It’s a battle that many families face, but getting the perfect temperature in your home could be achieved - by painting your walls.
A new study led by Oxford University and Valspar has revealed that painting your walls certain colours can make you feel physically warmer or cooler.
In the study, the researchers tested whether certain colours affected the perception of body temperature in 157 participants.
Participants were placed in three separate rooms, and were asked to record the body temperature they felt from one room to the next.
While all three rooms were set at an ambient temperature of 18°C, they were each painted a different colour.
The results revealed that 31% of participants felt warmest in the olive green room, with some even reporting feeling five degrees warmer than the actual temperature.
Meanwhile, 55% of participants feel most comfortable in a coral room, and 28% felt coolest in a dark blue room.
Based on these findings, the researchers suggest that painting your home olive green could save you up to £270 a year on heating bills.
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.”
