A new national survey of the commercial real estate sector highlights the benefits of green building, including how it benefits occupancy.
The survey by the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International, ALM’s Real Estate Media Division, and the US Green Building Council were released today at Greenbuild 2007. According to the findings nearly two-thirds of respondents have allocated funds to green initiatives, while the majority said that their sustainability investment will increase in 2008.
Other findings include:
• Green buildings boast occupancy rates between 75 percent and 100 percent for a majority of those responding. For 21 percent of respondents, the increase is due directly to green initiatives.
• 60.8 percent of responding executives claimed a return on their green investment.
• Respondents were almost evenly split on whether local municipalities should mandate energy efficiency in buildings. Many felt that any mandate should be offset by incentives or apply only to new construction.
• Maintaining a green building is not typically more expensive than a comparable non-green building asset
The survey focused on the application of green methodologies and technologies in existing commercial buildings, and on the financial and marketing benefits of these efforts. It was distributed to REM's national database of ownership, investment and operational entities, as well as to BOMA's national membership.
