What is the best advice for closing your windows?

Mark_d

The windows in our flat are currently locked open - about 1cm.  We don't want a nasty cold breeze but we do appreciate fresh air with more oxygen.

I estimate we'll need to put the heating on once we're into November.  What do people do to get the best balance between fresh air and energy efficiency?

Qyburn

You do need a certain amount of ventilation not just for oxygen but also to carry moisture out of the building. But every window 1cm open sounds too much. We leave bathroom window open a little, the other windows are closed apart from their vents.

tizerbelle

For me, windows should be shut when heating is on.  We don't have heating running overnight, I know many do, so once heating has gone off in an evening and we're going to bed we will crack open the bedroom windows again until the heating goes back on the following evening.   Very rare we have heating on in a morning.  

Mark_d

tizerbelle said:

For me, windows should be shut when heating is on.  We don't have heating running overnight, I know many do, so once heating has gone off in an evening and we're going to bed we will crack open the bedroom windows again until the heating goes back on the following evening.   Very rare we have heating on in a morning.  

During winter I normally have the heating on for an hour or two before I get up, and then again for an hour or two before dinner in the evening.  I find it difficult to get out of bed when the room is cold!  (Smart radiator valves ensure I'm only heating the rooms I need)

But I do think it is a good idea to open the windows slightly when we're out of the flat for at least a few hours.  Thanks for that idea :-)

pete-20-11

Trickle vents open all the time unless someone has a horrible bonfire (e.g. burning stuff they probably shouldn't).

Sometimes shut the trickle vents if it gets really cold out, but open them for a few hours a day if I remember 

Bathroom window open on the notch lock thing from morning to sunset. Bedroom window open on the notch overnight.

Other windows usually fully closed. 

Scot_39

IIRC some of the posts on the surviving without heating - think users were suggesting 10-15 mins on a daily basis with windows open and a reasonable air flow / light breeze - should be enough to exchange moist internal air with ambient - without overly chilling contents / walls.

I try to do that once or twice per week - when outside weather permits - as well as normal exchanges when go in / out.

But my DG has trickle vents for other days - rather than having to always open windows - and the bathroom and kitchen extraction fans used when needed.

But I still run a dehumidifier at off peak rates after laundry - 2 hrs on self timer for 1 or 2 days - particularly brushed cotton sheets and towels - or anything simiilarly heavy - that might still hold quite a bit of moisture.

It can easily drag 1/2 pint to pint plus out of the air after a couple of washing machine loads.

Inside of single glazed glass door panels would be "soaked" in winter after a big wash dried inside - much better now with my small 10l nominal £150 dehumidifier.

Which uses about 0.5kWh - so around 10p to run.  Was probably spending almost that on sheets of kitchen towel to dry windows.

Bigphil1474

A couple of hours on a morning sounds excessive. In our house, the heating comes on at 6, the alarm clock goes off at 6:20, heating goes off at 7. We have the bedroom window open slightly 24/7 on the latch as they say. We've just moved and we were getting condensation on the inside, and that seems to have sorted it. Fortunately, we have a thick duvet so the slight cold draught isn't noticeable, and the thermostat is normally down stairs. We don't have trickle vents but presumably they work similar to our set up.

luvchocolate

My bedroom windows are opened from 7am to approximately 3pm. 
Bathroom and kitchen opened an inch all the time. 
Heating not been on yet...when it gets colder it goes on about 3pm for a couple of hours..currently 20 degrees 
I'm 72 and lucky to have neighbours either side and underneath 

Kerreh

tizerbelle said:

For me, windows should be shut when heating is on.  We don't have heating running overnight, I know many do, so once heating has gone off in an evening and we're going to bed we will crack open the bedroom windows again until the heating goes back on the following evening.   Very rare we have heating on in a morning.  

Another vote for this approach.
Heating isn't on at all overnight, which is when the bedroom window gets opened. In the morning the bathroom window gets opened wide after shower (no heating in the AM unless a weekend) as well.

born_again

Windows open for a while during day, especially if sun is shining. Rest of time in colder times they are shut. 

Chrysalis

I do tolerate the cold more than other so my opinion might be skewed.

Generally I will open windows if I start to smell something that indicates yeah I need fresh air, damp or whatever smell it may be.  But this doesnt mean its the only time I open them, just a sign that I have had them closed too long.

I have also recently become more paranoid about moisture levels, however am also aware absolute humidity can be higher outside than in doors, so opening windows will not always bring internal relative humidity down, There was a day some weeks ago in September where we had fog/mist and the RH outside was something like 98-99% or something.  I did the maths on the temperature offset and calculated that day if I opened windows inside moisture would have increased.