A small but growing number of Americans are rethinking their homes to lower their carbon footprints in response to climate change. What does a lower-carbon home look like? It is basically all-electric, reducing reliance on fossil fuels such as natural gas and heating oil. It uses heat pumps for heating and cooling, solar panels and batteries for electricity generation and storage, induction ranges for cooking and chargers for electric vehicles. Smart meters and other technology help homeowners optimize their energy usage.

The...

A small but growing number of Americans are rethinking their homes to lower their carbon footprints in response to climate change. What does a lower-carbon home look like? It is basically all-electric, reducing reliance on fossil fuels such as natural gas and heating oil. It uses heat pumps for heating and cooling, solar panels and batteries for electricity generation and storage, induction ranges for cooking and chargers for electric vehicles. Smart meters and other technology help homeowners optimize their energy usage.

The thought of navigating the options to decarbonize your home might seem daunting, so we broke it down using research and guidance from the Rocky Mountain Institute, which deals in sustainability issues.

Electrification is gaining momentum across the country as major cities including San Francisco, Denver and New York enact or propose measures to ban or discourage the use of natural gas in new homes and buildings. Homeowners considering the switch can often learn about available rebates or incentives through their local utility and calculate the cost of adding solar panels through websites such as EnergySage and Solar-Estimate.

Write to Alberto Cervantes at Alberto.Cervantes@wsj.com and Katherine Blunt at Katherine.Blunt@wsj.com