at night) and then try to ensure a good through flow of ventilation to shift the hot air.
We leave internal doors open to allow air to circulate around the house and first thing in the morning we make sure we open the front, back & side doors to get the cool morning air through before it starts to get hot again.
Fans in each room and at night we have them on timer so they switch off in the small hours when the house is cooler.

Ours is a newbuild so is better insulated than an older property plus it has high ceilings which make it feel spacious and airy. That said, we worked the same way in our old house and by taking the same measures that usually remained comfortable.

They didn't really do a lot. Not with comparing to closed thermal blinds / curtains. (And no carpets)

A £30 garden sail from Dunelm has been 10 x more effective than any shutters we've ever used 😊

Are you talking about properly installed close fitting external wooden shutters with windows opening inwards? They make a huge difference.

Yes! In Europe :)

Actually last year when we were in Luxembourg mid heatwave people were abandoning their shutters and opting for hanging wet towels in the windows while open. It was mentioned on the TV and everyone started doing it. Worked brilliantly too!

Blinds and/or heavy curtains.

Open all windows and doors early morning and in the evening and then shut all the windows and curtains during the day.

I've been doing this since Saturday and kept our flat to a relatively cool 22 degrees inside.

I rent so I can't do these things now, but when I (finally) buy my own place, I will:

• Fit a ceiling fan
• Plant deciduous trees to shade windows in the summer
• Grow climbers on the house (recently studies prove they don't damage brickwork, keep house warmer in winter and cooler in the summer)
• Fit external shutters or awnings
• Improve insulation

It's easy enough to make your own temporary awning for a downstairs window that gets full sun. Couple of rods, material of your choosing and a couple of hooks in the wall above the window. You'll need something to stake it to or you can let it hang down to shield the window.

For now, I open/close windows according to the time of day, making sure i open ones to generate a cross breeze through the house

Have blackouts on those windows which get the blast of the sun during the day, position fans to help circulate air (been buying them second hand from market place). We have a conservatory with ugly vertical blinds on the interior doors into it and opening up the conservatory while keeping the blinds closed during the day makes a HUGE difference to internal temperatures - both in the conservatory and in the house.

I'm really sensitive to heat but these things alone make the house and tolerable in the heatwave and I can't wait to have a place where I can install external shutters and adapt a garden.

Yes, they do this in desert countries too. Some people hang large, wet leaves.

If you have a window at the top of the stairs, make sure to open it - the stairs create a funnel for the heat to be drawn up and out the window.

Oh and if you want external shutters in the UK, should you ever need to replace your windows then sash windows are a good call. Apart from being able to open the top and bottom simultaneously, they don't open outwards :)

@Alphabet1spaghetti2 Where did you get the film from please? I had a look in the range but don’t think it’s the right stuff.

I have big picture windows and small rooms so it’s unbearable

Curtains/ blinds closed. But I was looking into getting an external shutter type thing made for my hall window which lets in a lot of heat and hoping that’ll reduce temp.

I would love aircon but not sure about cost and venting. Aircon running off solar maybe?

Currently I’m going to bed with frozen bottles of water!

I’ve never heard of triple thermal glazing? Does it keep heat in winter and heat out in summer?

Blackout curtains and blinds on every side the house is in the sun, windows closed on that side windows open on the cool side, open all windows and curtains when the sun has gone down.

It isn't much but it's what we do in Australia when we can't put the ac on ( costs too much) also we have a ceiling fan in every room!

Failing that we go into the basement cinema room that is currently 17 degrees

Our problem is the bedrooms, 2 face east and get direct sun until mid afternoon, then the west facing bedroom get its in time to heat for bedtime. They already have blackout blinds and curtains, which I leave shut all day.

rabbitgoo One Way Window Film... https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07BFTRK2Z?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

@Rummikub

this is the film we used. Adds privacy (was the primary reason for getting it) and is supposed to have have thermal properties, I presume by reflecting the suns rays away. It does seem to work. Our old double glazed windows and blown, so we had replacement glazedunits made rather than replace the entire window and frame. The glazier asked if we wanted to upgrade to thermal glass, it does have a very slight blueish haze to it. They are double glazed units and was about another £20 on top, making it roughly £100 per replacement unit. They do seem to make a difference, and we will be choosing the same option again when we need to replace other windows. I would change window units unless they have became damaged or have blown seals though.

Our heating bill (gas, Victorian 2 bed terrace) is £60 per month and it was on 24/7 set to 20 degrees, this winter.
In this heat, with what we do - fans/film/curtain and blinds/windows the house sits at 21 degrees, which feels cool compared to outside. More importantly (?) it hasn’t felt expensive to do and non of it was difficult.

If you want to try something temporary and cheap, DH covers our windows with foil blankets - 10 for about a tenner - and we keep the curtains and windows closed until the air is cooler outside in the evening. Our house has pretty thick walls and is cool all day as long as we cover the windows.

A shade sail above the French doors is very effective too.

We live where it’s 35 most the summer.
We have external wooden shutters (old house),
Some external roller shutters in new part.
inside thin roller blinds to keep light but reduce sun
awning that pulls out

They all work. The best I recommend is an awning. Stops sun getting to the windows at all when open. You can get really cheap
basic Manual ones. And they provide shade sitting outside better than umbrella

https://www.dunelm.com/product/elements-grey-sail-parasol-1000182844 here's the sail. Amazing over big windows and patio doors.

We bought a washing line stake for the 3rd point and hammered it into the lawn / flowerbed - depending on where it is. So easy especially with carabiner clips x

If you're ever having window glass replaced, it's worth looking into solar glass for sun-fronting windows, which blocks UV rays.

@DuchessDandelion will do! I was surprised when the glazier suggested this thermal glass, …. It wasn’t an option when we last had new windows nearly 40 years ago, and then we were astounded to be able to choose frames that were wood effect! Things have changed a heck of a lot and for the better in window technology.

I’ve got ceiling fans in the bedrooms. They do work if positioned well and large enough for the room ( a lot of people don’t buy them big enough). My daughter can’t have a fan due to a high bed. I bought a clip on rechargeable fan on Amazon for 25 quid that clips to her bed rail and she says it makes a huge difference. Just need to remember to charge it.

I also have internal slatted shutters in 2 bedrooms. I feel like they do make a difference, both summer and winter. I’ve also got a reflective electric roof blind over a skylight and that’s been a game changer for that room but it was also v expensive.

I got air con fitted. It's actually really good at heating the house too.

I didn't find privacy film any good. I always played the curtain game and it would make a difference but it still felt terribly hot. I don't cope well in the heat at all, I love the cold (and rain). Before mains air con I had portable units and would position a fan opposite to encourage the air flow a bit more.

Fitting ceiling fans would be awful here (period house), air con wasn't that bad as it went on a wall.

My house faces East. I keep the curtains and windows closed on the front and open on the back in the mornings and swap in the afternoons.

A patio canopy or Dutch blind over the windows that get the sun in the afternoon makes a huge different too.

We use our sash windows as they are supposed to be with both the top and bottom open and then open and close curtains to shade the rooms accordingly
All our curtains are thermally & blackout lined (because we had them before we got double glazing) and this makes a difference.
They have sash locks / restrictors on so can be left open like this when we are out.
Works well in most rooms and makes most rooms in the house comfortable even on the hottest days.
Our sons room gets the most direct sun and we have considered getting outside shutters made for this window at some point but he copes without them at the moment.
Conservatory is a disaster zone but we are saving up to replace it with a properly designed extension.

You’ve reminded me I did put our (regular round) patio umbrella up last year outside French windows/kitchen window.
It’s a narrow side return so not much space, faces SE, but it helped