More than four million homes were built in the UK during the Victorian era.

Victorian homes were constructed long before the complex computer models used today to design buildings were invented. Yet, these homes, built over 100 years ago, are cooler in summer than many built more recently.

Here are some fundamental architectural reasons why this is.

Many Victorian homes featured external wooden shutters to block the sun’s heat before it entered the building. The Victorians knew that blocking the sun’s heat before it enters the building is among the best ways to reduce overheating. Few homes built in the 20th century in the UK have external shutters on windows, partly because modern homes use outward-opening hinged casement windows which cannot be used with external shutters.

Homes in southern and central Europe have tended to keep their external shutters, because they have historically faced hotter summers than the UK. With a changing climate, parts of the UK are expected to have a climate similar to the Mediterranean by the middle of this century.

Victorian homes were also equipped with internal shutters. These are less effective than external ones at reducing overheating because the sun’s heat has already passed into the building. Yet, they are still more effective than a completely unshaded window, particularly if the shutters are painted a light colour which reflects some of the heat back out.

Their main benefit, however, is keeping the heat in during winter. Many Victorian internal shutters survive today as they are less likely to have been damaged due to weather exposure........

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