When it comes to building energy-efficient homes, there is certainly no shortage of products and materials designed for this purpose. In fact, the presence and availability of these types of materials have only increased exponentially in the recent years, ensuring that buyers have more energy-saving options at their disposal than ever before.

Consumers now have at their fingertips such energy-conserving features like top-notch insulation, high-performance windows, airtight construction and ducts and energy-saving heating and cooling systems. Meanwhile, the most recent advances have brought geodesic design, insulated concrete form (ICF) systems, modular homes and steel framing -- to name just a few -- to the forefront.

If we were to take a poll of buyers to find out whether energy efficiency is a priority for them in purchasing a new home, most individuals surveyed would deliver a resounding, "Yes, energy efficiency is important!" But the big question on every new home buyer's mind is whether being energy efficient is also synonymous with being cost efficient. Much to new home buyers' surprise, it turns out that putting the extra effort into buying or building an energy-efficient home, is actually well worth the buyers' effort. Equipping a new home with the features necessary to achieve optimum efficiency has proven to cost the same as, or only slightly more than, their less efficient counterparts.

But here's the clincher: The money you save in energy costs will not only make up the difference within a year or so, but it will also continue to add up over the life of your investment. All things considered, it seems like a small price to pay to improve your overall home quality and comfort. It also doesn't hurt that consumers who install products geared toward the conservation of energy are rewarded for their efforts with a variety of tax breaks and credits.