With soaring energy costs, industries are revolutionizing the ways they do business. Why pay more for expendable energy over a period of years? With green building technologies we can reduce consumption of water, electricity, and waste while improving in aspects such as efficiency, air quality and overall building value. Green buildings are certainly the wave of the future, and just one of the ways Jacob White is helping defeat constantly rising energy cost. The negative effects on the environment are reduced greatly through green technology and allow for a stronger, healthier, and more viable community.
Green technologies:
Boost Employee Productivity. Few investments generate greater returns than those
designed to boost labor productivity. It is easy to see why, based on comparison
of relative operating cost for commercial business. A modest investment in soft
features such as access to pleasant views, increased daylight, fresh air and
personal environment controls can quickly translate into significant bottom-line
savings for an employer.
Enhance Health and Well-Being. A recent Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory study reported that feasible and commonly recommended improvements to indoor environments could reduce health care cost and work losses from communicable respiratory diseases by 9-20%; from reduced allergies and asthma by 18-25%; and from other non specific health and discomfort effects by 20-50%. Researchers also found that this would generate estimated savings from $17-$48 billion annually in lost work and healthcare cost.
Reduce Liability. Clean and healthy buildings can also reduce legal claims and liabilities of the owner. Business Week reported that “sick building” cases, often filed against building owner/operators are becoming more and more common. With recent explosions in mold related claims, insurance companies have begun to take defensive action with mold exclusion causes and rate hikes. Many industry experts believe insurance companies will start linking lower premiums to high performance buildings.
Create Value for Tenants. Features designed to cut energy and water bills help attract tenants to the property and increase the likelihood of continued occupancy. According to the EPA, a tenant can save approximately $0.50 per square foot per year through no-cost management and operations strategies that cut energy use by 30 percent. The tenants’ accumulated savings can represent $50,000 or more in a five-year lease of 20,000 square feet of office space. Savings can be even higher when incorporating a variety of high performance and flexible building design components.
Increase Property Value. An asset that maintains its value through higher occupancy and easier maintenance is easier to sell and may command a higher market valuation. There is simply a growing confidence in the industry that a high performance green building can either capture lease premiums or present a more competitive property in an otherwise tough market. Reduced operating costs also generate increased cash flow, which helps free capital for other investments.
Benefit Your Community. One of the proven advantages of building green is market differentiation - for buildings, services, and products. Many companies also want to demonstrate their commitment to initiatives that simultaneously benefit the environment, community and bottom line. A high performance green building is one of the most tangible expressions of that commitment and an extremely effective tool for educating tenants, employees, and shareholders about corporate values and sustainability.