Saving the planet is a good thing, but if you can put some green in your jeans at the same time, all the better. As interest in homes with environmentally friendly features grows among buyers and sellers, the popularity of green designations for REALTORS® is also on the rise.

How does your home rate?

Most energy-conscious Canadians wouldn't buy a new appliance without checking its EnerGuide label to see how it rates. EnerGuide labels for homes are starting to catch on with energy-efficient new-home builders. But did you know you can get an EnerGuide assessment for your existing home?

Corporate social responsibility plays into homebuilders' decisions to go green

If you do the right thing corporately, the rewards will come.

That's the succinct explanation of how social responsibility can affect a company's bottom line from the president of one of Alberta's largest homebuilders.

Reza Nasseri's Landmark Group of Companies not only builds about 800 homes annually; it is one of the greenest homebuilders in the province.

"If you don't do something to protect the environment, it is a crime," said the electrical engineer. "I've been pushing this (green building practices) for a long time."

Features holding their own in resale

At first glance, Paula McGarrigle's Marda Loop home looks rather ordinary — a beautiful craftsman-style house not unlike many others throughout the city.

In this case, looks are deceiving. Beneath its unassuming exterior, the home contains an assortment of features designed to make it as energy efficient and green as possible. On the EnerGuide 0-100 scale, which measures a home's energy performance, McGarrigle's home has a rating of 86.

"People are quite stunned that it's an energy-efficient home," McGarrigle said. "It looks like it's been here for 100 years."

Green homes like McGarrigle's are increasingly common in Calgary and across the country. Their popularity has surged as sustainable technologies – from simple energy-efficient appliances and light bulbs to complex mechanical systems and renewable energy sources – have become less expensive and homebuyers become more concerned with their environmental footprints.