Keep Your Home Cool with Light-Colored Paint

This is due to heat absorption and reflection. Darker colors tend to absorb light and heat while lighter colors reflect them. So, when the sunshine is beating down on your home, the color it’s painted will affect the inside temperature.

Absorbing Light or Reflecting It

The darker the color the more light it absorbs. When the sun is shining on a dark surface, lots of light is being absorbed as well as heat. When your house is painted a dark color, much of the radiant energy from the sun is absorbed and some of that heat is also being transferred into the interior of your home.

As your home warms up due to the heat you end up using more energy to keep it cool. Outside the paint is absorbing anywhere from 70 to 90% of the radiant energy from the sun. It’s not surprising that some of this energy is being transferred inside.

Painting your home a light color does not mean that it won’t get hot; however, it will be cooler with a lighter color than with a darker one. Unlike the dark colors that absorb a lot of light and heat, the paler colors tend to reflect light and heat outward. Consequently, less heat is being absorbed into the interior of the home. As the light and heat are reflected outward, your home stays relatively cooler. This means you’ll most likely pay less for cooling costs.

You’re Home Doesn’t Need to be White

There are many light colors to choose from that will yield the benefits of heat and light reflection. Even with white, there are many shades available. If it’s time to paint your home and you want to go with a lighter color to improve your cooling costs, you can choose a color that suits your taste and the style of your home.

Look at the Whole Picture

In addition to the color of your home, you also should consider a few other things. For example, does your home have a wide-open southern exposure? If it does it will get the full brunt of the sun for most of the day. On the other hand, if there are plenty of shade trees around your home, you probably are not getting that much direct sun on your house. In this case, you can go darker if you like; the difference may not be that much.

Choosing Colors that Work

The style of your home may also affect the color that you choose to paint it. While the assorted styles may have certain colors that suit them best, within those color schemes there are sure to be light and dark combinations. If you want to go with a cooling light color, you can find a darker color to compliment it. The darker color can be used for the trim. You’ll get the benefits of using a light color to keep your home cooler and you’ll also have the elegance provided by a striking trim color. Don’t worry if you have trouble deciding on the right combination of colors. There are professionals to help with that.

Getting Help from the Professionals

Choosing the best color for the exterior of your home can be a daunting task. Perhaps you know what you like but you may be worried that you’ll get tired of it after a while or perhaps you are unsure if that’s a color that will work with your style house.

Painting the exterior of your home is a big project and one you really want to get right the first time. Asking for help with this decision is a wise move. Getting assistance from a professional can give you the assurance that you’ve made the correct choice.

The professional may think of things you haven’t considered. Not only that, you can ask all the questions you need to ask, not just about paint color, but also about which paint to use. Some people want to make sure the paint they choose is environmentally friendly. A professional will be glad to steer you in the right direction.

Finding the right paint color for your style of home, one that suits your sensibilities, doesn’t harm the environment and that will last a long time can take a lot of time if you must do it by yourself. When you enlist the help of a professional, you have a person who has all those answers for you at hand. You also have a person who can tell you how dark you can go before you begin to lose the benefits of heat and light reflection.

If you are planning on repainting your home and considering the choices available for a cooler home, contact Arizona Painting Company. We will be glad to share our expertise with you and help you choose the perfect combination of colors for your home. Give us a call today and speak with one of our professionals.