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Eco-friendly living room

The two big environmental issues in your living room are energy and chemicals. Energy for heating, air-conditioning, lighting and home theatre devices creates greenhouse gas emissions. Chemicals in paint, furniture, carpets and other furnishings emit toxins that may cause health problems. A third issue, if you have timber flooring, is whether the wood has come from a sustainable source.

Home entertainment

Electrical devices such as television, DVD players, hi-fi and computers consume energy. Large plasma-screen TVs are particularly energy-hungry and their increasing popularity is one reason electricity use in Australian homes continues to rise. Consider sticking with a normal-size TV.

Get into the habit of turning things off properly as standby power can use up to 10 per cent of household electricity. If something still has a light or clock on, then it’s still using electricity. The best bet is to turn it off at the wall (unless it requires fiddly re-programming, such as a VCR).

Lighting

Replace any incandescent lightbulbs with energy-saving compact fluorescent ones, which nowadays only cost a few dollars each.

Halogen downlights are more of a problem. They may be low voltage, but they are still energy guzzlers - it is wattage, not voltage, that determines energy consumption. In fact, halogen downlights can use six times more energy than a compact fluorescent. They also reduce the efficiency of ceiling insulation, because you can't lay insulating batts over downlights - the heat from the lights makes it a fire risk.

Ultra-efficient energy-saving LED downlights are now available but remain quite expensive - although they will still save you money over their lifetime. If you can't afford them, use your downlights sparingly. Better still, don't install them in the first place.

Flooring

Nylon carpets are made from petroleum - a non-renewable and polluting resource - and are usually treated with chemicals as dyes, fire-retardants, mothproofing, anti-stain treatments and so on. These chemicals are slowly released into the air of your living room.

Wool carpets are healthier and more environmentally-friendly, but may still have chemical treatments, while the latex backing used on most carpets contains styrene, a suspected carcinogen. The best carpeting option is an untreated wool carpet with hessian backing. Wool, incidentally, is naturally flame retardant.

But all carpets harbour dustmites that can cause allergies. Instead, consider tiles or timber, or explore natural floorings such as cork tiles, sisal or jute. For timber flooring, look for recycled floorboards or FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified timber to ensure the wood did not come from an unsustainable source. Bamboo is an attractive, eco-friendly alternative to timber flooring.

Furniture and furnishings

Furniture and fittings such as sofas, armchairs, curtains and blinds are also treated with chemicals to make them fire, pest and stain resistant. When buying cushion covers, throws, curtains and other furnishings look for untreated natural materials such as linen, hemp, organic cotton or organic wool.

Note that formaldehyde, a possible carcinogen, is often used as a glue in shelves and chairs and other furniture, particularly in pressed woods such as particleboard. Choose solid timber instead.

But, again, make sure the timber in wooden furniture is sustainably sourced. Avoid tropical hardwoods unless they have FSC certification, or hunt around second-hand shops and garage sales for second-hand furniture.

Chemical-free painting and cleaning

Reduce chemicals in your living room's air by cleaning with microfibre dusters and mops (which don't need detergents) and non-toxic natural cleaners. When decorating, use low-toxic paints, which are water based and use natural plant and mineral dyes instead of synthetic chemicals. Seal and polish timber floors and furniture with varnishes and polishes made from natural ingredients such as linseed oil and beeswax.

Heating and cooling

Good insulation will reduce the energy you need to heat and cool your living room. Shade north- or west-facing windows with curtains, blinds or shutters on hot days and ensure the ceiling and walls are adequately insulated.

While there has been a move towards open-plan home living areas in recent years, retaining some internal doors means you can close them on hot or cold days, allowing you to only heat or cool the room you are in, rather than the whole house. This can significantly reduce your energy bills.

In summer, use portable or ceiling fans - they use far less energy than air conditioning. If you really want air-conditioning then consider evaporative air conditioning, which uses less energy than ducted air-conditioning. (However, evaporative air-conditioning doesn't work well in very humid climates.)

Fresh air!

Finally, make sure your living room gets plenty of fresh air by opening windows regularly. Indoor plants also improve air quality by absorbing toxins from the atmosphere.