As it starts to get warmer homeowners of period properties, like others, will want to do all they can to ensure that their homes stay cool when it’s hot outside.
You could choose to go out and purchase a number of fans to have in each room (putting the fans by a bucket of ice from the freezer), but if you don’t have (or want to buy) several fans for your home, there are other simple ways to help keep your home cool this summer.
Close Blinds and Curtains
Blinds and curtains can act as an additional layer of protection against the heat. Between 11am and 3pm, when it is the hottest part of the day, it is worth closing your blinds and curtains, especially for any windows that receive direct sunlight during these hours. This will help prevent the light from outside increasing the temperatures within your house.
Open Windows and Doors
Make sure you open your windows when it is cooler outside than inside, to ensure you are not letting in the hot air. This normally means opening your windows in the night, but if your house is getting increasingly hot during the day, open your windows to cool the rooms down.
Also, what many people do not realise, is that double hung sash windows are perfectly designed to help keep your house cooler in the summer. By opening both the top and bottom sashes, sash windows allow you to improve the circulation of air within your room, cooling down your property in the hot weather.
Doors can also be used to allow a cool breeze to run through your home when the temperature gauge starts rising. While French doors are always a popular option for connecting your indoor and outdoor spaces, if you want more control over the aperture of your door then timber sliding bi-fold doors could be right for you.
Install Double Glazing
As a longer term solution, consider installing double glazing. While double glazing for timber windows is normally associated with keeping your home warm, double glazing can also help keep your home cool.
The special gas or dry air that sits in the gap between the two panes of a double glazed window acts like a heat buffer and can work to keep the heat out of your home. So as well as offering you the chance to enjoy a warm and toasty home in the winter, double glazing also gives you the chance to enjoy a cool home in the warmer months.
Repairing Timber Windows
If problems, such as stuck windows that won’t open, are spotted early wooden windows can often be repaired, rather than replaced. Repairing timber windows is often cheaper than replacing them, and allows you to retain as many of the period features as possible.
Repairing or refurbishing your windows will not only ensure that your timber windows open easily, helping you keep your home cooler, but can also help reduce external noise levels, extend the window life, reduce dirt and dust, and improve security, while still retaining the historical integrity of your home.
Replacing Timber Windows
If your windows are beyond repair, or require a lot of repair work, replacing your windows may be the only, or the cheapest long-term option.
If your windows need replacing, The Sash Window Workshop is able to manufacture bespoke timber windows to fit your individual requirements from our workshop in Bracknell, Berkshire. This means that we can replicate any design or pattern, and adhere to listed building and conservation area requirements where necessary. We offer an installation and repair service across London and Southern England, with a supply only service nationwide.
To obtain a free, no obligation quotation, contact us on 01344 868 668.
