As more millennials and Gen Zers make investments into homeownership, they may be forgetting important, yet invisible, features - energy efficiency and clean energy technologies. A home built with these sustainability measures also makes for a more comfortable, economical, safer, and healthier home for its residents.

Introducing young people to sustainable home design and renewable energy is critical to our future. In this multi-part series, young people will share their stories of creating energy efficient homes, and speak with the individuals that made it possible. Given the rising costs of purchasing a home, it's important to understand the energy costs around homeownership and what measures can be done to reduce these costs.

In part two of the series, we'll hear from, Mercedes Olster, as she talks about living in a net zero home. With various technologies and lower-cost renewable energy systems, her home is able to balance between the power a home needs and the renewable energy generated to match that need. Learn more about the steps you can take towards living in a net zero home.