A tip for Keeping the house cool

No I open all the windows and doors early then pull the blinds as the day goes on to release them in the early evening- works for us. Some people here never seem to open their windows at all.

I seldom pull the curtains, no matter how hot it is (not often excessively hot here, anyway!). I don't like to shut the world out and even leave the curtains open at night. Fortunately we're not overlooked, so privacy doesn't come into it. The only time I might close the curtains is if there's a blizzard beating against the windows.

I do the same as you discogran the bungalow is lovely and cool, except that recently it hasn’t cooled down in the evening.

I’m not complaining though.

An Indian friend sorted me out and I keep the hot air out and have fans on indoors. Not been so easy since OH retired though as he just doesn’t seem to get it. Visitors always comment on how lovely and cool our house is but the minute I turn my back the windows are wide open.

Not sure if I dare admit that we have air conditioning, a once in a lifetime treat for ourselves when I was coming up to retirement. So our windows stay closed except for airing briefly early morning or late evening. Have just returned from a stay in a 15th century cottage, the Tudors knew something about house temperatures, those thick stone walls keep everything beautifully cool!

I’ve lived in the tropics and leave all upstairs windows open overnight closing them first thing in the morning. Downstairs windows and doors are opened once we are up until it starts to warm up then all doors, windows, blinds and curtains are closed.
I just wish we had the need to keep the heat out a little more often here in Scotland. 21C today.

I keep my curtains pulled across and windows shut until the sun has gone past them, so the front is closed up in the morning and the back gets closed up after lunchtime.
A friend who lives in France told us this years ago, she said you rarely see people have their windows open there. She has shutters on all windows.

If you have a loft hatch open that - definitely helps.
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We don't have any south facing windows but I do keep the bedroom curtains closed during the day.

Sillymoo

If you have a loft hatch open that - definitely helps.
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Oh yes, I forgot that tip.
It does work

My son went into my loft today for about 3 minutes to find a fan and came down saying he was dying. The heat released by opening the loft hatch was unbelievable and it's staying firmly closed until winter.
Opening the loft hatch does not work in this well insulated house.

jusnoneed love shutters, we lived in France, so with this plus thick walls of stone, house was lovely and cool

Yes Disco we do exactly the same, it’s the only way to keep reasonably cool.

lofts should have ventilation and hot air rising will escape. Opening the loft hatch a little is good. No ventilation is not good

Windows should be opened for fresh air as well as coolness. We are all spending more time indoors just now, and the stale air causes pollution levels to rise as well as positive ions. It's vital to let some fresh air in, whatever the temperature.

We draw curtains on the sunny side they are heavy with white linings that keeps most of the afternoon heat out, close the windows, opening again in the evening.

I use a davis vantage vu weather station, it is very accurate. When outdoor temperature is close to indoor temperature or if there is sun about to strike the east side of my house, then my open windows and doors on that side are closed and wooden insulating plantation shutters are also closed. Ok it is like a cave on that side but I can usually drop the house temperature by 3 degrees if I get up early enough. I never leave windows open downstairs overnight, for obvious reasons

I make sure that there is a good blow through before the sun hits the house. Thermal mass will store heat during higher daytime temperatures and release this heat during the night. It is all about managing solar gain and doing the pro-active stuff before the sun gets to it.

Yes ladymuck is correct, VOCs are volatile gases and they rise, they are easily swept out by having a blow through. Given off by many modern building materials, furniture, carpets, flooring

it amazes me how few people open their windows at all. The block off flats in which I live are built from Weston Stone which does help to keep them cool. I have windows open the whole time (on security latches). Open large patio door to balcony when I am at home. Only close curtains at night (and then in my bedroom). Flat stays pretty cool with windows open, Do have a good fan to help at times. Would not like preventing the lovely sunshine from coming in and trying to turn my home into a cave with closed windows/shutters.

I like to have some windows open at times but I close them once it is dark otherwise we get a lot of moths coming in. We open bedroom windows with the curtains closed and put the fan on if it is tropical.

I can’t bear to be in a stuffy house and have the windows open during the day whatever the weather. We’re lucky though in that our house has thick stone walls that keep us cool in hot weather.

All our curtains at the front of the house are closed until the afternoon when the sun moves round to the back of the house. This makes such a difference to the temperature of the house. I remember my mum and nan doing this and would get annoyed at them shutting out the sunlight, but now i am older and cant deal with the heat so well i understand.

I live in France too in a house with thick stone walls and its absolutely baking. The house is not cool at all. We close the shutters upstairs but I feel claustrophobic if the downstairs ones are closed as well. I have fans going all the time.
So envious of your air con B9exchange

I keep windows and curtains closed on the side of the house where the sun is. It’s still hot indoors, even more so upstairs, but it’d be worse otherwise! ( We’re in SW London where it’s been mid 30s for several days now.).

At night I open the bedroom windows wide and don’t draw the curtains - lovely (relatively) cool air wafts in. Only snag is, can’t have bedside light on because of moths, so can’t read books, only the Kindle. (I do a lot of reading in bed.)

The front part of my house is C15. Downstairs it is very cool (same in winter unfortunately!) but upstairs in the eaves it’s roasting. I keep the blinds & curtains pulled and open the windows once the sun has moved. The back faces north so I keep the conservatory doors/windows open for a through draft all day, although the doors keep banging shut so various household items prop them open (stool, bread bin, wooden pig, iron shoe last to name but a few). I wouldn’t dream of opening the loft hatch; apart from the heat, I have wasps lurking