These English guys are on to something... rainwater harvesting system, insulation, etc... http://www.zerocarbonhouse.com/Home.aspx

The statement: "We have built a zero carbon house on Britain’s most northerly island of Unst, which will bring obvious benefits to the environment. Our carbon neutral home lowers the carbon footprint by producing its own energy and storing it to heat the home. We also use this energy to fuel an electric vehicle for transportation. Food will be grown in hi-tech greenhouses using a hydroponic growing system.


We hope our zero carbon house will be a useful study vehicle for research, giving students the unique opportunity to view a real eco-house, meet the people who live there, and regularly access the energy usage data that will be updated daily online. We also hope that we make a small contribution to conserving the environment in which we live for future generations to enjoy."

...and closer to home here in San Francisco, there is an effort build "zero energy homes": http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/06/23/MNRR187SSG.DTL&type=realestate

Conserving the environment is our responsibility. I wish the zero carbon house project all the success and hopefully the whole world will adapt it. But aside from the house, the appliances to be used should also comply with the environment protection. Pool Supplies