1. Smart TVs

With more people having smart TVs in their homes, it’s important to use their features to your advantage.

  • An obvious and easy fix will be setting your auto-off timer to a shorter period of time, which will prompt you to think if your TV needs to be on while you are consuming content on your smartphone, cooking or in the middle of your Christmas dinner.
  • Also, reducing your TV’s brightness will help lower its energy consumption – check your settings and adjust them to brightness levels that feel good for you, which in many cases is lower than the factory settings.
  • If you are in the market for a new TV, check its energy rating! Most TVs have an energy class of E or lower, so aiming for E will ensure that you are getting an energy-efficient TV.

2. Smart Thermostats 

  • Firstly, you can use your heating history to spot your patterns and identify the most common times you tend to turn the heating on and for how long. From there, you can create a schedule to suit your needs in the most energy-efficient way.
  • Explore the zonal heating features of your smart thermostat, as there might not be a need to have the heating on in all rooms at the same time. Also, if you are not at home, you can turn the heating off via your smartphone regardless of the scheduled times.
  • If you don’t have a smart thermostat, the upcoming sales might be the best time to get one to reduce the upfront cost of this energy-saving device.

3. Smart Light Bulbs

  • Smart light bulbs are 25-30% more efficient than traditional ones hence they use less energy and heat while providing the same light quality – so what’s not to love about them? Simply by installing them in one or all rooms in your home, they will provide a significant difference to your energy consumption.
  • With all features being accessible on your phone, you are in full control of their brightness, and you can adjust them individually, ensuring the right atmosphere that is also cost-effective.
  • Smart bulbs also last up to 25 times longer than traditional ones, ensuring they are worth the investment.

With smart home devices being increasingly popular for both helping with energy efficiency and allowing greater comfort in your home, the look of modern living rooms is changing rapidly.

Very.co.uk reimagined the living room to make it fully smart home friendly here.