Green Home Tech
10 Best Green Technologies to Add to Your Home in 2023
by Jane Marsh
The upcoming year presents homeowners with unique opportunities to reduce their environmental footprints in new ways. Green technology can monitor, adjust and regulate analytics for increased awareness and self-reflection on local climate crisis impacts and personal eco-friendly behaviors.
These technologies seamlessly weave into your home's framework for a more conscious and ethical homeowning experience in 2023.
1. Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Monitors
The COVID-19 pandemic enlightened everyone about the rapid spread of air particulates. Whether it's ash or disease, measuring indoor air quality is vital for analyzing environmental degradation and human activity. IAQ monitors are becoming commonplace, with schools concerned about the effects of air quality on sick children. Many homeowners want to affirm their home's air quality, too. IAQ monitors can measure the following:
- Pet dander
- Dust levels
- VOCs
- Carbon monoxide
- Oxygen levels
- Radon
- Mold
Monitors only analyze air quality levels — they don't perform any remediation. These priceless tools alert about any disruptions to a healthy environment so homeowners can take action.
2. Low-Flow Bathroom Devices
You may be familiar with low-flow toilets, but showerhead and faucet attachments can make every water-dispensing object in your home more eco-friendly. Traditional commodes use around 6 gallons per flush and low-flow alternatives can use less than 2 gallons.
New bathroom products improve how water capacity relates to the gravitational flow, optimizing water usage and conserving energy. Additionally, the green switch can reduce utility bills.
3. Solar Panels or Shingles
Solar panels or shingles could level up your home so much that it can go off the electricity grid. Many rooftop materials can support panels for grounding, including asphalt and clay.
Building-integrated photovoltaic (BPV) roofs are cost-effective and expandable if you want to purchase solar panels on a smaller scale. This technology absorbs heat, helping with temperature regulation and electricity generation.
4. Smart Thermostats
Countless families worldwide expend more energy than they need, whether it's intentional or not. Smart thermostats can curb a household's expenditure. They are programmable, automatically switching to preset temperatures based on your preferences or reacting to outside temps for ultimate comfort and optimized energy use.
Smart thermostats can adapt to the household's habits — reducing use while nobody is home and putting specific controls on sleep mode at night. Most are wirelessly enabled and powered through phone apps, so users can adjust settings remotely from anywhere if they forget to turn off a light or change the air conditioning.
5. Geothermal Heat Pumps
Instead of sourcing heat from fossil fuels, geothermal heat pumps take the warmth from the earth and cycle it through the home. They can also sustainably heat water. Installing geothermal energy systems is a more comprehensive renovation than just implementing one item of technology. However, they save money and power long term despite the upfront investment.
6. Backyard Wind Turbine
Most people associate wind turbines with massive wind farms. However, they are compatible with some backyard setups. The turbines are still tall — sometimes around 100 feet. However, depending on a household's location, they may prove more efficient than solar options. The wind is sometimes more abundant than sunlight. Plus, there are many tax incentives for implementing wind power for your home.
7. Smart Power Strips and Outlets
Electronics plugged into outlets and power strips but aren’t in use passively sap power from the home. This vampire energy wastes valuable resources and costs families countless dollars without their knowledge. Smart powerstrips mitigate this effect by powering devices when necessary and shutting them off when charging or use is complete.
8. Green Architecture
Households that want a broader umbrella for home improvements can look into green architecture technologies as a concept. These buildings are defined by their integration of green elements — they’re embedded into the structure, making it stronger and streamlined for environmental optimization.
Green architecture technology can include any of the following:
- Biophilic design
- Passive solar heating elements
- Biomass energy stores
- Locally sourced building materials
9. Rain Barrels
Adding rain barrels outside your home can reduce water usage and make homeowners more conscious of water scarcity. Repurposing water from rain for cooking, watering plants, or rinsing vegetables are excellent ways to reduce energy use. These barrels are attached to a faucet, simplifying access.
Though this form of technology may seem antiquated, rain barrels are making a comeback for a reason. No matter how modern the home is, they’re effective for the sake of the green revolution.
10. Composting
Depending on the land you have available, compost options exist. Homes can incorporate composting technology with classic worm beds or high-tech countertop composters. Over the years, innovators have wanted to ensure everyone can reduce food waste by bringing scraps back to the soil and reinvigorating it with nutrient-dense compost.
You can also opt for compostable plastic when possible. However, you should note that compostable plastics should be sent to an industrial composting facility near you rather than in your home compost bin. If this isn’t available, you can look for post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastics, as these are a rising trend in the plastics industry.
Making Homes Greener in 2023
From temperature regulation to incorporating more plants into the household’s structure, big and small adjustments work for all budgets and commitment levels.
Every green switch benefits the planet, and all are worth investing in at some point.
Article by Jane Marsh
Jane works as an environmental and energy writer. She is also the founder and editor-in-chief of