How to Figure Out (and Reduce) Your Home’s Carbon Footprint

Like it or not — whether you live in a 15-bedroom palace, a 3-bed ranch or a high-rise condo — your home has a carbon footprint. What's more: Your everyday decisions and systems contribute to its size. When it comes to how much of an impact your home has, it’s based on factors like the number of people who live in your home and the efficiency and use of the systems you have installed.

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You can do your part in reducing your home’s impact by making system upgrades, among other things. Here is what you need to know about the carbon footprint of your home’s systems and how to reduce it.

What Is a Home's Carbon Footprint?

A home’s carbon footprint is the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by the systems and people in the house. These greenhouse gases can include carbon emissions and methane emissions. Your home's electrical, heating and cooling systems all contribute to the buildup of these greenhouse gases that are then released into the atmosphere.

How Can I Calculate My Home's Carbon Footprint?

To calculate your home’s carbon footprint, you’ll need to do some calculations involving the total people in your household, your home’s heating and cooling source, average monthly utility bills, number of lights in your home, how often you do the laundry, what appliances you run and whether they’re Energy Star-rated. Since there are many factors that affect the total output, one of the easiest ways is to use online tools like the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s online calculator.

Biggest Emitters of Greenhouse Gases in Your Home

It shouldn’t be surprising that the most significant contributors to greenhouse gases in your home are the heating and cooling systems. This includes central air conditioners, boilers, furnaces and heat pumps. These systems often run on fossil fuels like gas and oil. Even if they’re powered by electricity, it may not always come from a renewable energy source like solar or wind, but instead from carbon. Since these systems often run the longest compared to other things in your house, they consume a lot of power and contribute the most to the released emissions.

Your electrical system is another major factor, depending on your local municipality and how it runs the electric grid. Some areas use non-renewable energy sources for electricity, such as coal. Since the electrical system powers all your appliances and lights, it also consumes a lot of energy, but not as much as the heating and cooling.

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What Are the Best Ways to Reduce Your Home's Carbon Footprint?

Reduce Emissions by Switching to Energy-Saving Appliances

You can reduce your home’s carbon footprint by switching to energy-saving appliances and systems. The problem with using inefficient HVAC systems and appliances that aren’t Energy Star rated is that they can consume a lot more power and energy to provide the same amount of heating and cooling as an efficient product might. That’s why upgrading these systems is one of the fastest ways to reduce your home’s carbon footprint.

If you have an older system or one that has been failing recently, make the switch soon. You can also switch away from systems that are powered by heating oil and gas to systems that run on electricity.

When it comes to water heaters, the most efficient options are heat pump water heaters. These water heaters tend to be even more energy efficient than electric, making them worth the upgrade. Buying high-efficiency appliances you use every day, like TVs, laundry machines, dishwashers and microwaves can make their own small difference, which adds up.

Try Solar Power

A solar-powered home is much more efficient than one that runs on gas. Installing solar panels on your roof can help generate electricity, so you don’t need to always rely on your city's electrical grid. This also ensures that your home runs on clean energy, from renewable sources like sunlight.

Insulate Better to Reduce Energy Needs

You can add or upgrade your existing insulation so the heating and cooling system doesn’t run as much. Insulation creates a thermal barrier that restricts the flow of heat. In the summer, insulation helps keep the heat outside, so your cooling system doesn’t need to always be running. In the winter, it keeps the warmth inside helping out the heater.

Reducing Emissions Is Good For Protecting the Environment — and Your Wallet

Part of reducing your emissions involves making changes to your home that also make it more energy efficient. This improved energy efficiency means that your house will use less energy every month, making a difference in your energy bills. Changes like adding insulation and upgrading to efficient systems also make spaces in your home more comfortable to live in.