According to a new study conducted on behalf of 40 California agencies, investments in green buildings are paying for themselves 10 times over. The study, by the Capital E group, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, and participating California state agencies, is a cost-definitive cost-benefit analysis of green building.
With this study, the California Department of Finance has signed off on the existence of financial benefits associated with improved health productivity and lowered operations and maintenance costs in green buildings. Drawing on national data for a hundred green buildings and an in-depth review of several hundred existing studies, the study found that sustainable buildings are a cost-effective investment.
To view EC&M’s article about green building titled “Eco-industrial Complex” (August, 2003), visit http://ecmweb.com/ar/electric_ecoindustrial_complex/index.htm.