Does a Green Building Have to Cost More?
A Buildings article on The
True Costs of Building Green says, “Turner Construction’s green
guru Rod Wille, the company’s senior vice president of sustainable
construction, says basic green design doesn’t have to cost more. ‘Good-quality
building with basic LEED certification as a goal shouldn’t cost any more money.
If you want to go to a higher level of green, such as photovoltaics, underfloor
air distribution, or something more exotic, it’s going to cost more.’”
The article continues with Greg Katz, a consultant, saying,
“There’s a consistent disconnect between capital costs and operating costs. A
building owner knows there is a return on investment of 40 percent going into a
green building. Investments come out of capital; but, year-to-year, the
operating budget isn’t linked. That’s a big obstacle.”
The writer goes on to say, “Four attributes of green
building design - increased ventilation control, increased temperature control,
increased lighting control, and increased daylighting - have been positively
and significantly correlated with increased productivity.”
Cheaper green standard
The National Association of Home Builders, which launched
the National Green Building Standard (NGBS), reported recently that a study
in Chicago showed the NGBS was cheaper than LEED-H (the USGBC’s
certification program for homes). The study’s key claim is “LEED-H
registration, verification and certification costs are approximately $2,776
compared to about $500 for verification and certification” in the NGBS set-up.
Energy Star homes
According to a report
on HousingZone.com, 25% of all single-family homes built in the United
States in 2010 earned the EPA’s Energy Star certification. That number is up
from 21% in 2009.
Free green toolkit
The city of San Francisco and the Business Council on
Climate Change are offering the Green
Tenant Toolkit at no cost for building owners and tenants.
Title 24 Guide noted
The Illuminating Engineering Society included the Title
24 Residential Lighting Design Guide from the California Lighting
Technology Center in its 2011 Progress Report.