​​​How to save energy in the living room​

As the biggest energy user, the journey to save energy in any part of the home begins with the heating and cooling system(s). 

There are many ways to increase your heating, ventilation and air conditioning’s (HVAC) energy efficiency by purchasing energy-efficient air conditioners, furnaces, space heaters, fans and other heating and cooling systems. The higher the seasonal energy efficiency ratio 2 (SEER2) or energy efficiency ratio 2 (EER2) rating for the system, the more energy efficient the unit will be.

For the best HVAC performance you should inspect your filters, and replace them if necessary, every month. If your filter is reusable, it can be cleaned with a vacuum, or soaked in a half water/half vinegar solution in the tub. 

Cleaning your HVAC filters can help your air quality and furnace or AC performance significantly. In addition, you should have professionals service your HVAC equipment at least once per year to check fluid levels, leaks, wiring and other aspects. A well-maintained unit is more efficient and lasts longer than a dirty or damaged one.

When you’re in the living room, fans are an energy-easy way to spread cooled air from your AC around. Just don’t forget to turn them off when you leave the room. ​

If you leave the house altogether–or if your thermostat allows you to program specific parts of the house–raise the temperature on your air conditioning to at least 78 degrees. 

Keep interior doors open​

It’s a popular misconception that closing doors to rooms no one is occupying is a way to funnel cool air to the rooms you are in. However, this doesn’t work with central air conditioning units, which is the most common type of home air conditioning equipment. In fact, closing doors may have the opposite effect to the one you intended. ​

A central air conditioner is designed to cool the entire home. Shutting the door to a room builds negative pressure in it that then sucks air from around the house…or even outside through leaks. This has the effect of disrupting the ventilation in the home and possibly making it hotter. The same is true for vents. Instead of closing them, clean them with a vacuum to ensure proper airflow and performance. 

Use energy-efficient appliances and devices

The modern living room can include quite a few electronics that can add up to large energy consumption pretty quickly. That’s why if you’re replacing or adding a device, check to make sure it’s energy efficient first. 

ENERGY STAR is an easy way to find such products, either by looking for the sticker on the box in the store or browsing the website’s Products Finder. The program rates a variety of living room equipment including:

• TVs
  
• set-top boxes
• digital media players
• soundbars
• MP3 speaker docks
• amplifiers
• AV receivers
• Blu-ray Disc players
• DVD players​​
  
  

If your desired device isn’t rated by ENERGY STAR, you may still be able to find information in the specifications that you can use to compare it to an ENERGY STAR-rated item–and you might find it still conserves energy well. For example, many online TV sales listings contain the estimated annual electricity use, which ENERGY STAR also uses. By filtering the ENERGY STAR results by size, you can see how TVs in your desired TV’s size range perform. 

Kill energy vampires​

Energy drainers–also known as “energy vampires”--are electronic devices and appliances that suck up electricity by hovering in standby or ready mode constantly and never fully powering off. Electronics commonly found in  living rooms such as TVs and video game consoles are notorious energy vampires; in fact, ENERGY STAR has an entire page dedicated to dialing back the power consumption of game consoles. ​

A smart outlet or remote-controlled power strip are easy ways to turn off all your entertainment center gear at once when no one’s using it. Making sure you don’t leave the TV on with your video game on pause for hours at a time will make a difference in your energy bill. 

Tailor your lighting…​

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Unlike kitchens, living rooms are typically less about function and more about aesthetics and mood. That means you can often do perfectly well with fewer and/or dimmer lights turned on, which can save energy.  

For example, rather than illuminating the entire room with ceiling lights, a couple of well-placed lamps may be enough for whatever leisurely activity you engage in. Utilizing corners takes advantage of walls’ ability to reflect light and make each lamp more impactful, or task lighting such as reading lamps or under-cabinet lights.

Whether you use ceiling lights or task lights, keeping bulbs clean by dusting them will help you get the most light out of them. 

Three-way bulbs can help you reach the amount of light you need at the lowest amount of wattage. And if you have trouble remembering to turn lights off, automatic timers can help you save energy by shutting off at set times. 

...while controlling natural light​

Since most living rooms typically have several windows, opening up window coverings to let sunlight in is an energy-free way to light the space. Of course, this will likely have the effect of heating your living room, potentially by several degrees, depending on your windows. 

In the cooler months, this is a great way to save energy on heating. During the summer, the best energy-saving technique is usually to block as much sunlight as possible to save energy your air conditioner has to expend to keep the room cool. 

If you’re fortunate enough to have low-e windows installed already, your heat gain and loss could be minimal enough that you can leave the curtains open most of the year or even year-round.

Instead of installing low-e windows, you could have an after-market film applied that can let in light while blocking UV rays and heat. Solar or shade mesh is another option that installs on the exterior of windows and blocks solar heat and light, while still letting natural light through.​

Returning to the subject of walls, you can maximize natural light with white, high-gloss paint, as white is the most reflective color. But any pale color with an LRV (light reflectance value) above 50 such as light blue, pastel yellow and gray can help you avoid the need to turn the lights on during the day. Adding mirrors can help cast light around, as well.

Open the windows at night​

In cooler climates, letting the breeze in through open windows in the living room is another way to keep from having to run the air conditioner. For safety reasons, this is best restricted to windows that aren’t easily accessible, such as windows along the back side of your home. You can also pair them with motion sensors or cameras for added security. Your home security system may even let you bypass the sensor of specific windows if you want them left open overnight.