It Pays to Go Green
By Staff -- Consulting-Specifying Engineer, 11/1/2003
A study conducted by 40 California agencies suggests that investments into green building technologies pay for themselves 10 times over.
The study, conducted by the Capital E Group, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory and multiple California state agencies, is said to be the most comprehensive cost-benefit analysis of building green to date. It incorporated data from 100 green buildings as well as an in-depth review of several hundred existing studies.
According to the report, savings of $50 to $70 per sq. ft. can be achieved in a LEED building, over 10 times the additional cost associated with building green. The savings can be attributed to lower energy, waste and water costs; lower environmental and emissions costs; lower operational and maintenance costs; and increased productivity and health.
"The report should permanently lay to rest the myth that green buildings are not cost effective and not ready for prime time," said Greg Kats, a principal at Capital E and the report's lead author.
