Green Building Facts document very interesting

In class I mentioned finding the Green Building Facts document very interesting.  It is very short, and I thought you may like to read it.  Below is a copy, and the URL for your reference.

http://www.usgbc.org/ShowFile.aspx?DocumentID=5961

GREEN BUILDING FACTS

The overall green building market (both non-residential and residential) is likely to more than double from $36-49 billion in 2009 to $96-140 billion by 2013
The construction market accounts for 13.4% of the $13.2 trillion U.S. GDP
Market Impact
·    The green market was 2% of non-residential construction starts in 2005; 10-12% in 2008; and will grow to 20-25% by 2013.
·    Comprises 13.4% of the $13.2 trillion U.S. GDP.  This includes all commercial, residential, industrial and infrastructure construction.  New commercial and residential building construction constitutes 6.1% of the GDP.
·    Green building will support 7.9 million U.S. jobs and pump $554 million into the American economy over the next four years (2009-2013).
Energy
·    Buildings represent 38.9% of U.S. primary energy use (includes fuel input for production).
·    Buildings are one of the heaviest consumers of natural resources and account for a significant portion of the greenhouse gas emissions that affect climate change.  In the U.S., buildings account for 38% of all CO2 emissions.
·    Buildings represent 72% of U.S electricity consumption.
Water
·    Buildings use 13.6% of all potable water, or 15 trillion gallons per year.
Materials
·    Buildings use 40% of raw materials globally (3 billion tons annually).
·    The EPA estimates that 170 Million tons of building-related construction and demolition (C&D) debris was generated in the U.S. in 2003, with 61% coming from nonresidential and 39% from residential sources.
·    The EPA estimates that 209.7 million tons of municipal solid waste was generated in the U.S. in a single year.
Sectors Expected to Have Green Building Growth
·    ·    Education
·    Government
·    Industrial
·    Office
·    Healthcare
·    Hospitality
·    Retail

What’s Driving Green Building?
These factors are expediting the growth of green building:
1.    Unprecedented level of government initiatives
2.    Heightened residential demand for green construction
3.    Improvements in sustainable materials.

Why Build Green? Building green saves money
·    The cost per square foot for buildings seeking LEED certification falls into the existing range of costs for buildings not seeking LEED certification.

·    An upfront investment of 2% in green building design, on average, results in life cycle savings of 20% of the total construction costs – more than ten times the initial investment.

·    Building sale prices for energy efficient buildings are as much as 10% higher per square foot than conventional buildings.

·    Real estate and construction professionals overestimate the costs of green building by 300%.

·    Perceived cost benefits of green building:

o    Operating costs decrease 8-9%
o    Building value increases 7.5%
o    Return on investment improves 6.6%
o    Occupancy ration increases 3.5%
o    Rent ratio increases 3%

Why Build Green? Green buildings consume less energy and fewer resources
·    In comparison to the average commercial building:
o    Green buildings consume 26% less energy
o    Green buildings have 13% lower maintenance costs
o    Green buildings have 27% higher occupant satisfaction
o    Green buildings have 33% less greenhouse gas emissions

Why Build Green? Green building occupants are more productive
·    An experiment identifies a link between improved lighting design and a 27% reduction in the incidence of headaches, which accounts for 0.7% of overall employee health insurance cost at approximately $35 per employee annually.

·    Sales in stores with skylights were up to 40% higher compared to similar stores without skylights.

·    Students with the most daylighting in their classrooms progressed 20% faster on math tests and 26% faster on reading tests in one year than those with less daylighting.

·    Corporate perception of whether green fosters innovation: 57% agree; 28% neutral and 15% disagree.

·    Improvements in indoor environments are estimated to save $17-48 billion in total health gains and $20-160 billion in worker performance.

Why Build Green? Green building occupants are healthier
·    People in the U.S. spend about 90% of their time indoors.

·    EPA studies indicate indoor levels of pollutants may be up to ten times higher than outdoor levels.

·    Significant associations exist between low ventilation levels and higher carbon dioxide concentrations – a common symptom in facilities with sick building syndrome.