Achi news desk-
After eight months of reducing their greenhouse gas emissions and embracing sustainable living habits, an Airdrie family has won $50,000.
“It’s an incredible honor for us, we didn’t expect this,” said Samantha and Kevin Shannon.
The Shannon family took part in Live Net Zero, competing against several Canadian families.
“We were very impressed with what the eight families did across the country, and we are proud that our house will be used as a case study by the building services industry on how to reduce carbon emissions in the homes of all Canadians, ” said the Shannon family.
Samantha and Kevin made a number of major changes to their home during the competition including: installing a geothermal heating system, solar panels on their roof and replacing their garage/natural gas furnace with a heat pump.
“(It’s) a lot of hard work and once all the work is done, you can’t see it,” Samantha said.
“It’s not like we’ve renovated and have a shiny new kitchen to show off, it’s all under our feet or in the walls and on the back of our roof.”
Shannon’s family also adapted their lifestyle, working remotely when possible, and using an e-bike and trailer to run errands and transport their three children.
“The trip itself was extremely rewarding to be able to share our story with other Canadians and the other teams in the challenge,” said Kevin, adding that they had seen reductions in their energy bills after just eight months.
The couple hope to inspire other middle class families to improve their energy efficiency, with their advice to complete projects step by step, and with advice from experts.
“Their exemplary efforts demonstrate the profound impact that individual actions can have on our collective journey towards a greener, more sustainable future,” said Aran O’Carroll, Canadian Geographic’s national director of government and environment relations.
Kevin and Samantha plan to use some of the prize money to buy an energy efficient door.
