Paint Color and Thermal Bridging, Heat Transfer

[keightley]

So I am wondering.  I have painted the outside of my 2003 Chevy Express with Upol Raptor paint.  It looks awesome by the way.



My next paint project is the interior after I do some touch up of areas that I missed because of poor masking.  Case in point, check out this picture.



I also need to do the door jams and the interior side of the hood.  All of which I plan to do in blue.  My questions at this point involve paint color for the interior cargo area.  I was initially thinking of painting the interior in white.  White reflects heat so will painting the interior reflect heat out or in?  Then again, does it even matter?  I will be covering the van interior in insulation, wood paneling, and cabinets.  So what ever benefits white would have would most likely be minuscule or even mitigated, right?  Because now I am thinking if I just paint the interior the blue and the areas that need touching up, I wouldn't waste paint.

I would love to know people's thoughts and advice on this as soon as possible.  I am prepping the interior and areas where I need to touch up the exterior paint today.  Hopefully I will have this all done by the end of the week.  So I need to chose a color for the interior sooner rather than later. 

Cheers,
Keightley

 

[maki2]

You are correct in that it won't make a significant difference for an alternative color on the interior walls.

If you have a radiant heat source having a reflector behind it will help direct all the heat towards where the heater is aimed. That would typically be pointing towards where you are sitting. Radiant heat aimed at your body will make you feel warmer for less energy output that heating the whole interior space. In your bed area some type of padding on the walls such as carpet or qulited fabric that helps to reduce contact with cold surfaces will help as well. You lose a lot of heat through your head and your pillow and head are typically close to a wall. Your feet get colder at night. These little changes can make a difference in your comfort.

 

[DannyB1954]

The paint color would matter the most where the sun shines on it. A black vehicle gets hotter than a white one. For the inside this would have little difference. Having a radiant reflective material on the inside would help you in cold climates and be somewhat harmful in warm climates. I hate being cold, so I used it in my van build.
I figured that I had enough battery power to run a roof fan if it got too warm inside, but for most of the year retaining heat especially at night is a plus. Where I live it can get darn hot in the summer, but for most of the year nights are chilly.

 

[Groovy2]

light color inside makes it easier to see -
dark color U will need more lights On

 

[MyShadowandMe]

I lived up around 9000' in the Rockies for 8 years, two of it alone. One thing I learned. Light colors can be very important to your mental well being. Especially in a small space. With the radiant heat, white or any light color, may reflect heat but dark colors would absorb it, holding onto the heat. I know that white upholstery does not get as hot as black So I would assume that light colors would keep an interior somewhat cooler in the summer???