Beat the Heat
If you’ve lived in Florida long enough, you know that it can get pretty warm down here, especially in the summer. While you might have a tendency to crank up the air conditioner when things start to get warm, there’s actually a more cost-effective and environmentally-friendly way to keep your home cool. All it takes is a little home improvement. By repainting your home in select “cooler” colors, you can enjoy a much more hospitable home environment. You just need to remember that cooler colors cool your home and reduce ac bills.
How Heat is Absorbed
You may have never considered the ramifications of having your home being painted a certain color, but it makes sense. After all, when it’s hot outside, you most likely aren’t wearing a black T-shirt, are you? If your home has a particularly dark color scheme, it’s akin to your house wearing a giant black T-shirt. That said, the one who’s going to end up sweating isn’t your house, but rather, yourself. It’s not a small amount either. A report from the Department of Energy found that 70 to 90 percent of the sun’s energy can make its way into a home on the virtue of having a dark paint job. With lighter shades, that energy is reduced by around 35 percent. Your home could be over thirty percent color, and it wouldn’t be at the expense of your energy bill.
Choosing the Right Colors
Therefore, if you are looking to repaint your home in hopes of cooling off, you need to shy away from colors that have a tendency to absorb heat. Lean towards lighter shades that are visually pleasing as well. Look through paint samplers and work to find a color which everyone can agree upon. If there are disagreements about the right color, then discuss amongst yourselves which colors you each would and wouldn’t like to have for your house. Also, consider other actions you take to stay cool in the warmer months, such as wearing fewer layers and staying hydrated.
Getting Your Home Repainted
Repainting your entire home can be an arduous process, so it’s best to leave it to professionals. When you contact a professional painting service, be sure to advise them of your intentions. They should be able to offer you additional guidance and possibly help steer you towards a shade of paint that you had not previously considered. Or, alternatively, they might steer you away from a shade that might not ward off rays quite like you were hoping it would. It is best to consider just how cool you would like for your home to be and the timing. You should also consider your plans for repainting now before it becomes too hot outside. You’ll feel much better if you are pre-emptive when it comes to protecting your home against the heat.
Note the Differences
Having your home repainted is going to have a different cooling effect that having an air conditioner or even a heavy-duty fan running. You might not even be aware of how much cooler your home is until you step outside on a particularly muggy day or enter the home of someone whose paint scheme is much darker.
As good as staying cool feels for your personal body temperature, you’re likely to feel a substantial amount of relief in your wallet. With less of a need to consume energy via your air conditioner, you should save substantially on energy. Compare your energy bills after having your home repainted with those from previous summers, and you should hopefully see a reduction.
However, there might be days which are particularly warm and your cool, new paint isn’t quite enough to relieve you of the warmth. In these instances, it’s perfectly understandable to use your air conditioning. However, since your home’s heat is already reduced so much by the paint, you should feel comfortable with your air conditioning on a low setting.
Get Your Home Repainted Today
If you’re dreading the upcoming summer and the high temperatures that will occur, fear not. You can reduce ac bills while still keeping your home as cool as possible. A cooler shade of paint for your house will cool you down much like shade under a tree. You just need to remember one thing: cooler colors cool your home.
Our Services
At Mahle Cool Air & Heating, we are dedicated to providing customers with the absolute best in home improvement for keeping your home as comfortable as possible. Whether it’s a matter of helping to repair your air conditioner or offering thorough cleaning of your air ducts, we can ensure that you will be satisfied with the service you receive from us.