Energy Savings Outweigh Building Costs

GREENandSAVE News — In November 2008, a landmark international study sponsored by Good Energies, a global investor in renewable energy and energy efficiency industries, concluded that the cost of green buildings is far outweighed by energy and water savings.

Based on a financial and technical analysis of 150 green buildings across the United States and 10 other countries, the study, Greening Buildings and Communities: Costs and Benefits (PDF), determined that green buildings cost an average of less than two percent to construct than conventional buildings and reduce energy use by an average of 33 percent. The study further found that the growth of green building creates thousands of new jobs and that positive effects on productivity and health benefits are a motivating factor for building green.