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Cooling tips

But since hot air doesn't flow downwards, I don't bother closing my loft hatch as the sun goes up.

I opened the downstairs doors about 6am and got a strong flow of cooling air, closed the front about 10am when the sun moved towards it, closed the back about 2pm when the clouds cleared. It opens onto a shaded green area.

Looking at the nearby weather station reports, temp was 23C at 10am, and 25C at 2pm. Overnight temps were 17/18/19C, so consistently cooler than in the house, so continual convection flow, in through partially open windows, out through loft hatch. I can tolerate indoor temps of 25C, but dislike 30C or above.

If I had been going to work at 8am and back at 6pm the house would have been fresh all the time I was here. Not stifling, as if would be if shut up all day.
 
But since hot air doesn't flow downwards, I don't bother closing my loft hatch as the sun goes up.

I opened the downstairs doors about 6am and got a strong flow of cooling air, closed the front about 10am when the sun moved towards it, closed the back about 2pm when the clouds cleared. It opens onto a shaded green area.

Looking at the nearby weather station reports, temp was 23C at 10am, and 25C at 2pm. Overnight temps were 17/18/19C, so consistently cooler than in the house, so continual convection flow, in through partially open windows, out through loft hatch. I can tolerate indoor temps of 25C, but dislike 30C or above.

If I had been going to work at 8am and back at 6pm the house would have been fresh all the time I was here. Not stifling, as if would be if shut up all day.

You might be confusing convection flow with wind.
 
Not stifling, as if would be if shut up all day.

I agree with that. A lot of the argument for keeping a house closed up all day is based on people looking at countries where they have external shutters. It is completely different when the blinds are on the inside of the glass. Most of the heat comes through the glass and even black out blinds will only cut out a small proportion.
 
If I had been going to work at 8am and back at 6pm the house would have been fresh all the time I was here.

Wouldn't it invalidate your house insurance if you leave a window open whilst you're out all day and a burglar comes in through an open window.
 
Wouldn't it invalidate your house insurance if you leave a window open whilst you're out all day and a burglar comes in through an open window.
You don't know the height of my house.
 
Looking at the nearby weather station reports, temp was 23C at 10am, and 25C at 2pm. Overnight temps were 17/18/19C, so consistently cooler than in the house, so continual convection flow, in through partially open windows, out through loft hatch. I can tolerate indoor temps of 25C, but dislike 30C or above.

Our house is the reverse of that. On that record breaking really hot day in 2022, it was 37C here. We had all the blinds and curtains closed. They are all blackouts upstairs. Downstairs got to 27C, upstairs to 30C. There would have been no point leaving windows open during the day to bring in air at 37C.

Today is a less extreme example. 27C outside, 24C downstairs, 25C upstairs. Again, no point bringing in air from outside.

I have still got my jumper on, btw, and I haven't changed into my summer pants yet.

I can see it might be different after a period of prolonged high temperatures because the house structure will have really heated up.
 
Most of the heat comes through the glass and even black out blinds will only cut out a small proportion.

I will disagree with that. I find closing internal light coloured blinds, make a lot of difference. Much of the sun's heat gets bounced straight back through the glass, rather than landing on floors, walls, and furnishings. I agree, external blinds/awnings would be better, but you work with what you have.
 
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