>>Don't put solar panels on your house out of a personal sense of guilt about your own emissions, put them on your house because it grows the market for solar, stimulates research into better panels, and helps push forward the economies of scale that are needed to make renewables cost competitive with fossil fuels
Or don't live in a house in the suburbs. Opt for medium or high-density residential areas, which are far more efficient in terms of both land and utility use.
They are, but they're also frequently far more expensive, and downright unaffordable to many people compared to much larger homes in more rural areas. In the big city near me, a little condo in a high-rise can easily cost $400k. But a couple hours away from the city I can buy a house for $50k or $75k. People who have no hope of earning enough money for a $400k condo (even though jobs in the city usually pay a little more) can frequently afford one of those rural properties.
Or don't live in a house in the suburbs. Opt for medium or high-density residential areas, which are far more efficient in terms of both land and utility use.