a cultural question...

[ratcreature]

I've noticed several times references in fiction about people airing out their house once it got warmer that made it sound as if Americans don't open their windows in winter to let fresh air in. Like as if they don't air their house if it's freezing outside.

Is that true? Is it a central air conditioning thing where you don't really need windows to get fresh air, and shouldn't disrupt climate control or something like that? Because otherwise I can't imagine not to open my windows at least twice a day for a little while. Admittedly it's rarely extremely cold here, but this winter we had days when the daytime high was below -10°C and I still aired out my place briefly.

Here you are even required to do so in rental agreements because otherwise you get problems with moisture buildup and such.

Comments

[mirabile]

Here's the reverse: I'm now living in the Southwest where it gets really, really, REALLY hot, and we don't open the doors or windows in the summer, at all, so we go months without opening the house. Then, in the (very short) autumn, we fling open the doors and windows and let the house air out. It's a wonderful moment. The winters do get cold here, but nothing like the rest of the country, so we can keep the house open during the day.

As an illustration, my husband checked the temperature and realized that (at 10 at night) it's still warmer out than in, so the house is still shut up. If he wakes up in the night and the outside temperature has dropped a bit, he'll open the doors and windows, but in another couple of weeks, the temp won't drop enough and we'll be locked up all summer.

[lilacsigil]

I'm in a part of Australia where it will be very hot for several days (up to two weeks) in a row then have a sudden cool change. It's such a relief to open the house up after those hot days and nights! Where my grandparents lived, though, they were locked up all summer like you, and I don't think I could deal with that.

[ratcreature]

Yes, it sounds so horrible. I understand it more with heat because I have no experience with A/C but it seems to me that it is harder to cool a house significantly than to heat it. But I really don't get why people would voluntarily do it in winter (except maybe with extreme temperatures or idk if you live somewhere extremely polluted), when really it does not get that cold inside after opening the window briefly and will heat up soon enough and fresh air is so nice.

[mirabile]

It is hard to be locked up for months like that, I agree. We might get another cool spell but mid-May, it's hot all the time here in the southwestern part of the US. I envy you the sudden cool change!

[ratcreature]

With air conditioning that makes more sense to me. It's rare here, but buildings with climate control like offices often also don't let you open the windows. Ditto for the modern buses or trains, which then really sucks when the A/C breaks down.