Have you ever wondered, despite having a broad spectrum, there are limited colors on a paint sheet? Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to paint my room black, and my mom never let me. However, the grown-up me now understands the reason behind it.
Paint color contributes to the amount of energy absorbed or reflected through the walls. Yes! Interior paint color affects the temperature as darker colors absorb more heat, making rooms warmer, while lighter colors generate a cooling effect inside your rooms.
Choosing the right interior paint color can help you regulate temperature. This means establishing an energy-efficient system through the choice of colors can help you cut down on bills. Either you can use my years of experience and save some bucks on bills or continue to spend extra on energy; the choice is yours!
How does color affect temperature?
Interior temperature and the color of your walls are related. It may seem strange to people how color can help regulate temperature as well as help you save on energy costs.
Cool colors, generally the lighter shade colors, reflect the sun’s radiation, producing a cooling effect. On the other hand, warm colors, generally the darker colors, absorb 70 to 90 percent of the sun’s radiation, inducing a heated effect.
Moreover, visualizing certain colors, like the warm shades of red, yellow, and brown, can subconsciously remind us of all the hot objects like the sun and fire. This instills a warm feel, making the insides of our rooms much cozier.
Similarly, shades of teal and blue, which fall under the cool colors category, remind us of cool things such as the morning sky, water, or tree shades, inducing a cooling effect that we can feel physically.
Can the interior paint color help you save energy?
People in hotter regions tend to use more air conditioning in their houses. Using lighter colors on the walls can reflect up to 35% of the sunlight. Reflection of sunlight means less energy is absorbed, reducing the air conditioning used inside the house. The lesser your air conditioner will be operational, the lesser will be your electricity usage.
The same goes for heating systems. For example, painting your house a darker color absorbs the sun’s energy as heat. This automatically raises the internal temperature, calling to shut off the heating systems installed.
Using appropriate colors based on your environment is a great and highly effective way to reduce energy expenditure.
Colors that make your room cooler
If you’re wondering what color makes a room feel cooler, I’ve got a little exercise for you. First, close your eyes and take a deep breath. Then, think of all the things that give you a cooling sensation.
Most people come up with objects like the blue morning sky, water, and mint. Any light shade that appears in your imagination and gives you a cooling sensation is the color you should be going with.
White is undoubtedly the best color for heat reflection as it reflects 98.1% heat off the surface. If you can maintain the ordinary class of white interior, keeping it clean at all times, there certainly can’t be a better option.
However, due to a difficult maintenance routine, you can explore mint green, pastel pink, ivory, pastel green, colonial blue, pale blue, or light gray, which tops the best paint to reflect heat.
Colors that make your room warmer
Now you know that dark colors can absorb heat energy during the day, making the interior feel warmer. A warm and cozy interior is the top choice for people living in high altitudes with harsh winters. Using natural energy to heat your house is smart and energy-efficient.
Darker colors such as mustard yellow, rich red, tangerine, gold, amber sienna, and shades of brown can absorb maximum solar energy to warm up your space. Even though black is the best absorber of heat, a black interior is unpleasant to many people’s eyes.
Always ensure that your chosen color matches the furniture style and color. You can always add yellow lighting to make the interior appear much warmer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should the entire house be painted the same color?
No, you should never paint the house the same color. Instead, you can use shades of the same color to connect the walls. Using the same color throughout the house makes the area look smaller, and your house may appear congested. Using different colors also adds to the aesthetic appeal of your house.
Also, adding texture to some of your walls creates a fantastic outlook and attracts the eye.
Are white walls in Style 2022?
White walls are the most classic color scheme inside a house. However, they still seem to trend amongst the most popular interior colors, but the new year has also brought in some textured designed walls.
Even though the evergreen fashion of a white interior seems one of the chicest looks you can give your house, not all houses can pull off this color since it requires heavy maintenance, therefore, textured walls are trending-in.
Why shouldn’t you paint your house a dark color?
Dark-colored paints absorb more energy from the sun than lighter tones. So even though it helps regulate warmth inside the house and acts as a natural heater in winter, they absorb more UV light and heat from the sun’s radiation, causing the color to fade away quicker than usual.
Is it better to paint a house light or dark color?
If you’re living in a warm region, light colors should be your choice to paint the house. These colors help induce a cooling effect by reflecting 35% more heat from the sun.
Dark colors, however, are ideal for your home in cooler areas as they absorb maximum heat to warm up your house. However, dark colors fade more quickly because of the sun’s UV radiation. Thus it would be best if you select the right shade and keep them maintained.
Wrapping it up
Instead of investing money in insulation, air conditioning, and heaters, you can choose an appropriate interior paint to regulate temperature.
Lighter paints reflect heat and lower the temperature, while dark colors absorb heat and raise the interior temperature significantly. So if you’re living in a region with a high temperature, it’s great to paint your interior light colors.
In contrast, dark tones would be ideal for your interior if the temperature around you often drops too low.
If you’re thinking of repainting your house with a suitable color based on your region’s climatic conditions, find out about the temperature and humidity levels to paint your interiors and the best time to paint your interior here! Happy painting.