Published on June 22nd, 2008
According to a recent study by CoStar Group, LEED or Energy Star certified buildings have higher lease rates and lease for more dollars per square foot than similar buildings that are not certified.CoStar Group is a company that provides information services to the commercial real estate industry.
CoStar tracked the number of LEED or Energy Star certified buildings since 2006, and compared lease and occupancy rates to similar non-certified buildings.For example, LEED certified buildings had a 92% occupancy rate, and averaged a lease rate of $42.38 per square foot. In comparison, non-LEED buildings had an occupancy rate of 87.9%, and an average lease rate of $31.05 per square foot. In a building with 50,000 square feet of leasable space, that would mean a difference of over $500,000 in income.
Energy Star certified buildings, in comparison, had an average occupancy rate of 91.5%, with lease rates averaging $30.55 per square foot. Non-Energy Star buildings were at 87.9% occupancy, and leased at $28.15. While the difference here is smaller, it still means $160,000 in additional income in a 50,000 square foot building.
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Published on May 27th, 2008
Editor’s note: This short post from our friends at Low Impact Living points you to a (literal) gold mine of information on incentives for greening your home. Check it out: that energy-efficient upgrade to your home may be even less expensive than you imagined. This post was originally published on Monday, May 19th, 2008.
We want to let you know about an excellent new resource available to you– GreenMadeSimple.com. This site has created a very comprehensive database of green rebates, tax incentives and free offers across the US.
Their zip-code guided search allows you to find incentives and deals related to energy-efficient appliances and lighting, solar power, hybrid and alt-fuel vehicles, and more. The database includes federal, state and local incentives. Just put in your zip code and prepare to go green and save money.
Here are some examples of the jewels you’ll find:
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Published on May 18th, 2008
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Water Use & Plumbing
I remember reading the little placard on the bathroom vanity advising me to hang my damp towels with curiosity. We were on vacation and it was the first time I had ever heard of such a thing. We did this at home, but it seemed more practical - a way to avoid doing laundry each night. There was also a note about turning the lights out when we left our room. Little things.
We discussed the hanging of the towels and the turning off of the lights over a shrimp dinner that night at some tourist trap. I remember my mom saying that if we all do a little, we can do a lot. So I thought it was great when I heard of Florida Gov. Charlie Crist’s new executive order that requires state agencies and departments to hold meetings and conferences at lodgings that meet the new Florida Green Lodging standards. Read the rest of this entry »
Published on March 15th, 2008
The IRS has had tax deductions in place through the Energy Policy Act of 2005 which allow taxpayers to deduct the cost of energy-efficient equipment installed in commercial buildings they own. But publicly-owned buildings aren’t taxed, and therefore, there is no additional tax savings to the building owner. However, the law allows the designer of the energy-saving portion of a public building to claim the tax credit.
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Published on February 20th, 2008
Economics may be the strongest Green Building Element. As much as we would all like to believe that people will somehow decide to reduce consumption…the power of the purse is more dependable than good intentions.
Stanford students protest new water-saving showers (via Jetson Green) (pic at right not from Stanford, but from Kohler, see after the jump.)
Forgive the massive generalization from another part of the country, but aren’t college students, and particularly California college students, supposed to care a whole lot about environmental good intentions? Guess they’re just as partial to their habits as the rest of us, and unable to remember the big picture when it comes to hot water. Yes, if everyone did the small things, they would add up, and make a difference…but everyone won’t, and we should plan for that.
The clever design strategy is to provide solutions that steer the market into good decisions overall.
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