Luke and Nicki Prettol spent four months looking for their first house, narrowing it down to three before finally settling on a three-bedroom one-story in Spring.

The selling point? The home was built to help them save on energy costs.

"When all else is equal, it's one of those things in the back of your head where you go, 'It should be better for the environment,' " Luke Prettol said.

Plus, at $206,000, it was in the couple's price range.

Local builders for years have touted the energy efficiency of their homes, such as better insulation and power-saving appliances, but some are taking it to a new level.

One company, for example, is creating an entire community where all the houses will have solar power. Another builder claims its new green homes will cut up to 50 percent in heating and cooling usage.

"Just about every other person I come across is wanting at least one of these green features," said real estate agent Stephanie Edwards-Musa, who specializes in green homes. "But it's still making its way here because we are still overcoming the misconception that it's too costly."

Houston homebuyers have long been conditioned to expect less expensive homes than in other parts of the country, which has discouraged the construction of more expensive green homes on a mass scale.

But rising energy costs are fueling demand.

In a move to bring solar power to the masses, Houston developer Land Tejas plans to power its 2,700-home Discovery at Spring Trails community with the help of solar power.

The solar systems will offset about 15 percent of the electric usage in a 4,000-square-foot home that uses an average 3,000 kilowatts a month, said Craig Lobel, a planning consultant hired by Land Tejas.

Actual figures can vary depending on the buyer's lifestyle.