BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — A southern Indiana couple is putting the finishing touches on a home that's so energy-efficient they expect their annual energy bills to total only about $650.

David and Carol Gulyas' home is based on many of the latest concepts in green construction and energy conservation and is similar to what's known as a German passive home.

"The German model really emphasizes being airtight, and while that's a fundamental concept in this house, too, we have a different attitude about quality of life," David Gulyas said.

"In Bloomington, we like to open the windows and let the air in. Feel a breeze. So we've incorporated systems to accommodate that as well."

He said the goal of the 1,700-square-foot is to achieve "radical energy efficiency," .

The home cost an estimated $350,000 to build, but Gulyas said it's so well insulated and energy-efficient he projects the annual energy costs to operate its lighting, heating, air conditioning and appliances will be around $650.

"On the coldest day of winter, say, around zero outside, it should take the equivalent of a hair dryer to heat this house," he said with a grin.

The Gulyas met when they were students at Indiana University in the 1970s. They moved to New York City in the latter part of the decade, and David, a musician, worked with Bloomington expatriates Mark Bingham and Mark Hood in a recording studio they put together there.

After close to a decade in New York, the couple returned to the Midwest and Chicago, where David went back to school to get a degree in interior design.

He also earned his certification in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, LEED, and with Carol, developed a Web site that became GreenBuildIndiana when the couple moved to Bloomington late last year to begin building their dream home.

Chris Sturbaum and Golden Hands Construction worked with David Gulyas to develop a home that includes transom windows to facilitate air flow, and foyers, or air locks, to provide a thermal buffer when outside doors are opened.

The home's windows and overhangs are positioned to gather the most radiant heat in winter and the most shade during the hot summer months. It has triple-pane windows on three sides to let in the maximum amount of light without losing heat.

South-facing windows were chosen to promote an influx of radiant solar energy.

And the home was put together in a way to make it so well lighted from sunlight that a person can read a book during daylight, in the middle of the house, without turning on a lamp.

The home's walls and subfloor all employ 10 1/2 inches of polystyrene — essentially, dense Styrofoam — which insulates as well as adding moisture and humidity control.

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Information from: The Herald-Times, http://www.heraldtimesonline.com