[ErVikingo]

My new house is being built using ICF forms (insulated concrete forms). House will be poured concrete with a ridiculously high R rating. It will be really quiet, won't loose as much energy and we wont be creating a lot of waster wood normally used on the forms.

We are getting solar heaters installed (for the house and the pool), solar tubes (directional skylights with fiberoptics), vented attics, and the arrangement of windows, etc has been carefully considered to reduce energy usage. We are also gettting a solar energy array for running a/c and daily lights and a separate one to run exterior needs such as sprinklers.

We are also having a gray water system built for irrigation.

There are tons of things that can be done but don't look at these to save money as you won't (in most cases).