When you think of green building, you probably think of solar panels atop a roof, or walls made of straw bales. The home of Rebecca Vidra and Aaron Moody doesn't look "green."

A green house isn't about the "expensive, fancy, showy things on the roof" but rather the "low-cost, technical stuff," says builder Michael Chandler. Emphasis: low cost.

Vidra and Moody are professors of environmental conservation at Duke University and UNC-Chapel Hill, respectively. For their green dream home, they went to Chandler and Beth Williams of Chandler Design-Build in Chapel Hill -- not just for environmental reasons, but also for aesthetics.

"That was a big draw for my husband and [me]," Vidra says, "that they used natural materials" such as wood, stone and tile. "We really liked the type of house [Chandler] was building and his green ethic," she adds.

The Vidra-Moody house cost slightly less than $350,000. Set on 10 acres of land near Chapel Hill, it is designed for a family of four -- Vidra and Moody and their two daughters. At 2,265 square feet, the three-bedroom, three-bath home is a bit smaller than the average new house. But what the house might lack in size, it makes up for in efficiency.

The house uses air tightening and insulation, combined with a more conventional heating system, to achieve energy efficiency. A solar water heater on the roof can cost $4,500, whereas dramatically improving insulation can cost less than one-third that. And insulation, unlike roof-mounted panels, isn't susceptible to costly storm and freeze damage.

"Bang for the buck" is a phrase Chandler uses quite a bit when discussing design strategies.

Close scrutiny of the green Vidra-Moody house -- which was the runner-up for the custom home of the year title in the 2006 National Green Builders Awards -- reveals some of its cost- and energy-saving measures.

Show us the savings

Southern Energy Management, an independent company that verifies home energy efficiency, estimates that the total energy cost per year for this house will be $1,584. That includes heating, cooling, water heat, lights, appliances and service charges. The house was found to be 49 percent more efficient than code, Chandler says, adding that the accomplishment was achieved "without using anything esoteric like straw bales or solar panels."

You don't have to rebuild to have a green home. You can renovate an existing home to make it greener.

"You could do a sealed or tented crawlspace on an [existing] house fairly easily," Chandler says. The recirculating hot water can be installed in any bathroom, requiring only a pump and check valve. It won't be quite as efficient as a three-pipe system, but it is inexpensive.

One of the easiest ways to a greener home only costs the price of a canister of Roundup. "Kill your lawn and grow more native plants," Chandler says.

"Ka-ching!"

For Vidra, the only downside of their home is that it's difficult to hear the local wildlife. There are great horned owls and barred owls in the surrounding woods, but the home's insulation also provides soundproofing.

"I really wanted to hear the owls!" Vidra says. But that's the only flaw in a house the couple considers "beautiful."

Features that make this house so green

LANDSCAPING - Existing trees were preserved on all sides of the house. Using native plants instead of a conventional lawn saves water and energy.

RADIANT FLOORING - Water circulating in pipes beneath the living and dining room floors redistribute heat from the sun. The circulator motor runs round the clock, but draws power comparable to a small light bulb.

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