Want to save money on your energy bill this year? The living room is a great place to start your energy audit, as it’s where we spend a lot of time and use a lot of power-hungry appliances. Following are some tips to help you reduce energy use in your living room.
- Lower your heating and cooling bills by replacing your single pane windows with energy efficient windows. All of Wallside’s windows feature the energy-saving INTERCEPT Spacer system and dual-pane insulated glass.
- Consider insulated drapes or blinds on your windows to keep warm air inside during winter, and summer heat out. Tinted window film can also help insulate against solar heat during the summer and keep furniture and carpets from fading. Contact our expert team at Wallside Windows of Detroit at (313) 908-5243 to learn more about the different energy-efficient treatments you can pair with your windows.
- Caulk around window leaks or install low-cost, clear plastic window sheeting over leaking windows to keep cold air out. The plastic must be sealed tightly to the frame to help reduce infiltration. - Switch over to ENERGY STAR® qualified lighting fixtures or bulbs to save about $6 per bulb or about $14 a fixture annually on your energy bill. ENERGY STAR® certified compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) and light emitting diodes (LEDs) use 75 percent less energy than comparable incandescent light bulbs and last about 10 to 50 times longer.
- Plug your TV, DVD and other home electronics into power strips, and turn the power strips off when the equipment isn’t in use. Even in standby mode, TVs and DVDs still use several watts of power. Gaming systems are especially power hungry, with some consoles using almost as much power as your TV. To be safe, unplug your gaming console when you’re done.
- Avoid placing heat-emitting appliances such as TVs or lamps near a thermostat.
- Turn off the lights in any room you’re not using and consider installing timers or sensors to help reduce the amount of time your lights are on. - To prevent cold air creeping in through the fireplace, keep the damper tightly closed whenever the fireplace isn’t in use. You can also install a tight-fitting fireplace door, or even better, a blower motor.
1. De-clutter and clean
Clearing out clutter is the first step in any makeover, as it’s hard to see a room’s potential with random mess and ancient keepsakes in the way. Attack clutter hot-spots such as front entryways and nightstands. Buy some cheap baskets and storage boxes and use them to organize and store the belongings you don’t need out of view. Anything you don’t need – and be ruthless here – should be thrown away or donated to a charity store. Once you have more space to think, get your home sparkling with a top-to-toe clean. Vacuum and wash your floors, wipe away the dust coating your furniture and appliances, and wash your windows inside and out to let the winter sun shine in.
You don’t have to spend a fortune to transform a tired room. Below are five inexpensive ways to add life, warmth and style to any room in your house.
1. Paint the ceiling red…or another color
We often forget about the design potential of our fifth wall. But the off-white canvass above your heads is actually an amazing opportunity to change a room’s overall ambience and layout. For a bold, elegant look, try uniting the ceiling and walls with a single color set off by crisp white trim. If your wall color is very rich, then go one or two shades lighter on the ceiling. You can also use the ceiling to inject color and personality into a plain white room. In small rooms, this is a good way to add both visual interest and a sense of vertical space.
2. Downsize your furniture
Writers talk about needing to “kill their darlings” and the same is true of us homemakers, who are often sentimentally attached to items of furniture that we would do better without. This is especially true for over-sized pieces such as sofas, coffee tables and armchairs. Simply by removing one or two bulky items of furniture, you can add space and energy to a room and let it breathe again. Alternatively, substitute smaller pieces. If your coffee table takes up too much real estate, replace it with a smaller table or chest, or throw a stylish runner or mat on an unused piano bench. Transparent tables can also trick your eyes into making the space seem bigger.
3. Cultivate an indoor garden
Nothing livens up a room quite like a touch of nature – verdant pot plants or fragrant flowers. And according to the ancient Chinese philosophy of feng shui, decorating with flora will create harmony in your home. Hang baskets of ferns or feathery herbs such as lavender or woolly lamb's ear in the bedroom and place broad-leaved pot plants such as peace lilies, spider plants and weeping figs in the living room. In the kitchen, an indoor herb garden is a wonderfully practical option. Buy grown plants and keep them in a brightly lit area that is out of direct sunlight, or try a windowsill planter. Also shop for some statement vases to display freshly cut flowers in.
4. Add new colors and textures
You can transform a room for very little cost by introducing new colors, materials and textures. Jazz up a neutral sofa with a bold zebra print cushion or balance a bold armchair with neutral-colored throw in a different texture. Mix and match with patterns if you like an eclectic aesthetic, or choose accessories that fit tonally and use repetition if you’re more of a minimalist. Add warmth to a cool-toned room with a wood or wicker table, or create contrast in a dark room with wall mirrors and an industrial silver lamp. If you have floorboards, don't forget the statement power of a good floor rug.
5. Light up the room
Good lighting adds drama and romance to even the most understated of rooms. Instead of harsh overhead lighting, use the soft, diffused lighting of table and floor lamps. Position them next to your favorite reading spots or your beloved pieces of art. Consider installing uplights and spotlights if your budget allows. Or, if you'd prefer a more natural approach, there's always new 