Easy, actionable ways to reduce your resource consumption.

Sure, you know that making sustainable swaps at home—whether it be a studio apartment in the city or a country farmhouse—can be good for the environment, but it is also a financial game changer.

Making eco-friendly swaps can increase the value of your home and save you money both in the short- and long term. Add the fact that there’s a sustainable upgrade for every budget and it’s a snap to make the moves, which include switching up your lightbulbs and adding a SunPower solar system.

Read on for five ways you can make your home more sustainable, more affordable, and more valuable. Pick one to start with or commit to all five to watch your energy savings grow and your carbon footprint—and electricity budget—shrink.

Arguably the biggest sustainable upgrade you can do is add solar energy to power your home. Adding a solar system, like one from SunPower, is not just good for your carbon footprint—though that’s also a real plus—it can also help you save you money on electricity bills. You can even calculate your estimated electricity bill savings with a solar power calculator. While systems vary in price, many units come in at the $20,000-mark, with the option to pay outright or finance. Depending on your system size, energy usage and local utility rates, a solar system can generally pay for itself within 10 years if you buy outright, meaning the energy you produce isn't costing you anything after a decade.

And with the passage of The Inflation Reduction Act, homeowners may be eligible for tax incentives or rebates for all kinds of solar activity: Adding panels, adding energy storage, even making certain home repairs that get houses ready to go solar.

There are other small and DIY changes you can implement to make your home more sustainable. A positive step can be as simple as upgrading to LED bulbs. LED light bulbs have gotten almost as affordable as their halogen and incandescent counterparts, and they’re just as accessible, sold at virtually every big-box and online retailer. But they use a fraction of the energy, making switching to them a great way to bring down energy usage and costs.

A 10-watt LED bulb uses just 45 kWh of energy per year, for a total cost of less than $2—a fraction of the cost of a standard incandescent light, which can climb to double or even triple digits per year. What’s more, many LED bulbs can easily be paired with smart plugs and smart home systems, giving you the opportunity to control light usage via timers and apps on your phone.

Keeping a traditional grass backyard clean and green is no joke; between raking, mulching, and endless watering, it can feel like the yard work never ends. It also requires a lot of water; most standard lawns need between one and two inches of water per week. And with extra dry summers becoming the norm, it’s simply unsustainable.

Drought-tolerant cover crops like clover are more widely available, than ever—which means there’s never been a better time to explore xeriscaping (lawns and landscaping that require little water). If you live in a warm climate, a succulent garden can be a great option. Plants such as cacti, agave, and aloe need very little water, and will give your yard a desert-inspired look that feels both timeless and eco-friendly.

Wherever you live consider swapping out bushes for a succulent garden to reduce the need to water. Another smart idea is to replace a section of lawn with pebbled pathways and a few hearty trees that create shade. Another smart idea is to replace a section of lawn with pebbled pathways and a few hearty trees that create shade.

Just 10 minutes under a regular shower head, which run at 2.5 gallons per minute or more can really add up when it comes to your water usage. Switching to a low-flow shower head, which aerates the water, thus using less of it, can significantly reduce brings the amount of water consumed per shower. All told, the average family can save up to 2,700 gallons of water a year.

Low-flow shower heads come at a variety of price points—fancy options with timers and steam can run close to $100, but standard versions can be had for less than $20. If you’re going to spend an afternoon swapping out the shower heads in your house, use that time to do a “water audit.”

Are all the pipes working correctly? Is anything slow? Leaking? Even the smallest drip can cost you serious money (and waste a ton of water), so it’s worth building a regular examination of your home’s water systems into your maintenance routine.

When the refrigerator stops cooling or the dryer quits drying, you need a new major appliance yesterday. Plan ahead for such emergencies by researching the energy-efficient option you’ll upgrade to once an appliance shows signs of being at the end of its lifecycle. That way you can avoid buying whatever is available in desperation and make a savvy choice.

Whenever you do buy, seek out products with the EnergyStar label, which are designed to save energy and save you money. While some EnergyStar appliances cost more to buy than their less-expensive counterparts, the energy-cost savings add up over time. Plus, you’ll see the impacts around your home in the form of longer lasting, more efficient systems.

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