Easy on the eyes and the environment

The house itself faces south, avoiding direct sun on the windows in the morning and afternoon. To form exterior walls, concrete is poured between insulating plastic foam, an efficient wind resister. Expandable insulation, called Icynene, is sprayed inside the attic, sealing it against wind and moisture.

Bamboo floors in the kitchen and hallway offer the look of hardwood. But consider the forest-saving difference: Some species of bamboo grow 30 inches a day, while oak trees may grow no more than 30 inches a year. Bamboo costs $7 or $8 a square foot installed, comparable to hardwood floors.

In a radical move, the kitchen has no garbage disposal. Instead, food waste can be placed in an outdoor compost bin tucked discreetly behind shrubs.

Sensors switch bathroom faucets on and off, potentially saving a family of five 200 gallons of water a year. Dual-flush toilets could also save more than 2,000 gallons of water annually. A tankless hot water heater warms water only as needed.

To keep air quality pure, a central vacuum channels all dust and debris into a container in the garage. Special paints and finishes emit fewer gases.

Lights turn off automatically when a sensor no longer detects motion in a room. Although compact fluorescent bulbs in every socket cost more initially, they last seven years. Appliances carry the Environmental Protection Agency's EnergyStar seal of efficiency.

These environmental features add $75,000 to the cost of the house, raising the price to just over $400,000. But Al Hoffman Jr., CEO of WCI, emphasizes that many features are optional.

As more green homes are built, prices will drop, he says. "If we can get it on a production basis, the cost of these things will be reduced substantially." He expects to build 1,000 homes at Evergrene by 2006.

Buyers can choose from a menu of energy- and resource-saving options that suit their budget and appeal to their interests or needs. "Not everybody wants a home with great indoor air quality," Mr. Reinson says. "Somebody else might just want a home that's energy-efficient."

Some additional costs can be offset by savings in energy use. The Florida Solar Energy Center calculates that the Geni-G home will save $431 a year in energy bills.

Houses rated energy-efficient by a local energy company might also qualify for a special mortgage, which might enable buyers to afford a more expensive house.

Most features incorporated in the Florida prototypecould be used in a Northern climate, Mr. Hoffman says, with a few changes. Windows coated to keep out Florida heat, for example, would obviously not be needed in Wisconsin.

Hoffman describes the average buyer interested in a green home as well educated, usually part of a dual-income family, and willing to pay more for the environmental features.

"Certain people are going to spend the extra money to buy organic food, no matter what the economic impact," he says. "There are people who are pioneers of green houses for the same purpose."

Yet others remain confused by the choices. "Most people would say they want to do the right thing, but they don't know what to do," says Karen Childress, environmental stewardship manager at WCI.

To help them, environmental groups and builders around the country are taking steps to educate consumers. At the Austin Energy Green Building Program, Mr. Morgan says, the group spends half of its time speaking to community and business groups and writing about the benefits of green buildings.

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