One way to incorporate green building concepts into your home would be to upgrade to a solar panel system of some sort to give your house electricity from the sun. This can be quite costly in the beginning with an initial price tag of approximately $30,000 and up but the savings will pay for the system within a few short years. This would be an excellent way to make your home that much more energy efficient.

1. Install a solar panel system to electrify your home with solar energy. The initial investment could be as high as $30,000 but the savings on electricity bill will pay for the system within a few years.

2. Eight Important Areas to Consider when Building Green

2.1. Climate and Locale -Keep building materials, roof pitch, and heating/cooling systems durable with the climate and location; Proximity to amenities, public transit and utilities;

2.2. People Matter-What rooms will be used the most by your people and the connection to the outdoors;

2.3. Think Small- Design a home with a modest footprint that consumes fewer building materials and less energy. Go in for a design that reduce hallway lengths. Downsize the heating/cooling systems and appliances that can still be effective.

2.4. Cool Naturally and Heat Efficiently- design and orient the home to accommodate passive solar heating and cooling and replace air-conditioning with ceiling fans for natural cross ventilation.

2.5. Go Native-local materials minimizes environmental impact and are economically viable too.

2.6. Sustainable Materials- Use local materials with low embodied energy that are renewable, durable, non-toxic, and certified as sustainable.

2.7. Insulate and Ventilate- Proper sealing and ventilation are essential for both energy-efficiency and moisture control.

2.8. Old before New-Try 'green' techniques that have actually been around for centuries, which are time-tested.

Additional info:

http://community.ecoanswers.com/questions/374/how-can-i-incorporate-green-building-concepts-into-my-home

http://www.dovetailinc.org/files/8%20Important%20Things%20to%20Consider%20when%20Building%20Green.pdf

There are many ways in which you can incorporate green concepts into the building of your home. For your kitchen countertop, use either bamboo, recycled glass, or concrete, as opposed to granite or laminate, both of which are harmful to the environment. For flooring, choose bamboo or cork, instead of costly oak or pine. Additionally, make sure that your house is insulated with at least four inches of (preferably recycled)fiber.