53+ Eco Friendly Home Ideas (For 2023 And Beyond)

Would you be interested in learning about ways to save money, help out the environment, and about some cool technology that you can impress your friends with? This article has everything you need for some inspiration and ideas on how to make your home more eco friendly and sustainable. 

While the world is changing every day, our environment and natural resources are becoming more and more crucial to preserve. While big changes need to be made in our society, there are things everyone can do to help improve the environment. These changes are simple to do and might even save you money in the long run. 

Continue reading for the best eco friendly and sustainable home ideas. 

What Are The Best Eco Friendly Home Ideas?

1. Eco Friendly Media Center

Our living rooms are for entertainment. Whether it’s just for ourselves, our families, or large gatherings. In the 21st century much of our entertainment revolves around technology and television. We have a lot of technology available to us in our entertainment centers. Video game consoles, DVD and blue ray players, stereo systems, and even WIFI routers. With all this technology we need somewhere to store everything while being easily accessible and close to the TV. 

Console tables or media centers can be stylish, convenient, and also eco friendly if you know where to look. Places like West Elm have sustainably sourced furniture that looks good and is also good for the environment. 

Image by StockSnap from Pixabay

2. Eco Friendly Couches

The couch is the center point of our living room. It’s where we watch the big game and entertain our friends and family. Couches come in a variety of shapes, sizes, colors, and finishes. 

Eco friendly couches are becoming more available. They are continuing to prove that you do not need to sacrifice style to be eco friendly. Many brands like Burrow have a variety of couches and collections that suit your particular style all the while being made with eco friendly materials

3. Eco Friendly Furniture

Eco friendly furniture is a great way to incorporate sustainable design into your home. There are has lots of furniture brands that focus on producing high-quality and sustainable furniture for you and your home. These brands have certifications and care about where their materials come from as well as who makes them. 

4. Eco Friendly Window Treatments

Window treatments like blinds and curtains can be smart investments in your heating and cooling efforts.eco friendly window treatments can keep out the sun when needed and also provide you with solar and sound dampening qualities. 

5. Eco Friendly Rugs For The Home

Rugs are great ideas for anyone with a busy living room, anyone looking to soften a hardwood or plank floor, or even just looking to add some interest to their space. Rugs can be made from a variety of materials. Many of which can be eco friendly and nontoxic for your home. 

Wool, organic cotton, and other natural fibers can be incorporated into rugs. These materials are nontoxic and sustainable.Eco friendly rugs like this one by Hancock are available in a variety of sizes and styles so you don’t have to compromise on style to go a little green. 

Image by Pexels from Pixabay

6. Energy-Efficient Lights

Whether you are in a new or older home, saving energy is always an important thing to keep in mind. Looking for energy-efficient lights will save energy and in turn save you money on your power bill.

LED ceiling lights have a variety of features making them great choices for living rooms. You can find them in a few different light colors. They are also dimmable to help set the ambiance. LED lights can be bright and extremely long-lasting with some with an estimated life of 50,000 hours. That’s over 5 and a half years. Of continuous use. 

7. Ceiling Fan

Ceiling fans serve more of a purpose than just cooling you off when you come in from a hot summer day. Having a Ceiling fan in your living room is great for circulating air through your whole house. Ceiling fans help with temperature regulation across the whole home and can lower your home by a few degrees without the help of your air conditioning. 

Ceiling fans have a variety of options also. They can come with a light or remote control, and you can find ceiling fans in nearly any style and shape to help complete your living room. 

8. Eco Friendly Carpet

Putting carpet in your living room has many benefits. Carpet is an easy way to give a living room a cozy feel. The carpet makes a soft floor for any young ones to play on. Carpet can also help reduce noise in the room. 

Eco friendly carpet is available in a variety of different materials, finishes, and colors. 

9. Eco Friendly Plank Flooring

If you are considering hardwood or luxury vinyl plank flooring, eco friendly plank flooring options are something worth considering. Luxury vinyl floors are a perfect option for use in a high-traffic area like a living room. 

You can find eco friendly plank flooring that is highly durable, and totally waterproof, and since these are engineered products, they are available in nearly any color and texture option you can think of. They can have a strong look-alike appearance to wood, tile, or stone.  Plank flooring is easy to install and can be done with minimal tools and is free of glue or nails. 

Brands like Cali Bamboo make sure their products are certified eco friendly and also emit low to zero VOCs in your home once installed. 

10. Energy-Efficient Television

Since almost everyone has a TV these days, it is worth mentioning that using an energy-efficient tv for your living room is a smart idea. If you have an old tv, consider reinvesting in your home and upgrading to a new unit. Not only will the picture of your new tv most likely be much better, but there will be some energy savings also. 

Dont forget that new TVs are also usually equipped with smart features that pack a lot of apps, and other goodies into the TV itself thus limiting the need for multiple remotes. This not only eliminates clutter, but also confusion. 

11. Green Home Decorations

Our home is our place to show off our personal interests, hobbies, memories, and really anything else that interests us. If you have a newly remodeled living room or maybe you are just looking to change things up a bit. Chances are you are wanting to get some new decorations. 

As you are looking for your new decorations, consider looking for eco friendly items. Things like these bamboo shelves are made of sustainable bamboo, are built to last, and when you are done with them will not sit in a landfill for years to come. 

Eco friendly decorations may also be recycled items you find at thrift stores or new products made of sustainable and non-toxic products and finishes. 

13. Eco Friendly Curtains

Curtains are made from a variety of materials, You can find some great looking curtains made with eco friendly materials. These curtains promote great light and sound dampening qualities while helping keep your home air quality healthy for you and your family.

14. Energy Efficient Windows

Windows are such a strong feature of any living room. They let in natural light to our space, let us show off our holiday decor to our neighbors, and are the perfect way to watch a rainy day go by from the comforts of our couch. 

Windows are an important eco friendly feature of your living room as their quality dictates a lot on whether the room is able to regulate temperature easily. Older windows may have a harder time keeping the outside air and temperature from working their way through the glass and into your living room. A window’s ability to resist temperature fluctuation is called its R-value. 

New windows usually have a higher r-value than older windows. If you are looking for an eco friendly living room idea, take a look at your windows and consider an upgrade. 

15. Energy Efficient Home Appliances

Energy efficient appliances are becoming more popular as we all deal with rising energy costs. Appliances often advertise their saving opportunities to help you with your purchase decision. Energy efficient appliances focus on saving you money. 

16. Smart Thermostats

As our homes become smarter and technology gets more and more involved in our everyday lives. We should take advantage of it to help make our homes as eco friendly and efficient as possible. We can incorporate things like smart thermostats. These thermostats give you the power to control your home’s temperature from your phone. That means anywhere, anytime. 

17. Energy-Efficient Accent Lights

We all want that perfect accent light. The light fixture ties your room together introducing a sense of style and a nice talking point. Consider looking for energy-efficient accent lights that use low energy-consuming lights or are made from sustainable materials. 

18. Consider Building Orientation

If you are building a new home or even renovating an existing house, Use the buildings orientation in your design. Consider the sun’s location when planning your window layout and roof slopes. Even consider the prevailing winds if you want to enjoy the perfect breeze through your house. 

19. Build In Roof Overhangs

The sun is a powerful source of heat whether you want it or not. Take advantage of the heat in the winter, and avoid the harshness of the sun in the summer. Designing the perfect overhang depth and height will provide the warm sun in the winter while blocking the sun in the summer. 

20. Look Into Passive Solar

If you are looking into roof overhangs, you might be interested in passive solar efforts also. A little more complicated than overhangs, use the medium in your that you can heat up during the day and then use the radiant heat throughout the night to keep your home warmer. This usually involves a dense material like brick or concrete. 

21. Invest In A Home Wind Turbine

If you live in a windy area, you might be wise to look into a home wind turbine. Unlike solar panels, this turbine can run rain or shine providing you with a constant source as long as the wind is blowing. 

22. Go Solar Panels

Solar is becoming more and more popular. This is a good thing as technology is advancing while the price stabilizes. Solar panels can be a great way to offset your energy uses. Pairing the solar panel system with other eco friendly efforts can put you on your way to a net zero home. 

23. Install Geothermal Heating And Cooling

Geothermal uses the earth as a source of constant temperature to heat and cool your home. These can be installed with new and existing homes and are incredibly eco friendly. Powered with solar panels, your carbon footprint will be minimalized.

24. Efficient Toilets

Conserving energy is important, but so is conserving water. Toilets can be a large source of water waste on a day to day. Consider looking for water-saving toilets that will help cut down on your water usage. 

25. Air Source Heat Pumps

Another eco friendly home option to heat and cool your home. Air source heat pumps take the outside air and convert and transfer the energy into your home using sophisticated technology. These can be less cost prohibitive than you think with government credits.

26. Water-Saving Fixtures

Eco friendly homes should also focus on maintaining low water use. Investing in water-saving water fixtures for your bathroom and kitchen can help you save money and water. 

27. Rain Capture Tanks

Check with your local government before installing rainwater harvesting systems for your home. If you do install these, these can be great ways to conserve water. Water your garden or lawn with rainwater harvested from your roof. 

28. Highly Insulated Walls And Roofs

Focusing on keeping your home well insulated is another way to conserve energy. Focus on keeping your walls and roof as insulated as possible. Think like a winter coat. The more insulated you are, the longer you stay warm. The same goes for your house. 

29. Bring In Nature

Incorporating nature into your decorating is an easy way to grow into an eco friendly home. Incorporating plants and organic materials into your home can help with air quality, and help you stay connected to nature. 

30. Make A Living Wall

Living walls are popular in the commercial space right now, you can also incorporate this into your home. A great way to soften up a harsh wall or create interest in space in a simple and natural way. 

31. Start A Garden

Growing your own food is a great eco friendly home idea. The cost of produce is growing more and more every year. Having the chance to grow your own food can save you money and it might be a new hobby for you to enjoy. 

32. Invest In Energy-Efficient Exterior Doors

Much like windows, our doors are areas where you can lose a lot of heat because they can lack the same amount of insulation as your exterior walls. Finding a door with a high R -value will help you conserve energy. 

33. Consider Alternate Eco Friendly Home Options

If you are looking to build a new home, alternate eco friendly homes might be a solution for you. Products like tiny homes, prefab homes, and even container homes are eco friendly solutions that you can think about.

34. Look Into Recycled Building Products

Recycled building products can help you save money and the environment. Using recycled products might be easier than you think to use. 

35. Recycle Your Building Products

Stop and think about what the largest contributor to a landfill might be. Is it your weekly trash, a business throwing out expired food, or unsold goods? Tearing down a building can be a huge undertaking and contribute to a lot of space in a landfill. Recycling as much material as possible in a building can be more helpful than you think. 

36. Compost Food Waste

Keep your expired food out of the landfill with a food composter. Save space in your trash and get some bonus fertilizer for your garden. Composting your food is easy to do and does not take a lot more effort than throwing things into the trash. 

37. Consider Carbon Net Zero Products

If you have not heard of carbon zero, it’s considering the carbon output for the entire lifespan of a product. The goal of carbon zero is to use as much carbon as a product produces. Looking for carbon-zero building and home products can be a great eco friendly home idea. 

38. Eco Friendly Electric Appliances

Getting away from using natural gas and shifting to all electric appliances can help your heating bill and keep you from using nonrenewable energy. Using all electric appliances is a good option if you plan to install solar panels and heat and cool your home through more sustainable means. 

39. Carbon-Entrained Cement 

New technology is allowing concrete mix plants to make cement with carbon-injected compositions. Cement creation is a carbon-intensive process. You can offset this process by selecting carbon-entrained cement. This should be at no additional cost to you, and there is no loss in strength. 

40. Use Eco Friendly Paints

An eco friendly home should have eco friendly paints. These paints are low in volatile organic compounds (VOCs) which are harmful chemicals and toxins that escape the paint and float around in your home reducing the overall air quality. 

41. Look Into Cool Roofs

There is no denying our roofs can be large heat sinks by soaking up a lot of solar energy. Cool roofs are designed to reflect the sun’s energy instead of absorbing it. Use this eco friendly home idea to reduce your cooling costs and save you some money. 

42. Consult Sustainability Experts

A sustainability expert can help you with the perfect eco friendly design for your home. They will be able to look at your individual home case and let you know the options you have to improve your eco friendly home. 

43. Have An Energy Audit Of Your Home

Having a home energy audit is a way to understand your home and understand ways you can reduce your home energy use. An energy audit will look at everything from your home insulation, the effort your heating and cooling systems put out, and overall energy use. An upfront cost can help you save a considerable amount of money in the long run. 

44. Fix Drafty Locations

Old and new windows can be drafty. You might feel cool or hot air coming into your home near windows or exterior walls of your home. Fixing these locations can be a way to help insulate your home. There are many options from spray foam to rigid insulation that you can add to these locations to help you insulate. 

45. Air Dry Your Clothes

The typical clothes dryer can use a lot of energy to dry your clothes. If you want to embrace your inner homesteader or enjoy the smell of air-dried clothes, you might think about air-drying your clothes when it’s convenient. 

46. Wash Clothes In Cold Water

Cold water also cuts down on heating costs. swapping out to cold water washing is an easy way to go eco friendly. There are many companies marketing cold wash detergent and note the energy-saving quality you can have included. 

47. Consider Motion Sensor Light Switches

Motion sensor light switches can be an extra insurance package to keep you from forgetting to turn off a light or two. Using switches like these might take some getting used to, but they can be a useful tool 

48. Eco Friendly Wood Flooring

If you dont like carpet or plank flooring, another solution is hardwood flooring. Hardwood flooring can still be eco friendly. Look for companies with certified forest products so you know that they are doing their part to regrow and replenish the forests they harvest from.

49. Use Natural Cleaning Products

Keep harsh chemicals out of the home by using only natural cleaning products. Feel better about the things you bring into your home by focusing on natural products. There are a lot of great products out there that can do a similar job as the harshest chemicals. 

50. Use Biodegradable Home Products

Single and low-use products fill up landfills quickly and produce excess waste. Biodegradable products like eco friendly tooth brushes and paper products will degrade and not sit in landfills for years to come. 

51. Consider An Electric Car

We all have heard about the electric car. If you are serious about living eco friendly and more sustainable, consider investing in an electric car. Though I personally would recommend investing in sustainable home products before taking the plunge into EV. 

52. Look For Recycled Furniture

We bring in a lot of furniture into our homes. Look for recycled furniture for your next purchase this can be a fun and helpful way to give an old piece some new life. Take a weekend and fix it up.

53. Shop For Local Products

Reducing shipping time is another way to cut down on environmental impact. Shop for locally made products as much as possible if you can. This can be a great way to support local businesses and cut down on the shipping effort for you. 

54. Use Reusable Packaging

One-time use of packaging can be avoided with a little planning. Using things like reusable grocery bags, reusable lunch packaging, and Tupperware can help cut down on waste. 

Conclusion 

Incorporating eco friendly ideas into your home is smart for you and the environment. This list is the best eco friendly and sustainable ideas that you can use to save you some money. 

When you are thinking about sustainable home ideas the main themes you should consider are

• Reduce one time use products
• Save water
• Save energy
• Look for ways to incorporate renewable energy
• Invest in renewably sourced products. 
• Consider becoming more self-sufficient
• Be smart in the design of your space and take advantage of geographic opportunities.

Understanding these core concepts will give a great starting point for growing into a more sustainable and eco friendly home.