I have a friend living in a top floor unit. The windows are now not able to be opened past 10cm easily due to legislation so little kids can’t fall out of the windows. Some restrictors were installed about 2 weeks ago. Well, we’ve had some very hot days in Sydney, and she is finding her unit really hot. She cannot easily open the windows very much to let the air circulate. She’s renting the unit, so she cannot make changes to it. Ideally she’d have ceiling fans or aircon but keep in mind, running an aircon costs some money. Keep this issue in mind owners and renters... ps. Not sure which forum section to put this in, but this one forced me to choose a state. It may be a problem in more than just NSW.
And an issue that could have been helped using passive sustainable design (if only people were willing to invest in it!) For example, having an openable air vent to the outside (in the ceiling) that can be opened on hot days to create a ‘chimney’ effect. Air would come through the windows (even with a narrow opening) and rise through the ceiling vent creating a cooling effect. I have found that an evaporative cooler helps when my portable fans aren’t effective. And I believe it uses much less power than refrigerated air con. (It’s old style - only cost $10 second hand. The kind you pour water into). I have to be sitting right in front of it, though, for it to cool me down. Perhaps your friend can get some floor or desk fans or an evaporative cooler?
I’d say the windows were the way the unit was designed to be cooled, so the air vent was not needed. Unfortunately opening the windows wide is now retrospectively no longer an option. And she has no balcony, so she can’t go outside to a private external space with a breeze. Guess the fans/evaporative cooler is the way to go. But this change has got to suck for so many people.
Does this change only affect sliding windows? What about those hinge fold out / push out style windows? How do you even limit those from opening?
You would think that a tenant would take this (along with many others) into consideration when viewing prior to signing a lease ! The 10cm/100mm limiting to open windows above "X" meters has been in for years already. The last apartment we bought didn't come with blinds or screens ! By the time we put blinds, screen doors, window screens in and then tinted the windows we had spent over $10k (even some of the owner occupiers complain about the sun/heat but won't spend the extra). We ended up with a tenant that not only noticed but appreciates the difference these additions made, so much so they approached us 4 months prior to the lease ending asking for a 12 month renewal I'm guessing your friend doesn't have a balcony door to open to improve airflow or blinds to close to help keep the heat out ?
Yep, no balcony thus no balcony door. And... what if the person was already committed to the unit, then during the tenancy the window limiters were added? Major loss of amenity.
I bought these key lock door/window limiting locks Just so when little kids are here they can't go onto the balcony climb a chair and fall Also had the balcony balustraude's changed to glass and the height raised, replaced all single float glass to laminated so a kid cant "go thru" to fall either Plenty of people have been known to remove these limiting devices, but the requirement to have them has been in for a few years. Your friends only other option is to look around for a place with a balcony and move out at end of lease. * I do find many of these laws backward, in this example limiting the window opening to prevent a child falling, but the could can easily climb on a veranda chair/table and go over the balustraude........ Or if you have a river front property with a pool, the pool has to be fenced off, but the river is a free for all
Yes agreed. But a few extra deaths and hospital stays will be avoided.... can’t easily fix all causes but can help prevent some.... Guess she has to suck it up and use other ways to stay cool for the time being. Note, there would be plenty enough other rental options, so owners beware....
If there is no fresh air vents in the top section of the unit then the convection currents will not work and the hot air will just sit under the grid..The only low cost way would be those made in China below 20 bucks fans ,.imho..
I am a tenant living with a couple and when they moved house, none of us tenants were given an option to stay in the house and we were forced to move with them to their new house while they got new people to rent their old house. Our option was to move with them or find new accommodation. Though this new house is lovely, the bedroom windows only open up 10cm (2nd floor) or what seems like even less but there are no children living here or visiting. I feel like I have a face mask on my window. The fresh air creeps in slowly and their air con is expensive to use. Why is this forced upon adults to endure? A fan moving the same hot used air around is not an option. I note that the bathroom is opened up more so what is that all about? The owners said it was illegal to open up more but what about the bathroom window? OMG. All I can say is, I used to have fresh air. Now I have stale air and have to wait until 1am for the cold air to literally seep into my bedroom. Next time I move house, I will not accept any top floor bedroom because of this. When no children live or visit house, windows should be allowed to be opened.
I had a hot tenant living in a unit a few years back. I went out of my way to assist her. I did everything except become a fan bearer (she declined the offer). In the end she moved out. I had to drop the rent and warn the new tenant of the heat.
Because too many 'adults' are stupid ! Likely further from the floor, or narrower, so is harder to get to and fall out of. See the first quote above ! I guess you just never know, hence why it is legislated and has been so for many years now (to protect a few people from themselves, at the cost of the masses). I lost a cousin a long time ago, on a Bali holiday he went sleep walking, low balcony railing didn't prevent hos fall, so it can happen to adults too.... You could remove the limiter at the risk of being caught ........ What I don't get is why after so many years that this has been enforced that developers don't use different window designs ?
Aircon is not expensive when used correctly, its just that everyone seems to think you need to set the thing to 23 degrees or cooler, and that setting it to 18 degrees will make the unit think it has to work harder and therefore cool down faster. If your in a humid climate use that function, if not just leave it at 26 - 27 degrees and use a fan to move the air around if you want.
