Not just modern houses, mine's a1930's semi, solid brick and retains heat, we're on an east-north-west axis so no southerly aspect.
It's too hot :(
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Associate
Same problem with mine, it's a 1950s house with modern insulation and it retains heat too well. It faces the sun in the summer all day long and it takes days to cool down.
Old house with modern insulation
Sun hitting the thick brick walls and roof all day, the bricks love to retain the heat once it cools down can take few days for the bricks to cool down
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Associate
little bit of a breeze which is nice 10am and hot already, speedos on with my 5m badge some swimming down the river later see if i can find any shopping trolleys down there.
Soldato
Much fresher out there this morning, lovely.
Soldato
Yep, I live in a 1930's house too and it retains heat very well. My southerly facing room was 27c (with the window open) when I went to bed about 11:30 last night. Another sweaty towel night. There's a breeze this morning though which is feeling quite nice at the moment.
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Get some mosquito nets from amazon.
they are super cheap like 5quid covers 3 window
However they come with really crap velcro hooks and will start to peel off within a day.
so you need to get https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0013DO888
you might need multiple packs depending on how many windows your doing.
just replace nets as needed and never touch the velcro again
cut it baggy, and leave like an inch extra on all sides of each window.
you can fold it back onto the velcro to make it look better.
eventually a hole will wear in the net from unsticking it to open/close the window, you can just reposition the net if you did the above, then cut the strip away with the small holes
Saves needing a new net, they seem to last about a whole year for me, the good brand velcro linked lasts as long as your window frames
for balcony doors these are really good https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B06Y99RGNB/
they sticky stuff it comes with also holds really well to the frame.
Wash your window frames with mild soapy water and dry them thoroughly before you stick any velcro to them.
the odd midgie might still make it, most won't though, spiders seem scared of the net like it's a giant web
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Soldato
Mines newish house , built by a neighbour but loses heat quickly 21c felt fine last night but humidity has an impact.
Courier driving up and down side streets for an hour with dehumidifier but there is a breeze today, so with front door and window open my thermostat reports RH down from 71% to 49% in about a 2 hour period, which is something. Room temp currently 25.1C so thats down as well.
Soldato
Struggling with my asthma big time yesterday. Had a sore throat. Pain has gone but voice still sounds hoarse.
Soldato
1st floor maisonette and its cooler than most new builds as no west facing windows.
My parents' bedroom is west facing and they struggle to sleep.
In their previous house, my bedroom was west facing. Had two fans plus ceiling fan on. It was nice and cool but couldn't sleep as it sounded I was sleeping under a helicopter taking off.
My parents' bedroom is west facing and they struggle to sleep.
In their previous house, my bedroom was west facing. Had two fans plus ceiling fan on. It was nice and cool but couldn't sleep as it sounded I was sleeping under a helicopter taking off.
Associate
i bet you was melting
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Associate
Just got home and could cut the air with a knife it was that hot and stuffy so i've thrown open all the windows and got a nice breeze going through now
Caporegime
Good insulation isn't a problem of the house being too hot. The same mechanics that for it to keep it warm in the winter, works in keeping the heat out in the summer. In the winter do you open your doors and windows? Noooo, you close them.
If you close your doors and windows, then the warm air from outside won't get inside, and the inside will stay cooler. Obviously, you will run into a separate problem of the people inside the closed enclosure generating heat and slowly heating up the space and the matter of oxygen. But that is a different problem to insulation not doing it's job. The insulation is doing its job fine in keeping the heat from the outside getting in mostly, just as well as keeping the heat from the inside going out.
The problem isn't the "thick brick walls" retaining heat, I mean you can't tell me Spain builds houses with thinner bricks...I mean a castle has HUGE bricks, or stones, that is feet deep....they are cooler, so thick thermal mass isn't a problem. In fact, VERY thick thermal mass might be a plus.
A very basic school lessons why houses in the med or hotter climates are cooler, and its not really to do with insulation but more...circulation and physically keeping the heat out.
1 - They paint their buildings white, white reflects heat. It's not that bricks keeps the heat, it's the colour.
2 - They have shutter OUTSIDE the windows, closing the blinds is good but the energy has already gone through the glass and so inside the room is already heating up.
3 - They have high, really high ceilings, and more space for the hot air to rise, so when you stand up, your head isn't near the ceiling. If you go to any warehouse with no air conditioning, it is cooler but if you get on a cherry picker and go up near the ceiling, it is so much warmer.
To keep your house cooler......just tape some cardboard or something on the south-facing (or where the peak sun hits) windows during peak hours, that will lower the temperature by a few degrees. If you can, have cross ventilation. 1 window open is no good, you want windows on 2 sides.
If you close your doors and windows, then the warm air from outside won't get inside, and the inside will stay cooler. Obviously, you will run into a separate problem of the people inside the closed enclosure generating heat and slowly heating up the space and the matter of oxygen. But that is a different problem to insulation not doing it's job. The insulation is doing its job fine in keeping the heat from the outside getting in mostly, just as well as keeping the heat from the inside going out.
The problem isn't the "thick brick walls" retaining heat, I mean you can't tell me Spain builds houses with thinner bricks...I mean a castle has HUGE bricks, or stones, that is feet deep....they are cooler, so thick thermal mass isn't a problem. In fact, VERY thick thermal mass might be a plus.
A very basic school lessons why houses in the med or hotter climates are cooler, and its not really to do with insulation but more...circulation and physically keeping the heat out.
1 - They paint their buildings white, white reflects heat. It's not that bricks keeps the heat, it's the colour.
2 - They have shutter OUTSIDE the windows, closing the blinds is good but the energy has already gone through the glass and so inside the room is already heating up.
3 - They have high, really high ceilings, and more space for the hot air to rise, so when you stand up, your head isn't near the ceiling. If you go to any warehouse with no air conditioning, it is cooler but if you get on a cherry picker and go up near the ceiling, it is so much warmer.
To keep your house cooler......just tape some cardboard or something on the south-facing (or where the peak sun hits) windows during peak hours, that will lower the temperature by a few degrees. If you can, have cross ventilation. 1 window open is no good, you want windows on 2 sides.
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Soldato
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Urgh awful night couldn't sleep at all finally fell asleep about 6.am had to move the desktop fan to the bedroom as the only way to lift the stifling heat and cool down a bit. Much fresher outside but as others say still too hot indoors
Its literally how a storage heater works its full of bricks. Heating element heats them up and they gradually give up their heat afterwards
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Soldato
It's really nice out now.
Been cloudy most of the day but the sun is out, and there is a nice breeze, I'm currently working hard (cough) in my outdoor office.
Been cloudy most of the day but the sun is out, and there is a nice breeze, I'm currently working hard (cough) in my outdoor office.
Soldato
34° and very humid here with another thunderstorm warning for tonight.
Soldato
15°C and blowing a gale 
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