Homeowners may be interested in retrofitting their homes to reduce energy costs and increase comfort, or building new homes that incorporate climate friendly measures, but they often don’t know what to do first. What if homeowners could get ideas from seeing what other people in their community have already done?
This is exactly the rationale behind the Climate-Friendly Homes Tour, which is being presented on October 14 in 12 communities around BC:
- Canal Flats;
- Castlegar;
- Cranbrook;
- Creston;
- Fernie;
- Greater Vancouver;
- Greater Victoria;
- Invermere & Area;
- Kimberley;
- Nelson;
- Radium Hot Springs; and
- Rossland.
Funded by BC Hydro, Vancity, B2E and the City of Vancouver, The Climate-Friendly Homes Tour will open the doors of climate-friendly homes to the broader community, providing an opportunity for local residents to see and talk about various features with their neighbours and subject matter experts.
Visitors will have the opportunity to learn about the benefits of heat pumps, highly efficient and airtight building envelopes, electric hot water heating systems, induction cooking stoves, generating power with solar panels, electric vehicle charging, heat recovery, and smart home systems to mention a few.
At some homes included in the tour, subject matter experts and professional contractors specializing in climate-friendly home design will be available to answer visitors' inquiries and provide insight into the benefits of investing in climate-friendly choices as well as the pathway to making improvements while taking advantage of the various rebate programs that are available.

Many of the homes on the tour will have printed materials available for visitors as well.
See the homes participating in the tour in your community. Visit the Climate Friendly Homes Tour website identifies where the open houses are located along with information about the climate-friendly features of each home.
For more information, contact Jude Smith at the Community Energy Association.