Should you keep your windows open or shut during hot weather?
During a heatwave – like the one which has seen the UK hits its hottest day of the year this weekend – or days with your regular hotter summer temperatures, the heat doesn’t just occur outside.
Nope, it can affect your house, too – turning your living room into a sauna and making it rather difficult to sleep in your bedroom.
Potentially, those of us who work from home could even find ourselves quietly missing the air-conditioned comfort of an office, even if only for a moment or two.
As a result, many of us will, well, want to buy a fan – but will also want to know whether it’s better to keep your windows open or closed to keep your home cool.
With hot days that look set to stay, there’s no better time to see what is the best way of keeping your cool…
Should you keep your windows shut during hot weather?
Generally speaking, you should open your windows if it’s cooler outside than in.
There’s no ‘set rule’ for keeping windows open or closed during a bout of hot weather.
But at night, it is almost certain to be cooler outside than in your house, so you could keep your windows open to let the cool air in.
However, when the day starts to heat up, it may be better to opt for closed curtains and closed blinds instead.
So, how can you tell if it’s hotter inside or outside? The best way to check is to have a thermometer in both places, and act accordingly depending on the reading.
NHS advice for dealing with a heatwave notes that it’s important to keep rooms that are facing the sun as shaded as possible.
It says: ‘Close curtains on rooms that face the sun to keep indoor spaces cooler and remember it may be cooler outdoors than indoors.’
And in a 2019 list of coping tips for heatwaves, the NHS added: ‘Shut windows and pull down the shades when it is hotter outside. You can open the windows for ventilation when it is cooler.’
Last but not least: consider home safety and security when it comes to leaving windows open.
It’s best not to leave windows open if you’re leaving the house, for example.
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