For Charles Mullen, building environmentally friendly “green” homes has been good business.

So much so that he’s ratcheted up his efforts and built an even “greener” home than those he had previously built in The Oaks at Hunter Hill subdivision.

Despite the faltering economy, his Energy Star certified homes sold shortly after completion for $270,000 to $330,000.

The new home under construction in the subdivision has 1,850-square feet and will be listed for $250,000. He said his goal is to acquire the area’s first “green bronze” designation for a new home from the National Association of Home Builders.

The homes he previously built had to be at least 15 percent more energy efficient than standard homes to acquire the Energy Star label. They feature conditioned crawl spaces, which is the practice of removing all components that cause moisture such as leaking pipes, broken dryer vents and groundwater entering through the foundation. Other features include radiant barrier roof construction and high-efficiency heating and cooling with programmable thermostat.

The Energy Star homes also were sealed with caulks, foams, weather stripping, gaskets and door sweeps to reduce holes and cracks, decrease utility bills and improve indoor air quality by minimizing drafts, moisture, dust, pollen and noise.

Energy Star is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy designed to help consumers save money and protect the environment through energy-efficient products and practices. According to Energy Star’s Web site, the program has saved enough energy in 2007 alone to avoid greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from 27 million cars — all while saving $16 billion on their utility bills.

Mullen said his new home exceeds Energy Star’s green features, with more insulation, a more efficient air conditioning, ventilation and heating system, a tankless hot water heater, gutters draining into a rain barrel for water conservation, indigenous landscaping and drought-resistant grass.

Mullen, who owns Mullen & Co. Inc. in Rocky Mount, said the new home costs him about 3 percent to 4 percent more to build than the Energy Star model. But he believes he is ahead of the curve by delving into green construction methods.

“I think it’s the right thing to do,” Mullen said. “I predict that in five to seven years, the Energy Star rating will be (building) code. We will move our code minimums up to probably an Energy Star level.”

He said it’s difficult to put a dollar amount on homeowners’ energy savings in the new home.

“Without question, this (new) house will be probably 25 to 30 percent more efficient than a code-built house,” Mullen said.

He also said the green homes are healthier for the homeowners.

“We have conditioned crawl spaces that eliminate moisture problems under the house, mildew problems,” Mullen said. “So the quality of life is much, much higher than a traditionally built home.”

A Raleigh-based company, Southern Energy Management, is inspecting Mullen’s new home to determine whether it qualifies for the “green bronze” designation.

Michael Peaden, building science technician for the company, said he is not aware of any other homes built in the Rocky Mount area that have earned the designation.

“He (Mullen) is a trailblazer,” Peaden said.

Peaden said the Mullens have enthusiastically endorsed the green concept.

“They’ve jumped head first into it,’ he said.