Dive Brief:

• Alfa Development has earned LEED gold, but the condo-builder argues that sustainability, not just efficient appliances and recycled materials, should be the goal.
• One project in lower Manhattan started at $1,100 a square foot and now goes for about $2,000.
• Some developers are shooting for passive-house standards and using geothermal heating and cooling, which is rare for New York City.

Dive Insight:

The green push by these builders appears to have a double benefit. Alfa's chief executive Michael Namer, says he can install an environmental system, using ground temperature beneath a building for about 4% of the cost of conventional HVAC. In a Brooklyn building built to pass-house standards, one resident said she is paying less than $100 for energy every month while people in similar but not passive buildings have bills in the hundreds of dollars.