windows open - how many months per year?

[pinkytoe]

Just curious about how many months per year you are able to leave your windows open? Assuming you don't have allergies or nearby noise or pollution.

[H-work]

This year, here in the PNW, about 4 days.

[ljevtich]

Almost all. We live in Grand Canyon National Park during the summer and Lake Mead National Recreation Area during the winter. I think in the spring (when we were in Grand Canyon) we might have had them closed for a couple of months but that is it.

[Mrs-M]

Typically, window opening (in our area) begins around late March/early April, and ends somewhere in and around late September/early October. Wishy-washy months where spells of mild temperatures occasionally occur (November/February), we'll occasionally open (crack) a window to allow for a little fresh air.

[Mrs-M]

I thought it would be fun (and interesting) to do a breakdown of open windows in respect to times of the day/night. So here it is.

March/April. Pretty much any/all times. (Day and night).

May. Early morning/early evening/overnight.

June. Depending on the year (heat related), early morning/after supper/overnight.

July. Late into the evening, as we are usually under heat waves at this time.

August. Same as July. Weather permitting.

September. Some falls are cooler than others so open windows is based on weather patterns. However, typically, open windows are good to go up until noon, anytime after supper/overnight.

October. Cooler weather has arrived by this time, so open windows are fairly limited to daytime, and cracked for the evening/night.

[pinkytoe]

I decided this will be one of the prerequisites for picking a retirement spot.

[Tweety]

In my northern Indiana house: bedroom window open every night unless a below zero wind is blowing in it.
Other house windows, open pretty much from April through October. East, south and west windows closed in summer when the sun is shining on them. All closed when house temp goes above 80 and I turn the AC on. (usually only a few days in midsummer)
My next door neighbors NEVER open their windows, ever. They miss the fragrant breezes of Spring and the scent of fallen leaves in autumn, too bad! Obviously it is an individual choice.

[treehugger]

Well, we do have noise to deal with (freeway and neighbor's &%$@ constantly barking dogs), but our windows are too old to keep out much noise (or cold or heat), anyway, so we might as well leave them open all year. ;)

Seriously though, here in the SF Bay Area (but inland, so warmer in summer and cooler in winter than SF itself), we can leave a few windows (the bathrooms) open almost all year-round. We pretty much only close the bathroom windows if we are in the middle of a heat wave and are using the AC, or during the coldest/wettest time of the year (Dec-January).

I love fresh* air so would prefer to sleep with the bedroom window at least cracked all year long, and just pile on the blankets in the winter, but having the window open makes my DH snore, so we only leave it open on hot nights.

*Fresh is a relative term; we have two major refineries in our town.

Kara

[shadowmoss]

Here in Honduras it's A/C pretty much 24/7 for 11 months of the year. Last January it go down in temp a little, and it was funny to me to see the locals in full ski suits and down jackets with wool stocking caps while I was in short sleeves. I think I did turn off the A/C for a few days then.

In the Olympia, WA area where I lived last year I didn't even have A/C. I lived in my fleece jacket for 9 months, and simple long sleeves the other 3.

[Glo]

Here in NE Ohio, windows are open at the beginning of May until the heat and humidity set in. And it usually varies. We had AC on mid June until about 10 days ago. Hope that was the end of AC for the year, but you never know. Our windows should be open until October; then closed for the night if its too cool. There are still lots of warm days in October so windows are open. Once November hits, windows are usually closed until Spring.

[Float On]

January - anyday it its 50 I open a few to get fresh air but the heat is on and I'm checking out property in NC, SC, and FL.
Feb - ditto, usually there is one week where it is 60 something and I'll get all excited about 'spring' turn off the heat and pull out the summer clothes.
March - same as January and I wonder why did I pull out summer clothes??
April - afternoons- early morning and then we're shocked with super cold weather again, and I cuss about having to turn the heat on.
May - open 24 hours a day unless it is freezing or like this year so hot I already have to turn the AC on.
June - open if cool enough but mostly AC running non-stop and then I find DH's bathroom window wide upen and Son#2's two windows wide open and I cuss about the AC bill.
July -Aug - AC and me looking up property in the UP of MI.
Sept-Oct - open when I can, Indian Summer hits and I'm cuss about not knowing if I'll need AC or Heat day to day
Nov/Dec - bliss. Windows open when I can, some heat needed. We've thrown christmas parties with the windows open, the AC running and people being comfortable inside or outside in the gardens.

[Shari]

0 if you take into account mutiple allergies, pollution, and crime.

[JaneV2.0]

Ha! The weather here is mild enough, but I just opened the window in front of my desk and now I'm listening to a symphony of weed whacker, personal watercraft, float plane, and commercial aircraft. With an underlying hum of traffic noise. Whither birdcall?

[Bronxboy]

In the Washington, DC suburbs, about 6 weeks each in the fall and spring.

[jp1]

In san francisco, 12 months of the year. There are a few days in the rainy season where we actually need heat if it's cloudy, but any day that's sunny all year long it gets warm enough to open the windows.

[Heidi]

We live at the 5000 ft level in the Sierra Nevada, so we have 6 months of winter/snow. Windows are open around the clock during the summer months and at nighttime in our bedroom only during the winter months. We have a lightweight down comforter on the bed, which keeps us snugly warm. Love that cold air in the room!

[enota]

Personally, I never open the windows. But by looking at the habits of others, I would say mid September for three or four weeks and then again in April for three or four weeks. We live in SW Mo.

enota

[copperdogs]

Live in the PNW--upstairs windows open around May/June and close late October. I am lucky to have an unfinished cement basement in my old farmhouse and because I live in a mild climate rarely have to use any A/C.

Heating season starts up about late Oct/early Nov and runs thru April, consists of either wood furnace if inexpensive wood supply located, pellet stove if pellets on sale, or electric forced air (expensive and dreary).

[puglogic]

Here at 7000 feet, our windows haven't been closed since mid-May and won't until about mid-September. We'll have them intermittently open into November, then closed until next spring. Though we do get some pretty warm days even in mid-January. It's such a joy to a) live without A/C and b) be able to open the windows on 70 degree days in mid-winter.

[Tradd]

I don't open my windows hardly anymore. My allergies have gotten to the point that my doctor really advises me to keep them closed, especially to sleep.

[artist]

Not sure about months. We can usually open things up in early May and can keep things open until early October. WHen it gets really hot in summer, we keep things shut up during the day and open at night if it's not too bad. Snow season here runs from dustings Late October, major snow from Nov-early April and the occasional dusting in early May.

[RosieTR]

In Phx, starting in maybe mid-late Oct (perhaps a day here and there if a thunderstorm rolls through and cools things off in Sept) at night, during the day when we're home through most of the winter with the exception of a few rainy days, back to night only by end of March or so through sometimes early June with the swamp cooler. Don't even keep the shades open much in the summer unless 1) we are home and 2) the sun isn't directly on the window.

[Wildflower]

Probably a couple months. Spring and fall. And maybe the rare warm day in winter or a moderate day in summer.

I LOVE having the windows open though. I wish I lived in a climate that allowed that year 'round.