The Green Buildings Open House is a self-guided tour of high-performance and sustainable building practices in the Bow Valley.

This Green Buildings Open House is an annual showcase of homes and businesses that display leadership in high-performance and sustainable building design, construction, and homeowner practices. Buildings can display examples of sustainable technology, renewable energy systems, water and energy efficiency, climate adaptation, and more. This open house is unique because homeowners or business-owners take the lead in showing their own buildings to the public. This facilitates peer-to-peer learning and network-building.

 

Interested in our 2024 open house?

The Biosphere Institute will hold this year’s Green Buildings Open House on Saturday, June 1, 2024!

We are currently seeking sponsorships and host participants in the Bow Valley (Lake Louise, Banff, Canmore, Exshaw, Morley). If you are interested in attending the event, mark the date in your calendars, follow our social media, and subscribe to our newsletter for updates!

 
 

Please find more detailed event information and a description of all sponsor benefits in the linked sponsorship package here: SPONSORSHIP PACKAGE.

 

Roles and responsibilities:

Biosphere Institute of the Bow Valley will:

  • Find, coordinate, and train host participants (homeowners/business owners)

  • Find, coordinate and train volunteers to help on day-of

  • Promote and advertise the event

  • Provide hosting sites with lawn signs and printed materials on day-of

Host participants (homeowners/business owners) will:

  • Lead an open-house style showcase of their home or business on June 1, 2024

  • Provide safe access for public visitors

  • Promote and advertise the event through their networks to the best of their ability 

  • Provide the Biosphere Institute with 2-3 high-quality photographs or architectural renderings of the property

  • Provide the Biosphere Institute with details about their building features

About Our 2024 Corporate Sponsors


SILVER SPONSORS

The Solar Club: The Solar Club is a unique loyalty program designed specifically for small solar micro-generators! Earn a premium on your solar electricity and help further green Alberta's electricity grid. To qualify for all of the benefits included in this Solar Club package, you must be a micro-generator in Alberta and make a donation to your local food bank.

The mission of HSS Design Build is to accelerate the transition to sustainable design and energy-efficient construction practices. We have been working in the heart of the Bow Valley since our foundation in 2016 and strive to create designs that resonate with the locale and develop a strong cultural context associated with our natural environment. Following Passive House Principles and European construction methods, we are able to deliver state-of-the-art solutions for our projects so that maintenance and lifecycle costs are minimized, and enjoyment and functionality are guaranteed for generations. We specialize in Passive House and Mass Timber construction and always prioritize the use of innovative methods and natural materials in our work.

BRONZE SPONSORS

Bow Valley Green Energy Coop is a grassroots, volunteer-run organization facilitating the creation of community-owned renewable energy generation projects in the Bow Valley and beyond. We leverage Member investment dollars to design, construct and operate renewable energy systems on local buildings. You can purchase your home’s electricity and natural gas from our trading partner Rocky Mountain Community Energy, who channel all their profits into supporting our work. Sign up with Rocky Mountain Community Energy today and help us transform Alberta’s Energy!

MAC Fans and Furnaces is a Bow Valley HVAC Contractor specializing in upgrading and installing comfortable, healthy and energy efficient HVAC systems. We always look forward to joining like-minded project leaders and builders to be part of a fully integrated building project or to be part of your home improvement renovation.

Green Buildings Open House Tour 2023

In 2023, the Biosphere Institute of the Bow Valley built on the successful 2022 Canmore EcoSolar Homes Tour to bring the event to the wider Bow Valley. The 2023 Green Buildings Open House was held on June 3, 2023, from 11 am - 4 pm. The event showcased eight buildings across Banff, Canmore and Dead Mans Flats. There were 366 visits to these interesting properties in total!

 
 

About Our 2023 Corporate Sponsors

AmeriSpec specializes in helping you realize the cost savings and other wide-ranging benefits of home energy efficiency. Our registered Energy Advisors take an easy-to-understand, step-by-step approach to identifying energy-saving opportunities and optimizing your energy usage. Trained and licensed by Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) to provide  EnerGuide ratings for homeowners. Contact your AmeriSpec office today! at 403-257-4820.

For 22 years the Eco-Solar Tour Society of Alberta has organized free open house style tours of homes and businesses that display practical and timely examples of sustainability including: renewable energy (solar, wind, and geothermal), energy security, energy efficiency, water efficiency, low emission technologies and natural landscaping. Through our tours the public can experience how homes and businesses are reducing their utility bills while reducing their carbon footprint. We are happy to sponsor the Biosphere Institute as they organize their home tour in Canmore.

As owner and operator of more than 60 per cent of Alberta’s total electricity distribution network, FortisAlberta’s focus is delivering safe and reliable electricity to more than half a million residential, farm and business customers. The Company serves more than 240 communities with 127,000 kilometres of distribution power lines across Alberta.

The mission of HSS Design Build is to accelerate the transition to sustainable design and energy-efficient construction practices. We have been working in the heart of the Bow Valley since our foundation in 2016 and strive to create designs that resonate with the locale and develop a strong cultural context associated with our natural environment. Following Passive House Principles and European construction methods, we are able to deliver state-of-the-art solutions for our projects so that maintenance and lifecycle costs are minimized, and enjoyment and functionality are guaranteed for generations. We specialize in Passive House and Mass Timber construction and always prioritize the use of innovative methods and natural materials in our work.

Kuby Renewable Energy Ltd. is an engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) firm with offices in Calgary, AB, Kamloops, BC and a head office in Edmonton, AB. We specialize in providing turn-key residential and commercial renewable energy systems.

The Solar Club: The Solar Club is a unique loyalty program designed specifically for small solar micro-generators! Earn a premium on your solar electricity and help further green Alberta's electricity grid. To qualify for all of the benefits included in this Solar Club package, you must be a micro-generator in Alberta and make a donation to your local food bank

Bow Valley Green Energy Coop is a grassroots, volunteer-run organization facilitating the creation of community-owned renewable energy generation projects in the Bow Valley and beyond. We leverage Member investment dollars to design, construct and operate renewable energy systems on local buildings. You can purchase your home’s electricity and natural gas from our trading partner Rocky Mountain Community Energy, who channel all their profits into supporting our work. Sign up with Rocky Mountain Community Energy today and help us transform Alberta’s Energy!

MAC Fans and Furnaces is a Bow Valley HVAC Contractor specializing in upgrading and installing comfortable, healthy and energy efficient HVAC systems. We always look forward to joining like-minded project leaders and builders to be part of a fully integrated building project or to be part of your home improvement renovation.

Solar Offset is a platform that allows the owners of small-scale solar panel and wind power systems in Alberta to get paid for the greenhouse gas emission reductions they are making, by creating and selling carbon offsets in the Alberta carbon markets.

 Eco Solar Home Tour 2022

In 2022, the Biosphere Institute of the Bow Valley partnered with the Eco Solar Home Tour Society to bring the event to Canmore for the first time. The 2022 Eco Solar Home Tour was held on June 25, 2022 from 12pm-5pm. The event showcased 6 buildings: 4 homes, 1 business, and 1 church. There were over 244 visits total!