More proof that going green makes economic sense

When it comes to green building, I always ask one question: Does building environmentally friendly residences and commercial properties bring any benefits to developers and builders?

There’s more evidence than ever suggesting that yes, it does.

The latest bit of proof came in the form of a tip by fellow blogger Alison Kriscenski at the the environmental blog Greenerassets.com. She sent me a story from the Web site GreenerBuildings that says energy efficient buildings command higher occupancy and rental rates. At the same time, the story says, sales prices came in as much as 30 percent higher per square foot.

You can read the whole story here.

I’m always glad to read stories like this. I’ve always felt that green building will never truly take off unless developers and builders recognize some financial incentive for building energy efficient homes, office buildings and retail centers. Reports like the one on GreenerBuildings, offer more evidence that building green can, indeed, help developers boost their profits.

We might like to think that developers and builders would go green out of the goodness of their hearts, but we all know that’s not the case. If building environmentally friendly homes and commercial properties didn’t make economic sense, there’d always be only a small number of builders and developers who’d commit to green construction methods.