I think this also depends on the market you are selling. I am in Marin, CA, where there are a lot of environmentalists (or at least thinking towards - why would anybody want to spend that kind of money to buy in Marin if not for the clean air, green open space, surrounding bay/ocean, preserved marsh land, low key, blend into environment architect etc),? There is a price to pay, along with that desirable living standard, it comes with a price.

In Novato, we have a brand new small development with 'affordable' housing where they built 8 all green town homes, and after initial stall during the summer, they are either sold or under contract.

We also have a 19 luxury home subdivision listed by my office; which are all Green Homes, sales were slow towards the end of year, but pace has picked up.,

Since this is Marin, even though we are the least expensive town, the price range or the first group is around $500K and the luxury homes run from $1,179K to $1.5M. Great homes sits on marsh land.

(BTW, even with that, my town, Novato, was just voted 'Best Affordable Town' by Business Week' http://www.marinij.com/marin/ci_8040922?source=email)

So, I think it depends on the local market and mindset. dCO/Green is gaining momentum in Marin right now.

Let me know if you want more information about those Green builers, Green Housing. .

Sylvia

First off, I agree with Ginger that a 'green' home will probably go over well in a higher-priced home. Right now, 'green' is considered a luxury.

I would also like to point out that in Texas there are homes that are 'Energy Star.' These are not exactly 'green' homes, but they conserve energy. An 'Energy Star' home used to be considered a luxury, but now it is more of a requirement. People are converting their older homes to make them Energy Star, but it is cheaper just to buy a new one.

If you plan to keep the home for a while, it might be a worthwhile investment, as when you go to sell the home it is possible that people will be expecting it. Having an older home already converted to newer requirements could help you sell, and it would be cheaper to do it now while you're building than later.

Bill - I think your concerns are valid. We are builders. Not green builders, but we would like to be. In my area, homes with "green" elements from years past, such as solar heat, do not sell well and are viewed as dated.
We find a recent resurgence in green thinking. We think it's great but as you pointed out, initial costs are higher and you are investing in newer technology that has not always panned out in years past.
People are talking green, and that implies that they want green. But we find that what people say they want, and what they end up buying, are somtimes 2 different things. eg In response to what we were hearing from our baby boomer buyers (We want a smaller, more efficient, low maintenance house on one floor..."), we built such a house. It was a tough sell. They still wanted a large home.
I think, in general, it is easier to sell green on mid to higher priced homes, than lower priced homes. e.g. We put a highly efficient radiant heating system in a lower priced home. Instead of being a selling point, the buyers viewed this with suspicion (eg "Is that electric heat?"). It costs considerably more and was tougher to sell. In our higher priced homes, buyers understand and expect radiant heat.
You can still do a lot of "greener' things that make a lot of sense eg In our climate, heating is an issue so we insulate between all floors and every INTERIOR wall that makes sense, not just exterior. We insulate beyond code requirements and as a result, our homes burn much less oil than other homes of similar size. There are a lot of things that make immediate economic sense (and cents!) but it varies by locale and your climate is very different.
I think that if this is your own home, that you will own for a while, it is fine to build green, within your budget and reason. If you think that you will sell within the next 5 years or so, I would be cautious. We ourselves, when we build our "last" home, instead of moving every few years like now, will go as green as possible. Because we want to and because we will be staying, not worrying about resale.
If you find some good technologies, esp cost effective ones, pls come back and post some links and info!

Bill,
I have sold a few of these homes. I think there is a market for the Low cost of Utilities and durability this type of construction offers. Keep in mind that you will have to plan very careful and have builder that knows exactly what they are doing. Once you start there is little that you can do along the way as cost rise for ever change you make. If you are going to live in the home then do it. The benefit to you might be greater in the long run than cash on cash return. In that respect it doesn’t make since to build anything right now as the resale market is softer than the cost to build.
I say go for it.

You can contact me direct if you want a builder’s perspective. I have a client that loves to talk about this stuff and will be very honest about the possibilities and limitations.