As recently as a decade ago, many Americans considered green building and design practices a luxury for wealthier homeowners. But as global warming and high fuel prices have dominated the headlines, homeowners from all demographics are realizing that green design can yield savings down the road—savings that extend beyond money, to the health of their families and the environment.

Retailers are seeing exploding demand for products that reduce energy use and waste, or are non-toxic to their users, such as fiberglass windows or water-based paints. According to the U.S. Green Building Council, green building product sales nearly doubled from 2003 to 2005, from $5.8 billion to $10 billion.

Although the old stigma that green practices are too costly has subsided, it still remains a roadblock to people catching the green fever.

“The public assumes it will cost them a huge amount to do these things,” says Mark Albee, a South Strafford, Vermont, contractor who worked on Cobb Hill Cohousing, an environmentally minded complex of 14 buildings on 260 acres in Hartland, Vermont. “But there are always costs associated with building or remodeling. It’s a matter of where you apply those costs.”

Though environmentally friendly materials can be more expensive, spending more on a product can mean savings down the road. For instance, triple-paned windows might cost more to install, “but they will pay for themselves within a year or two,” according to Dan Eckstein, outreach coordinator at the Yestermorrow Design/Build School in Warren, Vermont.

It can be hard to keep up with local contractors and designers as they rattle off the green materials they are implementing into people’s homes: photovoltaic solar panels, cellulose insulation, bamboo shades, and lime-based plaster. Though the green design field is exploding with options, there are some basic steps that can be taken to green up an existing home or the design of a new one. “It’s surprising what you can do — how easy it is,” says Albee.

Make your home as energy-efficient as possible by installing efficient power and heating systems. Tighter insulation can greatly reduce the use of non-renewable resources such as oil and coal.

“By improving the heating system and tightening up drafts [during a recent project], we took a leaky old farmhouse and improved the energy efficiency of the building by two-thirds.” explained Albee.

Both Vermont and New Hampshire offer tax incentives and/or rebates to homeowners who invest in energy-efficient heating and electric systems, such as solar water heating, solar electric (photovoltaic) panels, and wind power. Vermont also offers rebates to residents who purchase Energy Star–qualified appliances. But even merely improving insulation can have a dramatic impact on heat retention: sunscreen shades will cool rooms in the summer, while denser curtains—coupled with high-performance windows and good insulation—will help conserve heat in the winter.

And don’t overlook the obvious: in chilly northern New England, a blazing woodstove is a classic, clean, and cost-effective source of heat.

When building or designing your home, choose materials with care. By using materials grown or created within a 500-mile radius, you cut down on the energy and emissions used for a product’s transportation. And you’ll also be bolstering the local community. “We use local workrooms so that the purchase of service goes directly to the new economy,” says Andrea Easton of Creature Comforts, an interior design firm in Enfield, New Hampshire. “This is a green bonus we often forget about, keeping the local economy healthy.”

Judging the environmental impact or “greenness” of a product is an essential component of green design. Green products are those that have minimal impact during manufacturing, lower emissions, easy maintenance, and sometimes contain recycled materials like glass, paper, or post-industrial waste.

Pay attention to the toxic content of paints, finishes, and sealants. Indoor air is one of the top five leading health risks in the United States, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Emissions from paints and solvents containing VOCs (volatile organic compounds) can cause asthma, nausea, and other problems. “More and more people are complaining of chemical sensitivity,” says Eckstein, whose Yestermorrow school offers a class in natural paints and finishes.

Paint manufacturers such as Sherwin-Williams and Benjamin Moore offer low-VOC paints, and paints can also be formulated from natural materials like clay, natural latex, or milk. Lime- and clay-based plasters are available, as are non-toxic floor coverings such as natural linoluem, ceramic tile, or jute.

Formaldehyde is one of the biggest culprits when it comes to “offgassing,” or the fumes released by VOCs at room temperature. Formaldehyde found in plywood, particle board, and foam insulation can be avoided by using low-VOC alternatives such as straw particleboard or cellulose insulation made from recycled newspapers.

Recycling is not just for glass and paper. Instead of building a new home, consider renovating an older one. “You’re recycling that home,” says Eckstein. When designing the interior, consider architectural salvage, used furniture, or antiques. “Think of the dent in new materials production that consumers could make by really giving salvage remodeling a run for its money,” says Easton. “For instance, I encourage a customer who is redoing their kitchen to use a natural material for their countertops, and either use their existing cabinets, add similar ones from other salvage jobs, or replace completely with salvage to inject new character to their new space.” Think mirrors from old windows and tables from crates and old table legs and turnings — all strategies that Easton has used in her business.

Building materials such as brick and lumber can easily come from salvage. If you do clear land to build a new home, use the harvested wood from the site in construction.

Embrace the principles of space, light, and clean air in your home. Studies have shown that people who dwell in structures with abundant light and ventilation demonstrate greater productivity and contentment. So utilize southern light. Incorporate views into a design. Plant a tree at the southeast corner. Once you’ve done that, you‘ll be reaping the simplest benefits of green building and design.