The Economic Benefits of Sustainable Design

Evidence is growing that sustainable buildings provide financial rewards for building owners, operators, and occupants. Sustainable buildings typically have lower annual costs for energy, water, maintenance/repair, churn (reconfiguring space because of changing needs), and other operating expenses. These reduced costs do not have to come at the expense of higher first costs. Through integrated design and innovative use of sustainable materials and equipment, the first cost of a sustainable building can be the same as, or lower than, that of a traditional building. Some sustainable design features have higher first costs, but the payback period for the incremental investment often is short and the lifecycle cost typically lower than the cost of more traditional buildings.