I’ve often heard of green homes as those built mostly from recycled materials and are energy efficient.  I didn’t know just HOW energy efficient a home can be until I saw one that just came on the market in my area.  It’s a true green home with solar panels to provide power, the home often "gives back" to the grid.  In August, the hottest month ever in our documented history, the electric bill was $54.  My own bill was $295 and we turned our thermostat up to 75 degrees, kept lights off, and did what we could to save energy.  This green house spends about $600 p/ YEAR for electric – one month their utility bill was $4.  That’s FOUR dollars.

With almost three acres, three bedrooms, three baths, and 2200 square feet, minutes away from the wildly popular city of Franklin, TN, it’s priced at $439,900.  I just think it’s incredibly awesome when people make the effort to demonstrate care for the environment.

From JetsonGreen, here are five green homes.  If you think green homes cost too much to make, look what is says about Heather’s Home,

2,038 sf and was built for about $117 psf. But what’s more incredible is the heating and cooling bill, which averages from $20-30 per month — pretty incredible for Texas!  Some green features of this house include a rainwater collection system with 3,000 gallon holding tank, low-flush toilets, native landscaping, 20 SEER Daikin HVAC system, tankless water heater powered by rooftop solar panels, Green Guard certified Formica kitchen counters, and InterFLOR modular carpet.

Be sure to take a gander at the other green projects featured on Jetson Green.