Portland, Oregon-From the outside, Joe Vacunas's home may look like a typical Portland home. But take a closer look and you will find how his home helps to remove a lot of carbon dioxide from the air.

"The all-electric home is the comfortable home of the future." He said. "In 10 years, we supplied electricity to our home, we cut off our gas pipes, and we no longer need to pay for guest services."

Scientists globally agree that we need to reduce heat absorption emissions to zero by 2050 to avoid the worst effects of climate change. By replacing everything that burns fossil fuels in your home with alternatives to electricity, you can reduce about 4 to 8 tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year.

“Our family emits about 3 tons of carbon dioxide per person per year, and this is just to power our own system,” Wachunas said.

To power the home, you need to use an electric heat pump instead of a gas stove and water heater. Next, choose an induction stove instead of a gas stove. 

Related: How climate change is hurting the future of U-pick farms in Oregon

"You don't let smoke and carbon monoxide pass through your house because of burning things. This is really a great technology."

For those who like the warmth and comfort of a gas or wood-burning fireplace but do not want to pollute, you can choose an LED fireplace, which can emit heat if you want.

"It uses only a small amount of energy," Wachunas said.

As for the cost of doing all this? This is roughly the same as the cost of buying gas appliances. With the help of rooftop solar arrays, Wachunas saved a lot of money.

"By being fully electric, we may save 1,000 to 2,000 US dollars in energy costs each year," he said.

This is just one of many ideas that will be explored next week in Portland's fourth annual sustainable architecture week.

This is an opportunity to learn about the latest trends in green buildings and clean energy.

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