Eco Solar Home Tour showcases 15 energy-efficient Calgary-area homes
Free self-guided tour Saturday and Sunday features net-zero homes, retrofits, and innovative builds in neighborhoods and nearby communities. Noon to 5 p.m.
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The Calgary Eco Solar Home Tour returns Saturday and Sunday, June 20 and 21, with 15 homes on display showcasing how Calgarians are building and renovating for energy efficiency.
The tour is free and self-guided. Seven homes open Saturday, eight on Sunday, with hours from noon to 5 p.m. Four homes in Balzac, Bragg Creek, Priddis, and Springbank open earlier at 10 a.m.
Andrew Mills, president of the Eco Solar Tour Society of Alberta, said the tour shows people what net-zero energy homes look like and how they operate — homes that produce as much energy as they consume. "Through our annual tours we can show people what net-zero energy homes look like and how they operate," Mills said. The tour features diverse green-building approaches, not just solar panels.
One standout is a rammed-earth home in Priddis (Site 9), built by Laura and Ken Kleiner using an ancient building technique that provides thermal mass and temperature regulation. The home is constructed to Passive House standards with R40 walls, R60 roof, and high-performance LiteZone windows made in Edmonton. The Kleiners move in at month's end.
Another highlight is Site 12 in Sunnyside — a 1984 home damaged by the 2013 floods that's been retrofitted as a net-zero energy home. The tour also includes energy-efficient townhomes, deep energy retrofits, a laneway home, and a garage suite.
"The Eco-Solar Home Tours let the public direct their questions to the homeowners that have incorporated energy efficiency and solar into their new or retrofit homes," Mills said. "While it is possible to visit new energy-efficient show homes, it is not so easy to meet up with private homeowners."
For details and to select which homes to visit, head to ecosolar.ca.