Heat wave Crime wave

I’ve seen a few tweets flying around these past couple of days warning us about leaving windows open during this very hot weather. Unfortunately we can almost guarantee that some people will get burgled through an open window, because open windows and doors are opportunities and opportunity is a driving factor for crime.

It’s difficult to know what to suggest when people are melting in their own homes, but here’s a few of my thoughts on the subject.......

• If you can, only open windows that are inaccessible from outside – normally upstairs windows
• Some windows are fitted with a second locking point, enabling you to have them slightly open for some air
• Think about fitting child locks to the windows so you can open them a couple centimetres or so
• Keep the windows closed and get yourself a portable air conditioner and or fan. Portable air conditioners are only really effective when used in a small room with the room door closed.
• Only have the windows left open when you are in the house. When you go out close and lock them
• Some people have fitted internal hinged and locked grilles to their windows, which enables them to open the windows at night as well as during the day when in occupation. Even these people should close and lock the windows when the house is left unoccupied
• Locked door gates fitted on the outside or inside of an external door (depending on the opening direction of the latter) are also sometimes used and are a common sight in some Mediterranean countries. This allows you to leave a door open for air, but maintain the security
• Stick a sign on your final exit door to remind yourself to close and lock the windows when you go out!
• Follow my KOPCAR locking up routine when you go to bed at night
• Do you open the windows in hot weather because you are simply in the habit of doing so?  I’ve found with my well insulated house that keeping the windows closed with the vertical blinds drawn keeps the inside of my house a couple of degrees cooler compared with when I have opened the windows and let in the extra warm air (34°C in the shade of my back garden DBY!). This is especially true when there is no breeze. Try it for yourself by experiment. Take two days on the trot with the same outside shade temperature and use a thermometer to measure the temperature at the same spot in a room on both days and see the difference.  You won’t know what to do unless you experiment and you could be needlessly opening the windows – just a thought