It's hard to believe but this 4,800 square foot home is the winner of the Gold Medal for Green Sustainability from the National Association of Home Builders. Marc Antony Contracting built the house for the Syracuse Parade of Homes with that goal in mind.

“To build a home that was a net zero, fully self-sustainable home. The way we did that was with wind, solar, and geothermal systems. And what net zero means is, ideally, the user will have a home that runs on very little or no energy monthly bills,” said Mark DeAngelis, Marc Antony Custom Homes.

So this home, called The Evergreen, is equipped with wind turbines and a photovoltaic array on the roof. Those power generators are combined with a geothermal heating and cooling system that taps into the constant temperature of the earth below ground level. All of that, though, is not enough to attain the Gold Medal.

“Even though it's got photovoltaics and things that are providing the energy for it, they have to build it tight enough so its energy use is below 50 percent of what a typical new building would be. So, if this home was sitting next to another new home and there was none of the wind or solar energy on top of it, regardless, this home would still be 50 percent more efficient,” said Paul Crovella, SUNY ESF.

To provide that efficiency, the house is also equipped with high performance insulation, triple pane windows, and other design features for maximum conservation.

They also used green carpeting, recycled countertops, recycled tile, L.E.D lighting, and soy-based insulation.

Mark DeAngelis says he's seeing more and more interest in sustainable homes and the environmentally friendly building products are becoming more available and less costly.

“Cost is always a concern. I think the initial cost may be a little bit of a shock but when you read down through the numbers and see how the payback time has been shortened by the Federal tax incentives, it's a wonderful way to go,” said DeAngelis.