If your upstairs bedrooms have felt more like saunas than sanctuaries over the past few weeks, you’re far from alone. The Met Office confirms what most of us can already feel: the number of days over 28°C has more than doubled since the 1961-1990 average, and the South East and South Coast are now seeing well over a dozen properly hot days most summers. For homeowners in Poole, that’s prompting a rethink of how windows and doors are specified, not just how they look.
One idea gaining traction with ventilation specialists is “night flushing” — opening windows overnight when the outside air is cooler, to let a building release the heat it has absorbed during the day. It sounds simple, but it only works if your windows are designed to open securely and easily at night, which older or poorly fitted frames often aren’t.
Integral blinds built into the glazing unit itself are another practical option worth considering. Rather than bolting on external shutters or relying on curtains that trap heat against the glass, blinds sealed within double or triple glazing block solar gain before it ever reaches the room, while still letting you control light during the day.
None of this works well with tired, draughty, or poorly sealed windows. A proper, Part L compliant installation, fitted by someone who understands both security and thermal performance, makes a real difference to how a home copes with a heatwave, as well as how it holds onto warmth in winter.
If your windows are struggling to keep up with the British summer, or you’d simply like an honest assessment of what would help, DTU Trade Windows has been fitting homes across Poole and Bournemouth for years. Get in touch via https://www.dtutradewindows.com/.
