Why Your Grandmother Closed the Shutters at Noon: The Science Behind Her Summer Cooling Secret

Why Your Grandmother Closed the Shutters at Noon: The Science Behind Her Summer Cooling Secret

For generations, European grandmothers have relied on a counterintuitive summer trick: closing shutters and blocking out the sun. When a brutal heatwave tested this wisdom, the results were undeniable—her sitting room stayed several degrees cooler than the street outside. Here’s the science behind why windows are actually radiators, and how to harness natural cooling.