GE Appliances & Lighting recently opened a new data center at its Kentucky headquarters, equipped with innovative, high-efficiency cooling systems. It also uses high-density servers that pack more computing power per square foot, reducing the amount of energy the center needs for cooling. The company has even installed water-saving devices to reduce the building’s water consumption by 42%.
Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, announced last year its intention to meet most of its water heating needs by relying on 378 solar panels, which will heat 140,000 liters of water a day. According to its management, the sustainable investment is expected to save 3,200 kWh of energy per day, accumulating 690MWh of energy savings annually.
Hervey Bay’s Riviera Resort broke a record for solar panels in Queensland this month by installing more solar panels on its six-story building than any other building in the Australian state. The complex’s owner claims that he has enjoyed $16,000 in energy savings, a reasonable return on his sustainable investment.
Businesses aren’t the only ones taking advantage of green tweaks and innovations. ZeroCottage in San Francisco, a net-zero energy project under construction by David Baker and Partners Architecture, is harnessing the benefits of high-performance windows, weathertight bi-fold doors and wall assemblies, rainwater harvesting, and efficient water heating. Kelly and Matt Grocoff, a couple from Michigan, rebuilt their 1901 2,200 sq. foot victorian style house and turned it into a net zero sustainable investment. It cost the family a total of $47,130, with an expected return of $104,000 over 20 years.
According to calculations by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), buildings in most countries absorb at least 40 percent of national energy use. In the European Union, the construction industry consumes 42 percent of the EU’s final energy consumption and accounts for around 35 percent of all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, estimates the European Commission. In an economy where businesses and households are cutting costs across the board, energy is one of the first areas to feel the pinch. Governments are heeding this trend and encouraging sustainable energy-saving investments through incentive tools such as tax breaks and feed-in tariffs.
2010 figures from Deutsche Bank Research indicate that green buildings enjoy energy savings of approximately 30% more than conventional buildings. Sustainable buildings generally tend to use less water and are cheaper to maintain. McGraw-Hill Construction’s 2011 Green Outlook report estimates green building construction growth in the US at 50% between 2008 and 2010. Green buildings accounted for 25% of all new construction in 2010 and, according to According to McGraw-Hill projections, the size of the market will likely increase to around $135 billion by 2015. The UK will likely see increases in the sector and the government has set a target of increasing energy reductions in the country and achieve carbon neutrality in all new English homes by 2016, according to the WBCSD.
Before embarking on greening office or home space and reaping the benefits of reduced energy costs, government incentives, and more affordable building maintenance, investors should thoroughly educate themselves on industry standards and regulations. of his country. As the green building investment market accelerates, it brings with it a persistent need for quality assurance.
There are several third-party entities that set standards and certify buildings built under sustainable investment initiatives. In the US, the leading green building certification system is Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). The US Green Building Council (USGBC) developed LEED in 2000, to provide owners and operators of residential and commercial buildings with a set of measurable criteria that evaluate building practicality, design, effectiveness, and management effectiveness. The widely used regulatory system is the BRE Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM). Established in 1990 by the UK’s Building Research Establishment (BRE), BREEAM was intended to assess the sustainability of new commercial buildings. Since then, it has expanded to also include residential buildings under its umbrella. In 2003, the Green Building Council of Australia launched Green Star, a rating system to quantify the environmental effects of buildings, as well as the improvements brought about by innovations in the construction sector.
