Ventilation in winter can be a rather complicated discipline. Many people ventilate mainly at night, but right now you should definitely not sleep with an open window in your bedroom. Take a look.
The new year is already over a week away, it’s cold outside, frosty and icy wind seems to be omnipresent. Homes are nicely heated, radiators set to maximum and most people cannot imagine January without a really warm blanket, a plush duvet and a hot drink always at hand. Unfortunately, even if it is very complicated and unpleasant, fresh air must somehow get into the house at least for a while. And that’s exactly what most people do overnight. When you’re snuggled up in the covers, ideally after a hot shower or bath, and you’re about to sleep, you usually open a window to let fresh air in at least overnight. But that’s exactly the mistake.
You can find a YouTube video on how to properly ventilate on the RECUAIR channel:
Why not sleep in winter with the window open
Of course, one of the reasons not to sleep with the bedroom window open is the dropping temperature. Temperatures are much lower at night than during the day, meaning you might go to bed feeling warm, but wake up freezing and cold a few hours later. However, this is not the only disadvantage of sleeping with an open window in winter.
So why should one not ventilate the bedroom for too long in winter, or sleep with the window half open? The reason is that the air outside is fresh, but at the same time it is cold. As a result, the walls and structure of the building cool down in the bedroom, which leads to heat losses. This, of course, means higher heating costs. If there’s one thing you don’t want to deal with in January, it’s frozen walls.
Cold air from outside also brings moisture that condenses on a cold surface, such as a window. That is why many people have a problem with mold near the window during this period. Many people still mistakenly think that the longer they ventilate, the less likely it is that mold could get to them, and that they are building up fresh air reserves. But it’s not like that. Air needs to circulate, leaving the window open all night will only turn your bedroom into a fridge.
How to properly ventilate in winter
So how to properly ventilate in winter to save your wallet when it comes to heating? Ventilation is definitely needed, but several times a day and in short time intervals. It is ideal to ventilate three times a day, i.e. morning, afternoon and evening, for about 5-10 minutes. The greater the frost outside, the shorter the ventilation time. It is also recommended to turn off or at least reduce the intensity of the radiators during ventilation.
