There are many factors that contribute to the temperature of the various rooms in your home, besides just the weather outside. There's the layout of the house, how many floors you have, placement of windows, and much more. One factor that tends to be overlooked is color. But it can have a significant impact on your home's comfort. Let's look at the temperature effects of color in your home.
Physical and Mental Effects of Color
In general, darker colors absorb light, and lighter colors reflect it. This means darker colors also absorb more heat than lighter colors. As a result, rooms painted, say, a deep red or a dark earth tone will retain heat and stay warmer, while a room painted light blue or seafoam green will stay cooler.
In addition, there are also psychological factors that determine a color's temperature effects. Certain colors trigger a warmer feeling when we look at them, such as red or orange, reminding us subconsciously of blazing fires or a scorching hot desert. Whereas greens and blues naturally have a cooling effect on the subconscious, calling up images of water or trees.
Color Coordinating for Temperature
These temperature effects can be frustrating when the living room done in browns and reds starts overheating in summer, or when the white bathroom is freezing cold in winter. But they can also be used to your advantage. If you have a room that gets lots of sun exposure, painting it a lighter, cooler color can keep it from getting too warm. Likewise the room that's always freezing can be painted a darker color to absorb the heat and retain it longer.
You don't necessarily have to repaint, either. A few color coordinated accents, such as an area rug or some throw pillows, strategically placed, can help regulate the temperature of a room. Switch up the accents, using cooler colors in summer and warmer ones in winter, to keep your house comfortable all year long.
To learn about other temperature effects in your home, contact us at Hartman Brothers. We're Northeast Indiana's trusted source for quality HVAC solutions.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in New Haven, Indiana and surrounding Fort Wayne area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Guide or call us at 260-376-2961.