Heating on - Window Open

The_Selfish_Gene

My wife leaves a window open through winter upstairs even though we have the heating on and it is cold outside. She says it is important to have fresh air coming into the house when the central heating is on. She says the house gets too dry and can cause colds and the like.

Does anyone have any views on this as I want the thing closed. I'm sure we are loosing heat for no good reason.

uptomyeyeballs

Central Heating can cause the air in the house to become drier, which may lead to some people being affected by it. Bugs would probably thrive better is moist conditions, so her logic on that score might be awry, but on the other hand fresh air is good. There's only one way to sort this out ...... FIGHT!!!!! :-)

aliasojo

Don't know if you still get them but years ago people used to have little 'things' (don't know what they are called) to hang on the radiators. You would fill them with water and it would gradually evaporate throughout the day ensuring the air didn't become too dry.

I agree houses need to be aired but I don't agree it needs done at the same time as heating them.

Sublime_2

I sometimes open mine up for a little only if the house needs airing, but turn the heating down if I do so.

HappyMJ

You need to ventilate the house but to what extent. I have vents on my windows and keep them open in winter. In summer all the windows are left slightly open about 10mm but still in a locked position.

Sublime_2

I keep vents open on all windows that have them too, think the bathroom, loo, and hallway have them. Those areas do benefit from it.

Pincher

Modern superinsulated houses suffer from damp, hence mould, if you don't ventilate. Not everyone have trickle vents, so the simplest thing is to open the windows during the day. For the tinkerer:

Bathroom fans
____________

http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Main_Index/Ventilation_Index/4_Inch_Fans/index.html

Check out the Icon range at the bottom, they have humidity and human presence sensors (optional modules), so you don't have to lift a finger.
I have two of these.

Heat Recovery:

http://www.dealec.co.uk/acatalog/xpelair_xhr150_heat_recovery_range_fans.html

They also have whole house heat recovery systems.

Linda32

Hi,

What I do is that unless its very very cold outside, I open the windows during the day. Then close them around tea time as the heating comes on.

rabbitmumu

Hi. I agree with your wife. Not only because of stuffiness but also because of hygienic reasons. Whether there's damp in the house or not some windows should be opened from time to time.

I live in a flat and during freezing cold winter time i usually open a tiny gap for all windows during day time (sometimes I just open it wide if i am in for an hour or so) and have all the radiators off during that time . Then in the evening when it's even colder I may just have the kitchen window partly open and let the air flow around the flat.

My partner complains all the time about this arrangement and so my solution is that I ensure all the windows are closed (and door closed) whichever room he is in and then air the rest of the flat. All windows will be closed when we are in bed and so I would air the flat first thing in the morning when i get up.

It is troublesome trying to keep us healthy, keep the bills down as well as pleasing him but by doing this I keep our arguments to the minimum too

Yolina

I always open the windows in my flat for 10 minutes in the morning and 10 minutes in the evening daily in winter (if it's not winter then they're pretty much always open!)

Edit: and having seen the post below mine, it looks like I'm not the only one to do it that way - though I'm not German but French and I'm originally from the Alps so yeah real cold winters there too and I do open the window when cooking too :rotfl:

farfromhome

I do what I learnt in Germany where the winters can get extremely cold and heating, like here, is very expensive but often needs to be left on 24 hours a day. Germans open their windows wide once or twice a day, mornings and/or evenings, for about 10 minutes to air the rooms; the heating is left on during that time, I turn it down slightly. That gets rid of any condensation and humidity. And they open the bathroom window when showering or bathing and the kitchen window when cooking. I don't get any mould doing it this way and I haven't been off sick with a cold for many years.