It may not seem significant at first glance, but home interior colours can have a huge impact on the temperature in your home on a hot, sunny summer’s day. Particularly in parts of the house that get all-day sun, if your interior paints and furniture are the ideal colours for absorbing heat, it will require more energy to cool your home.
Summer can be a scorcher in many parts of the country. And while we love to be outdoors and to make the most of the warmth, we want to reduce our home temperature during the hot season. We need to be able to retreat to our homes to catch a break from the heat.
An efficient air conditioning system is the easiest way to maintain a comfortable temperature whilst at home. But you’d be surprised at how much a fresh lick of light-reflecting paint can help keep your home cool.
A home that looks cool, feels cool
Seasons come with their own colour palette. Light and bright colours are typically associated with spring and summer. Lighter colours have cooling effects and a way of capturing the joy of sunshine.
On a hot summer’s day, we avoid wearing dark clothing that could absorb heat and make us hotter. The same goes for our home interiors – dark colours hold the heat for much longer so should be used sparingly in rooms you know get a lot of sun.
But while we know the science behind dark colours and heat absorption, colour affects us physically as much as they do psychologically. By simply being among cool interior colours, your mind recognises the space as a more comfortable setting, allowing you to shake the heat faster.
Light-reflecting colours avoid heat absorption
While you’re out enjoying a beautiful summer’s day, the doors and windows in your home are shut, trapping as much heat as possible until they can be opened up again. That rush of stuffy air the moment you get home can be minimised through a clever use of light-reflecting interior colour.
Whites, creams and greys are always on trend and can be matched with any furnishings. These hues are excellent for reflecting light, rather than absorbing it.
Dark colours are able to absorb up to 70% of the day’s heat. This can sometimes make our home’s feel just as hot inside as they do outside!
Avoid summer’s heat build-up by using light-reflecting colours wherever possible in your interior decor.
Home interior colours impact energy usage
Combating heat absorption is not as easy as opening all your doors and windows, especially if there are a number of darker furnishings in your home.
Think about which rooms are north facing as these get the most sunlight hours in the day.
As the days are longer in summer, you want avoid an overload of dark colours in these rooms. Of course a few darker hues here and there make for great detail, but too much will have you scrambling to open the windows the moment you get home.
The simplest way to cool your home in the summer is with air conditioning. With ongoing developments in heat pump technology, air conditioning consistently rivals conventional cooling devices.
Using air conditioning in conjunction with the right home interior colours increases its energy efficiency. The unit won’t have to work as hard to draw the heat out of dark furniture, flooring and walls.
If your home has minimal heat absorption during the day, you will only need to set your air conditioning unit to a low fan speed. And the lighter your home interiors, the less artificial light you will need.
Summer is our season to save on energy bills. By simply using the right home interior colours, you could take your energy saving to a whole new level!
Turn on your air conditioning anytime, anywhere
You no longer have to wait until you get home to set your air conditioning.
With Mitsubishi Electric’s WiFi Control, you can turn your air conditioning on through an easy-to-use app on your smart phone.
There is no need to dread walking into a stuffy home after a day at the beach, get the air conditioning going on your way home and walk in to a cool haven.
If last summer is anything to go by, we can expect a long, dry summer ahead.
Be prepared and talk to us about the benefits installing a Mitsubishi Electric heat pump. Heat pumps are long-term investments that will keep you cool in summer and warm in winter. Their Energy Star mark rating means they are the most affordable heat pumps available. They are far more efficient than conventional heating and cooling appliances.
Call Heat and Cool today and have your home fitted for a Mistubishi Electric Heat Pump.
Summer is not quite here yet so take a moment to see where you could cut back on darker interiors and increase the efficiency of your air conditioning unit.
