Most of us remember mom reminding us to turn off the lights when we left the room or to make sure the door was shut properly when we came in from the cold. It turns out she was right.

With just a 10 degree drop below zero, a typical Albertan household could see their electricity consumption go up by about eight per cent and natural gas consumption go up by about 40 per cent.

A green revolution is underway as more Calgarians seek to reduce their carbon footprint with increasingly energy-efficient homes

No one can accuse Chris Stevenson of being all talk and no action when it comes to living green. The 51-year-old Calgarian is walking the walk when it comes to reducing his carbon footprint.

So much so he built his own net-zero home – that is, one that generates as much energy from renewables, such as solar panels, as it consumes.

"I like to do things right, and I'm cheap: I didn't want to be paying a lot for utilities," joked Stevenson, who, until recently, made a living investing in real estate.

'Net-positive' home provides more energy than it uses

When talking about giving back, many people think of volunteer work or assisting in the community. For one Calgary household, however, it means something entirely different.

Situated in the southeast community of Ramsay, Cornelis Koster's home is giving back in the form of energy. Billed as Canada's first net-positive home, it uses several forms of green-friendly technology to not only provide its own heat and power, but also creates a slight excess of electricity.

"We have a 5.5-kilowatt system powering the suite, garage and the house plus we have a surplus," said Koster, who also serves as president of Ironcor Solar.
According to Koster, construction on the project took 17 weeks and came in at a cost of $220,000.

Nearly half of greenhouse gas emissions in Canada come from our homes. They can be smarter than that.

We want our homes to be comfortable, safe, clean, healthy and to have the smallest environmental footprint possible. That's why consumers, homebuilders, homeowners, property managers, REALTORS®, local governments and schools are all focusing on building homes and buildings that serve people better.