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The best home & living products — compared, sourced, and refreshed monthly.
Norton Media Enterprise ranks the best home & living products of 2026 — solar installers, security systems, smart home gear, mattresses, appliances, furniture, home warranties, and the services that keep a house running. Every recommendation independently researched, sourced from primary data including Energy Star, the Department of Energy, and J.D. Power, and verified within the last 30 days. No paid placements.
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The Best Solar Companies of 2026
SunPower, Sunrun, Tesla Solar, ADT Solar, Palmetto, Momentum Solar — national and regional installers compared on panel efficiency, warranty terms, financing options, and the actual payback period in your state.
§ I.Best Home & Living Products for Energy & Systems
Solar, HVAC, water heaters, generators — the systems that run the house.
Best Solar Companies of 2026
SunPower, Sunrun, Tesla Solar, ADT Solar, Palmetto, Momentum — solar installers compared on panel efficiency, warranties, and payback periods.
Best Home Warranty Companies of 2026
American Home Shield, Choice Home Warranty, First American, 2-10, Liberty Home Guard — home warranty plans compared on covered systems, claim approval, and the fine print.
Best HVAC Brands & Installers of 2026
Trane, Carrier, Lennox, Goodman, Rheem — HVAC systems compared on SEER ratings, reliability, parts availability, and which brands dealers actually want to install.
Best Water Heaters of 2026
Rheem, Rinnai, Navien, A.O. Smith, Bradford White — tank, tankless, hybrid, and heat pump water heaters compared on energy efficiency, install cost, and lifetime operating expense.
Best Smart Thermostats of 2026
Google Nest, Ecobee, Honeywell Home, Sensi, Mysa — smart thermostats compared on actual energy savings, app reliability, sensor coverage, and existing-system compatibility.
Best Home Generators of 2026
Generac, Kohler, Cummins, Briggs & Stratton, Champion — whole-home standby generators and portable generators compared on wattage, fuel type, transfer switch options, and install cost.
§ II.Security & Smart Home
Cameras, smart locks, security systems, and the connected gear worth installing.
Best Home Security Systems of 2026
SimpliSafe, Vivint, ADT, Ring Alarm, Frontpoint, Abode — home security systems compared on monthly monitoring cost, equipment quality, professional vs self-install, and contract terms.
Best Video Doorbells of 2026
Ring, Google Nest Doorbell, Arlo, Eufy, Blink — video doorbells compared on resolution, motion detection, cloud storage costs, and which ones don’t lock features behind a subscription.
Best Smart Locks of 2026
August, Schlage Encode, Yale Assure, Level Lock, Lockly — smart locks compared on security ratings, app reliability, smart home integration, and how they handle dead batteries.
Best Security Cameras of 2026
Arlo, Ring, Eufy, Wyze, Reolink, Lorex — security cameras compared on video quality, night vision, local vs cloud storage, and the privacy practices that determine where footage actually lives.
Best Smart Home Hubs of 2026
Amazon Echo, Google Nest Hub, Apple HomePod, Samsung SmartThings, Aqara — smart home hubs compared on ecosystem support, Matter compatibility, voice assistant quality, and existing-device fit.
Best Robot Vacuums of 2026
iRobot Roomba, Roborock, Eufy, Shark IQ, Dreame — robot vacuums compared on suction, mapping, self-empty bins, mop combos, and which handle pet hair and dark floors without breaking down.
§ III.Furniture & Home Services
Mattresses, furniture, moving, pest control, and the services worth paying for.
Best Mattresses of 2026
Saatva, Helix, Purple, Nectar, Tuft & Needle, DreamCloud — mattresses compared on firmness, cooling tech, motion isolation, and which ones actually hold up after the first year.
Best Furniture Retailers of 2026
Wayfair, West Elm, Crate & Barrel, Article, Burrow, Joybird — online furniture retailers compared on quality tiers, return policies, delivery options, and where the price-to-quality ratio actually lands.
Best Moving Companies of 2026
International Van Lines, Allied, North American, U-Pack, PODS — full-service movers and container moving companies compared on per-mile pricing, claim handling, and binding-quote scams to avoid.
Best Pest Control Companies of 2026
Terminix, Orkin, Aptive, Hawx, Massey Services — pest control companies compared on treatment plans, contract terms, retreatment guarantees, and DIY alternatives that work for common pests.
Best Lawn Care Services of 2026
TruGreen, Lawn Doctor, Sunday, Lawnbright, Spring-Green — lawn care services and DIY subscription programs compared on annual cost, treatment programs, and actual results.
Best House Cleaning Services of 2026
Merry Maids, Molly Maid, The Cleaning Authority, Handy, Tidy — house cleaning services and on-demand platforms compared on per-visit cost, vetting standards, and which platforms pay cleaners fairly.
Why solar payback periods finally make sense again.
Eight national solar installers tested on panel efficiency, warranty length, financing terms, and the actual payback period in your zip code. The 30% federal Residential Clean Energy Credit through 2032, paired with falling panel costs and rising electricity rates, has dropped most homeowner payback periods to 6-9 years — the shortest window in solar history. The math finally works for the average household, not just early adopters.
Read the Solar RankingsHomeowners insurance is non-negotiable.
Amica, USAA, State Farm, Allstate, Lemonade — homeowners insurance ranked on coverage breadth, claim satisfaction, and value. The right policy turns catastrophic losses into recoverable ones.
Best Homeowners Insurance →Personal loans for home improvement.
SoFi, LightStream, Marcus, Discover, Upstart — personal loans compared on APR, term lengths, and the unsecured-vs-HELOC math that determines which financing actually saves money on your renovation.
Best Personal Finance →All Home Reviews on Norton Media Enterprise
How we test the best home & living products.
Every home review on Norton Media Enterprise follows the same standard: identify the true market leaders before opening any partner list, source every claim, and rank on merit alone. The best home products always earn their ranking on facts — never on commission rate. Affiliate revenue keeps the lights on, but it never decides who’s at the top.
For home products specifically, we cite primary sources like Energy Star, the U.S. Department of Energy, and J.D. Power studies for performance and customer satisfaction data.
Read Our Full MethodologyMarket Leaders First
True market leaders identified before any affiliate consideration.
Performance Verified
Specs, warranties, and pricing confirmed within 30 days.
Sources Cited
Every claim backed by Energy Star, DOE, J.D. Power, or primary data.
Refreshed Quarterly
Full re-ranks every six months. Live updates between.
