Your living room is arguably the most special place in your home. It’s the place where everyone gathers to watch television shows and movies, to  battle it out in board games or video games,  to listen to music over the stereo, and to simply relax after a long day.  Because you spend so much of your free time in your living room, why not make it more energy efficient? When you commit to following energy efficient practices at home, you’ll not only help the environment, you’ll help your bank account too. In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, a day devoted to all things green, turn your living room green too!

Follow these simple tips on improving your living room’s efficiency:

Do you remember what your television from your childhood looked like? For starters, your household probably had only one, and it certainly wasn’t in anyone’s bedroom. For years, most of us relied on heavy, box-like systems to entertain us. The televisions of today are significantly larger and their resolutions much clearer. While they’re bigger and better than ever, they’re also using more energy. ENERGY STAR televisions are on average 25 percent more efficient than other models.

Confused or overwhelmed about the benefits and drawbacks of making your home a little more green? Your friendly neighborhood Mr. Electric® professionals are here, helping you understand the bigger picture in your quest for a greener life.

Energy consumption has more to do with having a green home than age. Newer homes with added square footage, vaulted ceilings and an array of high-tech electronics often consume a great deal of energy. Rather than upgrading, consider the size home that adequately fits your needs. With the help of an energy audit, air sealing and insulation, and efficient appliances, you’ll be well on your way to a green home, regardless of age.  

Simply plugging gaps, holes and other air leaks in your home and beneath insulation in your attic can reduce your demand for nonrenewable energy by up to 40 percent. Thinking about investing in a little new insulation? Don’t sweat it if the top-of-the-line insulation is out of your price range – all insulation is green. Go with what’s in your price range today and get those heating and cooling bills down tomorrow. There’s nothing greener than reducing energy consumption.

Don’t become brainwashed by greenwashing companies who put more thought into labeling their products to gain your purchase than into sustainability practices. Avoid deceitful marketing tactics by getting to know which labels are truly green in your local hardware store:

Replacing those old incandescents with CFLs or LEDs pays for itself over the lifespan of the bulbs, which not only use a fraction of the energy, but last far longer as well. Aren’t you tired of repeatedly replacing burnt out bulbs?

Huh? You heard right. Incandescents and halogens should ALWAYS be turned off when you leave the room. Why? They are less efficient. CFLs, however, are a bit more complicated. They cost 75 percent less to operate than an incandescent. However, turning them on and off reduces their operating life, which can cost you more in bulb replacements. The Department of Energy’s advice: If you’ll be out of the room for 15 minutes or less, leave it on.

Items with a power adapter, indicator light, standby function, or clock can suck up energy even when they’re turned off, draining you to the tune of 5 percent or more of your power bill. The typical cable box alone uses half the electricity of an Energy Star fridge. Multiply that times the number of these items in your house (TVs, computers, microwaves, cell phone chargers). To take a big bite out of your electric bill, plug these items into a power strip so they can be turned off when not in use. In addition, have wiring inspected to ensure poor connections and undersized wiring aren’t contributing to additional energy loss and higher bills.

Adjusting your thermostat 10 to 15 degrees for 8 hours a day can save you 5-15 percent per year on heating and cooling costs – 1 percent for each degree it’s set back. Make the savings hassle-free with the installation of an inexpensive programmable or Wi-Fi home thermostat.

Lately, there has been a lot of buzz about 3D projection mapping. I first heard about it from an electronic music enthusiast who plans to acquire projection mapping software and add this extreme visual component to his live shows. But many people were introduced to projection mapping from the coverage of the Winter Olympics in Sochi this year or from the viral video of projection mapping shown below, a pre-game show on the court floor at a Cleveland Cavaliers game. Prepare to be astonished.