aterial Emissions Study -- is available from the California Waste Management Board Web site.
Report Quantifies Costs and Benefits of Green Building
A new economic analysis conducted for California's Sustainable Building Task Force -- the most comprehensive green building cost benefit analysis completed to date -- sustainable design features can be included with little or no increase in construction costs. The Costs and Financial Benefits of Green Buildings: A Report to California's Sustainable Building Task Force , "finds that an upfront investment of less than two percent of construction costs yields life cycle savings of over ten times the initial investment."
Integrating “sustainable” or “green” building practices into the construction of state buildings is a solid financial investment. A minimal upfront investment of about two percent of construction costs typically yields life cycle savings of over ten times the initial investment. For example, an initial upfront investment of up to $100,000 to incorporate green building features into a $5 million project would result in a savings of at least $1 million over the life of the building, assumed conservatively to be 20 years.
The financial benefits of green buildings include lower energy, waste disposal, and water costs, lower environmental and emissions costs, lower operations and maintenance costs, and savings from increased productivity and health. Some savings, such as energy cost reductions which can be measured and monitored, are predictable within a reasonable margin of error. Other gains, such as worker productivity and health improvements, are not precisely understood and more difficult to predict.
Nevertheless, the overall return on the sustainable design features exceeds the costs. In fact, energy savings alone exceed the average increased cost associated with building green.
Model Green Home Building Guidelines Initiative Launched
Over the last 15 years, at least a dozen local and regional green building programs have been launched around the U.S. Recently, the Leadership in Energy& Environmental Design (LEED) certification program announced an effort to create a residential program to complement its well-regarded program for commercial buildings. Last month, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and the NAHB Research Center announced plans to create yet another green builder effort called Model Green Home Building Guidelines. While most regional programs helped establish niches for green building, this new effort aims to bring green building to the mainstream market across the nation.
A new set of green building guidelines intends to set a nationally-recognized baseline for determining minimum thresholds for resource-efficient, cost-effective home building that are practical for the entire industry. The new guidelines will be developed by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and the NAHB Research Center to address the mainstream housing market.
"The Model Green Home Building Guidelines will take ‘green’ to the mainstream," said Ray Tonjes, NAHB Green Building Subcommittee chair and home builder. "We will ensure that all home builders, not just a few niche builders, better understand green building techniques and technologies. The home building community around the country can use them for their own specific, regionally distinct green home building efforts."
By Fall 2004, a "stakeholder group" will develop guidelines that address land development, site planning, resource efficiency, water conservation, indoor air quality, energy efficiency, operations maintenance and home owner education. NAHB and the NAHB Research Center will provide the technical expertise in the guideline development process as well as a forum for builders to exchange green building ideas, initiatives and opportunities for potential collaboration.
PATH Unveils "Top 10" Building Technologies
The Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing (PATH) has created a "Top 10" list of building technologies based on their strengths in one or more of the following areas: qu