Painting your walls this colour could save you nearly £300 in heating bills

The well-known family argument over the best temperature for the house could finally be settled simply by repainting the walls. Scientists at Oxford University and Valspar have revealed that the colour you paint your walls can have an impact on how warm or cool you feel. The results came from a study, which assessed whether certain colours affected the perception of body temperature in 157 participants. Participants were placed in three different rooms and asked to record the temperatures they perceived themselves to be. All of the rooms were kept at an ambient temperature of 18 degrees, however each one was painted a different colour. Which colour makes you feel the warmest? The results revealed that 31 per cent of participants felt warmest in the olive green room, with some even reporting feeling five degrees warmer than the actual temperature. Furthermore, 55 per cent of those who took part felt most comfortable in a coral-coloured room, and 28 per cent felt coolest in a dark blue room. Based on these findings, researchers believe that painting your room olive could save you £270 in heating bills as you use less fuel as you feel the need to use your central heating less often. Professor Charles Spence, who led the study, said, “Olive green features undertones of warming shades, such as yellow and brown, which may explain why it was such a popular choice for making participants physically warmer when it came to body temperature. “In regards to the home, these suggestive findings offer some intriguing possible solutions on how to help save on fuel costs.”