No matter your situation, you can incorporate eco-friendly home ideas into your lifestyle. Not only does living more sustainably help the environment, but it’s good for your health and wallet.
And, contrary to popular belief, it can be a matter of making one small change at a time.
Sure, when renovating or remodeling, there are grand changes you can make—solar panels, greywater collection barrels, and landscaping with drought-tolerant plants are all outstanding ways to go green at home.
But going green at home doesn’t have to be life-altering, and you can enjoy the benefits of a sustainable household with much simpler steps.
Below are 23 sustainable home ideas that will either help you save money or pay for themselves with time. Each tip is categorized under energy-saving, water-saving, waste prevention, or reuse and repurpose—and each is sorted from easiest to hardest (to save you mental energy, too).
Energy-Saving Tips
1. Use power strips (aka surge protectors).
One of the simplest ways to be eco-friendly at home is to plug devices into a power strip and turn the power strip off when you’re not using them. Because of standby energy, or electricity used by devices that are “off,” plugged-in devices can waste energy without your awareness.
You can save up to $100 a year and 10% of your home’s energy with this method.
Just make sure to only use power strips for electronics that use low power, like computers, TVs, and phone chargers. Avoid plugging kitchen equipment and other appliances into power strips as this can be a fire hazard.
2. Use cold water for washing clothes when possible.
Using hot water to wash clothes takes much more energy than using cold water. In fact, about 90% of the energy a washer uses goes toward heating up water.
Cold water works just as well for cleaning, so you can use it for nearly every laundry load. In cases where you have an extra-soiled load, opting for warm water is more efficient than hot water.
3. Install LED light bulbs.
Compared to incandescent light bulbs, LED bulbs emit very little heat and instead redirect that energy to produce light for longer. As a result, LED bulbs certified by ENERGY STAR are 90% more efficient at producing light and last over a decade, much longer than the average incandescent, halogen, or CFL bulb.
You can equip most of your home’s lighting (including outdoors) with LED bulbs, so long as you match the wattage on your light fixtures.
Although LED bulbs are more expensive than your typical incandescent bulbs, the energy savings are clear, which means yearly savings on your electric bill, too.
4. Run your dishwasher at night.
If you don’t mind waiting for clean dishes until the following day, run your dishwasher at night, during your power utility company’s “off-peak hours.”
Off-peak hours are the time periods outside of peak hours (think prime time TV, but for electricity), when electric service companies charge lower rates for energy to match lower demand. Therefore, running your dishwasher during off-peak hours can save energy and money.
If you would rather not wait until off-peak hours, check if your dishwasher has a “delay” button. The “delay” feature lets you choose how long your dishwasher will wait to begin washing your dishes.
5. Line-dry clothes.
Although more time-consuming than using a dryer, drying your clothes on a clothesline—or drying rack for smaller loads—can save energy and money. Don’t feel up to hang-drying every item in your closet? Prioritize your delicates.
On top of the energy benefit of not running your dryer for each and every load, most fabrics will last longer when you air dry them, preserving your clothes, too.
6. Install a smart thermostat.
Smart thermostats are designed to regulate your home’s temperature based on whether you’re away or asleep to avoid the wasted energy of cooling or heating an empty home. They can even tell when you’re on your way home and adjust the AC or heating accordingly.
Most smart thermostats are easy to install yourself and have several settings to best accommodate your temperature preferences.
Smart thermostats are proven to save you money, but they can be pricey upfront. Be sure to remember the long-term cost benefit.
As of 2023, the best thermostats on the market are the:
- Amazon Smart Thermostat
- Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium
- Honeywell Home T9 Smart Thermostat
7. Install double-glazed, or double-paned, windows.
Double-glazed (also called double-paned) windows have two sheets of glass instead of one. Though they take some effort to install, double-glazed windows are a smart way to reduce energy consumption because they don’t leak hot or cold air from the inside. That means keeping your home warmer during the winter and cooler during the summer.
Installing double-glazed windows also means that your HVAC system doesn’t have to work as hard, saving you money in the long run.
8. Invest in solar panels.
Adding solar panels to your roof can be a smart investment depending on where your home is and how long you plan to live there. Renewable energy, like solar power, is one of the more effective ways to help the environment at home.
Try using Google’s Project Sunroof to determine your property’s solar value. All you have to do is enter your address to see the number of hours of annual usable sunlight and estimated savings on your electric bill.
Your region’s electric services company may even buy back extra energy that your solar panels generate.
Water-Saving Tips for Going Green
9. Install low-flow showerheads and toilets.
With the average American household using about 40 gallons of water daily just for showering, it’s a relief that low-flow showerheads exist. Like the name suggests, a low-flow showerhead releases less water per minute than other showerheads.
And, contrary to popular belief, low-flow showerheads don’t use less water pressure, so you can still enjoy your usual shower.
Similarly, low-flow toilets help homes save thousands of gallons per year by using less than a gallon of water per flush.
Look for the Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense labels on showerheads and toilets to help you make this environmentally and financially smart decision.
10. Take shorter showers.
Even with low-flow showerheads, a shorter shower can save a lot of wasted water and money on your water bill. Try to aim for 10 minutes of shower time or less.
11. Fix leaks pronto.
Fixing a leaky faucet, showerhead, or toilet tank may seem like a task for the backburner, especially if the water leaks right down the drain, but over time those drips add up into gallons.
Hire a plumber to ensure your water bill doesn’t fall prey to sneaky leaks.
12. Use an automatic shut-off hose nozzle.
Automatic shut-off nozzles for garden hoses prevent wasted water by controlling the pressure within the hose and allowing you to stop the water without turning the hose off. The nozzles are shaped kind of like a gun, so you can use the trigger to release and contain the water within the hose.
When doing time-consuming activities like gardening, washing your car, or spraying down your outdoor windows, you’ll appreciate the five to eight gallons of water saved per minute.
The nozzle also protects you against drenching any area where you set down an uncovered hose.
13. Go to a car wash.
Going to a commercial car wash to revive your car’s appearance may not seem cheaper than washing your car at home, but research shows that most car washes use 60% less water than at-home washes.
14. Install artificial grass.
Despite a higher initial cost per square foot than your typical sod, fake grass has the potential to make real savings over time. Without the need for irrigation, fake turf saves water and cuts down your bills.
While real sod produces beneficial oxygen, it also produces environmental negatives that outweigh this benefit. Not only will you save water, but you’ll avoid lawn mower pollution, creating pesticide-ridden food for birds and other animals, and contaminating rainwater with pesticides and fertilizer.
15. “Xeriscape” your yard.
A xeriscaped yard chooses drought-tolerant plants and plants that survive well under the natural conditions of the climate. For example, you could choose cacti, which need to be watered infrequently, instead of a plant that requires a lot of water maintenance.
With xeriscaping, you’ll save water for the environment, save money, and have a unique yard to show off.
16. Water your plants with greywater.
Greywater is any water that has been slightly used and does not come in contact with human waste. Think water from your kitchen and bathroom sinks or washing machine.
Although it’s not the easiest of our eco-friendly home tips, if you’re committed to saving and reusing water, you can set up a greywater system that directs water from your house into collection barrels outside. Then, you can use the collected greywater to water your plants.
Because of all the nutrients that are collected in greywater, it’s best not to come in direct contact with it or let it stand for too long, so use it as quickly as you can.
Waste-Reducing Tips for Saving Energy
17. Trade dryer sheets for dryer balls.
Replacing dryer sheets with dryer balls is an easy way to save money and reduce waste. Like dryer sheets, dryer balls reduce static, drying time, and wrinkles—but each one lasts nearly a year.
You can find dryer balls at your local Walmart, Target, or Home Depot.
18. Get a reusable water bottle.
Investing in a metal reusable water bottle is a great way to stay hydrated without the need to waste plastic and money on packs of water bottles.
As an added health benefit, you won’t ingest microplastics like the ones found in plastic disposable bottles. Goodbye, chronic inflammation!
19. Make your own recycling station.
Setting up and using a recycling station inside your home is a simple practice to make your home greener.
Organize different bins for each type of recyclable waste (i.e., one for paper and cardboard, one for plastic, and one for metal) to help the members of your household recycle more consciously and intentionally. After a few days, you’ll develop a habit of recycling each time you toss something out.
20. Compost your food waste.
Composting is the breakdown of organic waste, including yard trimmings, produce, eggshells, and cardboard. When you combine these together in a compost bin and periodically mix them up, over time, the result is nutrient-rich soil that’s perfect for your plants.
Like recycling, composting reduces the amount of waste your home contributes to landfills and is a good example of reuse.
Reusing and Repurposing for a Sustainable Household
21. Reuse plastic and metal containers.
You can repurpose plastic and metal containers to save you the money and unsustainability of buying more plastic products.
Some areas to explore repurposing your containers include:
- Gardening (think plant pots or watering cans)
- Food (in the pantry or the fridge)
- Organization (for your office, desk, cabinets, or kitchen)
- Artwork (for you or your kids to get creative)
Opt for durable containers in less conspicuous areas to avoid cluttering your environmentally friendly home.
22. Buy pre-owned clothes.
Thrifting is an easy way to buy less expensive clothing with more character. With millions of tons of clothing discarded annually in the U.S., buying second-hand is also the more environmentally friendly choice.
23. Buy pre-owned furniture.
Buying pre-owned furniture means creating less demand for new pieces of furniture (that are made with unsustainable materials like particle board).
Pre-owned, or “pre-loved,” furniture also comes with character and, sometimes, a story. By the same merit, it can be a conversation starter for your home. You can even brag that you not only snagged a sweet deal, but that it was an environmentally friendly one.
So, How Exactly Do You Go Green at Home? It’s Up to You.
There are an abundance of eco-friendly home ideas. This article is not an exhaustive list, but it’s sure to get you started and inspired.
Feel free to get creative, but remember to do your own research before trying new green products to ensure they’re safe and as sustainable as they claim to be.
