LIVING ROOM
Phantom energy is a big problem in the living room: studies by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory suggest that the average home contains 40 appliances that are constantly sucking power in standby mode, including televisions, sound systems and gaming consoles. By plugging these into a smart power strip (£26.99; box.co.uk), you can set them to turn off at night, saving you up to £100 a year on your bill. Turning down the brightness on your television will also reduce your energy consumption, Jackman adds.
The design of your living room will also affect your bills: put down rugs to keep in heat, hang heavy curtains at windows to prevent draughts and don’t block radiators with furniture, Jackman warns. “Move your sofa out of the way of radiators to allow heat to circulate,” he says. “If you position your furniture towards the centre of the room, rather than on external walls, you’ll need less heating.”
If your living room has a fireplace, installing a Chimney Sheep (chimneysheep.co.uk), a thick layer of felt that can be inserted up the chimney when the fireplace isn’t in use, or a chimney balloon, can save £17 per year on wasted energy, according to the Energy Saving Trust. You might want to use your fire, though; if you live in an area where wood-burning stoves are permitted, burning logs can save you up to £400 per year on energy bills.