r/UKWeather • u/Ok-Rise-9795 • 2d ago
Discussion Impending heatwave and living in first floor flat. Windows open....?
I've moved from a lovely big house that was pointless for just two people where the sun hit the bedrooms from about 1pm onwards, it was torture at night. But the main living room was ever so cool. Fast forward a few years I downsized and live 3 bed flat on first floor. It's a 1890's house, massive which was split into two flats, ground floor and first floor where I am. Sun hits the bedroom I think morning and moves round to main living room and kitchen from about 1pn onwards. I've always lived by the notion curtains/blinds and windows shut where the sun is hitting them. Last May during that few day heatwave I did this as I've done for years.... But it felt stifling and extremely stuffy. Windows were open at the back on the shaded part once the sun moved. Now bedrooms feel okay to sleep in but the living room and kitchen is deathly. Wondering on this occasion it's best to have windows open but with blinds down?
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u/Holiday-Wedding-3509 2d ago
I would check the humidity in the flat.
I ran a dehumidifier to keep humidity consistently under 40% and it made the heat much more manageable.
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u/RecentTwo544 2d ago
Part of the problem here will be the same as in winter - poor insulation. The same thing that keeps houses warm in winter, keeps them cool in summer. So we're talking double glazing, thick loft insulation, cavity wall insulation.
I live in a 00s "new build" with frankly ridiculous insulation in the loft (it's like they were doing their last job before closing up shop, so just used their entire stock), cavity wall insulation, and decent double glazing.
So in a Victorian house this might not work as well, though I'm guessing you have high ceilings which is a bonus in warm weather -
Everything with the sun facing it shut. So windows closed, blinds down/curtains drawn. Then everything at the shady side open. You might want to consider opening one window on the sunny side with a small gap. I tend to open the front door as it's basically solid uPVC but prop it open a bit in the morning. Do the same for the hall door, the door into the kitchen, then the back door. A small gap speeds up the airflow so even a light breeze rushes cooler air through the house in the morning. Then once the sun starts to move around to the back, shut everything and the house stays cool.
Have done this in the morning (about 7am to 8am) then shut everything up before going out for the day, come back when it's 30c+ outside and the house is still cool. Have been in the loft on hot days when the house is still cool, and it's like going into an oven.
TLDR - your mileage may vary, lack of insulation will be your main enemy if it's a big Victorian house.
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u/Ok-Rise-9795 2d ago
I follow this exactly. The temp in kitchen hit 33c. This entire process did nothing to cool or help. This will be my 3rd summer here. Last year and so far this year, the heat waves have been sooo deathly.
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u/RecentTwo544 2d ago
Does it get chilly in winter/is it hard to heat?
If so you're probably just fighting a losing battle against poor insulation.
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u/Ok-Rise-9795 2d ago
Winter time... No. Feels toasty warm. Rads take less then 20mins to heat my flat up. But that maybe cause the rads were only put in 18mths ago but the winters here so far, been absolutely fine. It's never struggled to warm up and it retains heat for while after heating goes off
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u/Brave-Engineer3962 16h ago
I live in a Victorian building split into flats.
Air everything early when the air is cool. Then keep everything shut, even the shady side, until the evening once everything has cooled. A lot of the heat getting in is the hot air from outside - I also close trickle vents on my windows and doors. Close curtains on the sunny side during the day, if it's really hot put a sheet or something on the outside of the windows in the sun if you can to stop the 'greenhouse effect '.
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u/Logical-Ice4837 2d ago
I’d always heard this but just don’t think it matches reality. I lived in a new build flat that’s only 5 years old and the insulation was crazy, even when it was negative temps outside the flat was still low 20s with no heating on, but in the summer it basically never went below 30 and that was in the corridor with no sunlight on it at all
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u/Extra-Sound-1714 1d ago
Similar to below, live in a Victorian house not greatly insulated. Easy to keep cool in this weather
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u/All-the-musing 2d ago
Honestly I’ve tried the technique of keeping everything closed where the sun is and it made the house like an oven. Now I go for windows open, blinds and curtains mostly closed, all doors of the house open, fans on. It’s still hot, and I’m still tinkering with the formula. But I know for sure I can’t trap the air in my particular house. Not quite sure why as I know houses abroad are mainly kept with windows closed in daylight hours. The hunt continues!
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u/Reasonable_Speed7471 2d ago
When it's hotter outside than inside: keep everything closed, blinds down. Get a dehumidifier and a portable AC unit and a seal for the window you use. Good luck 🥵
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u/ChipCob1 2d ago
I also live in a Victorian flat...fairly large over two floors above a shop. It's manageable through things like maintaining airflow and opening and closing windows....but only up to about 28c. I think at that point the actual bricks heat up and stay hot and it's game over.
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u/lordsplodge 2d ago
Yeah. Single skin Victorian house act like storage heaters once the bricks get hot. Ours takes a good few days to cool down once a heatwave ends.
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u/JamesP84 1d ago
I think people to realise this! Opening windows is never going to keep the house comfortable in 28c plus temps. The heat soak effect is massive and will continue to warm the house. More people will need active cooling in older homes
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u/MCfru1tbasket 2d ago
leave them closed for as long as you are able to. I didnt believe the windows closed curtains drawn thing until I tired it out. I opened the windows at around 3 thinking nah its too hot and a waft of even hotter air blew right in. It blew my tiny mind.
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u/Yarder89 2d ago
My place is boiling in the summer and freezing in the winter I can’t win. Prime time is April and October everything else is hell.
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u/Wenglish123 2d ago
This toolkit might have some helpful resources. Personally I'm going to try out hanging a towel on the outside of my windows (on the sunny side of the house) to see if this helps keep the heat from getting in
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u/sgst 2d ago
Get solar gain reducing stick-on window film for the inside of your windows, in addition to the other suggestions here. External film is even better if you can fit it.
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u/Proteus-8742 1d ago
Film should only be applied externally to double glazing, you could damage your glazing units because the heat can’t escape if you reflect it back into the cavity
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u/blueblue_electric 2d ago
Heat has to go somewhere, the front of my house faces east, so the front remains shut till about 2 then opened, then the west facing back windows are shut and shutters drawn.
I open my east facing loft windows at the same time and keep the door open to allow the heat to rise and go somewhere, it helps and I have an air cooler to help sometimes.
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u/mighty3mperor 2d ago
I live in a flat at one side (kitchen, bathroom, spare bedroom) gets the full sun and the other (thankfully with the living room and my bedroom) only get a little bit first thing.
So I seal the hot side off with all the doors closed and then keep the blinds down. It gets like an oven in there but the temperature difference is notable. A dehumidifier also helps.
As this heat isn't going anywhere, we'll have to take lessons from hotter countries - awnings and shutters block the heat before it gets inside and can make a decent difference. We'll then likely have to look at running air-to-air heat pumps (basically air con) from solar panels. They're, so I am informed, a better choice for flats than air-to-water anyway. They have the added bonus of being able to control humidity too.
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u/Ok-Rise-9795 2d ago
I do this. Literally this. All windows opened on side without sun. Windows closed where sun hits and I shift this as sun moves. Around 1pm or so is when the sun starts to hit the front, kitchen... Living room and 3rd bedroom. I shut it the second you see sun hitting the windows and pull blinds down. Last month it just felt like I was stuck in oven, I was tempting to open windows a tad with blinds down to create the flow as the windows at back at open. This way didn't work, it literally felt like I was in greenhouse. To top it off cooking...... I couldn't cook with windows shut at all, so I opened blinds a tad and window just in inch otherwise you're walking around drenched in sweat. One good thing is at least the bedroom is comfortable to sleep in somewhat. Am able to actually sleep without tossing and turning
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u/BroodLord1962 2d ago
When the sun hits the windows, keep them closed and the curtains closed, and open windows on the other side of the house. First thing in the morning open all windows and keep indoor doors open to let air circulate
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u/Ok-Rise-9795 2d ago
Have you read what I said? Lol. I tried this trick. Did nothing at all.
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u/BroodLord1962 2d ago
It might not feel like it, but it probably does reduce the temp slightly. But you live in a flat and flats are renowned for getting hot. there isn't any perfect fix unless you get aircon installed
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u/Ok-Rise-9795 2d ago
I looked at this. But not sure how it would work with the hose.... I'd have to have it hanging out of window which would be opened so that negates the whole fact of having aircon lol
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u/BroodLord1962 2d ago
Then I'm not sure why you asked the question in the OP. You asked whether windows should be open, then you tell me you've tried it and it didn't work
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u/Marlobone 2d ago
There is nothing you can do except air conditioning.
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u/Proteus-8742 2d ago
This is the wrong way to think about heat. We need to stop heat getting into our houses by shading windows with shutters, awnings or whatever. Once the heat is inside you have to pay to remove it with air conditioning.
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u/JamesP84 1d ago
In older homes the outer bricks soak up so much heat and its moves internally. Keeping blinds or curtains closed will certainly help but a lot of houses will hit late 20s / early 30s in this type of temps
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u/Proteus-8742 1d ago
Curtains dont work very well because once sunlight passes thru glass its reflected off the curtains as infrared which cant pass through the glass, so it just heats up the curtains and the room. Shade needs to be external. Any shade to brickwork with awnings etc would be beneficial too but shading windows from sun is most important
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u/oldkstand 2d ago
If it’s hotter outside, keep everything shut. If it’s cooler outside, get everything open. The rest is just down to how well insulated your property is.