11 Jun How Exterior Paint Color Can Effect Your Energy Bill
Another Kansas City summer is upon us. Soon the rains will have broken and the intense heat and wind will be back to their old tricks. This means that your energy bills will be back to theirs as well, skyrocketing north to obscene amounts. Speaking of, let’s get to the topic of this post. Exterior paint color and its impact on your energy bill. Can it really matter at all?
The answer is, yes. Just like keeping cool in a light-colored shirt on a hot day, the lighter shades of paint on your homes exterior reflects more light than do darker ones. The reason that light-colored materials reflect more light than darker materials is actually rather complex but basically comes down to the number and type of chemical bonds in a material—these bonds affect what kind of light (specifically what wavelength) it absorbs. This also is a consideration when you are choosing shingles for your roof – which makes one wonder why more people haven’t started adopting white roofs – but I digress.
Not only can lighter exterior paint jobs change your energy bill, but these lighter colors resist UV fading, and they have a longer color retention saving you money by stretching out the years before repainting again. Also, wood rot repair can help as well. Wood rot around windows can let heaps of cool air escape, and make it hard to keep older homes in shape. Many people opt for expensive window replacements when in fact the windows are fine…it’s the wooden exteriors that are leaking costly cooled air.
Most people think of a new HVAC unit or a fresh layer of insulation when they think about energy efficiency…but your home’s exterior color is another thing to consider. So as you consider planning what to do with your home’s cracked and peeling paint, think of the impact on your wallet. Not sure what to choose? Neighborhood Painting Inc offers free color consultations to our customers. It’s a great way to make a smart – and economical – decision.
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