From energy expenditure to building materials, living in a smaller house is one of the best ways to reduce your ecological footprint. Giving up the luxury of space and living more minimally isn't always easy, but it does come with a few perks: fewer possessions, bigger skies, and open spaces! Plus, a smaller house makes it easier to cozy up to your loved ones. Here are 10 reminders that bigger isn't always better.

1 of 10 Micro Compact Home Photo: Micro Compact Home Measuring only 2.6 meters by 2.6 meters, Micro Compact Homes somehow manage to include room for two double beds, a bathroom, lobby, dining space for 4-5 people, a kitchen and top-notch entertainment technology. The cube living spaces, inspired by the scale and order of Japanese teahouses, were designed with short-term guests and cash-strapped students in mind.

2 of 10 Toronto's Little House Photo: thelittlehouseonyt/YouTube Tucked between its normal-sized neighbors, this miniature home is not the smallest in the world, but it's likely the smallest one in Toronto, Canada. Boasting a mere 312 square-feet of space, the Little House has garnered cult-like interest since going on the market. Ellen DeGeneres once expressed interest in one day owning the tiny home.

3 of 10 Tumbleweed Houses Photo: Tumbleweed Houses Since 1997, Jay Shafer of the Tumbleweed Tiny House Company has been living in homes smaller than most people's closets. Though tiny, these cozy, cabin-esque home designs somehow fit everything you need inside them: a work space, bedroom, bathroom (with toilet and shower) and living space. Some designs, like the Elm (pictured), include a porch so the homeowner can sit out and enjoy the open spaces.

4 of 10 Rollit Homes Photo: GRIYA GRACE/YouTube Students at the University of Karlsruhe in Germany designed these chic modular homes, which are built to incorporate multiple uses inside one small living space. The home functions like a mouse in a wheel: The homeowner can change the structure of the house by walking in the center to rotate it. With just a little bit of daily exercise, the unit can be turned to reveal a bed, lounge chair, table, shower, toilet, or a kitchen sink — all in the same space!

5 of 10 Smallest House in Great Britain Photo: Nilfanion/Wikimedia Commons Also known as the Quay House, the Smallest House in Britain is a tourist attraction in Conwy, Wales. Measuring only 10 feet by 6 feet, it lives up to its name. Until 1900, the home was once occupied by a 6-foot, 3-inch fisherman. It's hard to believe there was enough room left over for a stove, water tap, bedside cabinet and a bed. Now it costs $1.30 to visit and take a peek inside.

6 of 10 Tiny Texas Houses Photo: Tiny Texas Houses Not everything is bigger in Texas. Tiny Texas Houses, based in Luling, Texas, is a company "building the future with the past." Each of the tiny houses is made from recycled salvage materials. As the company says on the website: "After a generation of having it all and wasting so much, perhaps it is time to consider keeping it small and preserving what we have before we waste more of our limited resources." The company has shift its focus in recent years to creating an area of houses made with recovered materials. The result has been Salvage Texas, a 43-acre venue that promotes the company's philosophy. Visitors can experience the process of building homes and even stay in a Texas Tiny House, like the Vicky Too (pictured).

7 of 10 Eco Bike Trailer Photo: ElkinsDIY Paul Elkins originally designed this bike trailer to get around the Burning Man Festival. There's only space for one, and if you need to use the restroom you'll have to resort to the great outdoors, but it is fully powered by a wind turbine and comes equipped with a solar-powered oven and heating system. (In a space this small, you might not need anything more than your own body heat!)

8 of 10 Twelve Cubed Mini Home Photo: Prefab Architecture/YouTube According to Twelve Cubed designers, these tiny homes feature a dishwasher, microwave and modern oven combo, bathroom, closet, and plenty of natural light. The mission behind the homes is to allow more people to live more sustainably, but the cute design is a temptation in and of itself.

9 of 10 Nano House Photo: Nano Living System Created to help solve the world's global housing crisis, these 25 square-meter homes are designed to house a family of four. Nano Living System homes are also equipped with state-of -the-art insulation and passive solar heating for energy savings. The rooms are convertible to make the most of the tiny space. The company also helps connect businesses and government agencies when it comes to constructing sustainable and cost efficient materials and designs.