Ventilation

How to stay cool with sash windows

How to stay cool in the summer nights.

Well if they are sash and not painted shut, try opening them!

That sounds flippant but it is a well-known fact that sash windows more than any other style of window, provide the best purge ventilation. Having an opening both top and bottom of the window encourages free air conditioning. Because hot air rises, it can escape at the ceiling level, allowing cooler air to drop to the floor, in turn pushing more hot air towards the ceiling. 

Remarkably, most double glazing being fixed or casement styled block or prevent this natural cycle from happening!

Worse still, windows with top openers or which hinge from the top, act as hot air scoops.

As buildings warm, the air from streets and pavements climbs the external brick face, when this air hits an open top-hinged window it gets scooped into the room, thus raising the internal room temperature EVEN higher! Now please open windows, even if you have casements, just not beyond the outside face of the wall, that way you’ll get some relief and avoid additional overheating.

Don’t forget, thick curtains will also help insulate your home at this time of the year. If you draw them too, on south-facing elevations, you’ll avoid rooms overheating, however leaving them open on both sides of the room will encourage a through the breeze, cooling the room still further.

Lastly, don’t forget to throw open all your windows for a few minutes at night. It’s amazing how much cooler the rooms are if you can ventilate them before bedtime.

Good ventilation also helps for a peaceful night’s sleep.