In its essence, design, and function, a green building is a building that not only eliminates its negative impact on the environment, but it in fact creates a positive impact that in turn promotes a better quality of life. But what are the benefits of a green building?
While the world is not yet covered with green buildings, those that do exist are undeniable evidence that green buildings have multiple benefits.
Green buildings are some of the most effective ways to reach many global goals, including climate change, creating sustainable and growing communities, and helping drive economic growth.
The benefits of a green building can be broken down into three main benefits:
1) Environmental
2) Economic
3) Social
On this webpage, I will give you a deeper insight into the benefits that a green building will have on an environmental, economic, and social level.
The environmental benefits of a green building
One of the most obvious and important benefits a green building can have is improving our climate and the natural environment.
Green buildings can reduce or eliminate negative impacts on the environment by using less water, energy, or natural resources, and can have a very positive and changing impact on their immediate environment by generating their own energy or increasing biodiversity.
Why are green buildings important?
Studies show that on a global level, green buildings can have one of the biggest impacts on our environmental goals. Specifically:
The global building section has the largest potential for significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions compared to other major emitting sectors.
This emissions savings potential of the global building sector is said to be as much as 84 gigatonnes of CO2 by 2050, through direct measures in buildings such as energy efficiency, fuel switching, and the use of renewable energy.
The building sector has the potential to make energy savings of 50% or more in 2050, in support of limiting global temperature rise to 2°C (above pre-industrial levels).
40-65% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions
Waste 20-30% less potable water than average buildings
An energy savings of between 40-50%
Less impact on the environment by choosing natural resources as building materials
Reduce pollution through recycling
The economic benefits of a green building
Green buildings have a number of economic and direct financial benefits.
These economic benefits of a green building include cost savings on utility bills for tenants or households (through energy and water efficiency or through creating your own electricity); lower construction costs and higher property value for building developers; increased occupancy rates or operating costs for building owners; and job creation.
The economic benefits of green buildings can also be measured at a global level, at country level, and directly down to building level:
The economic benefits of green buildings at a global level:
According to the European Commission, global energy efficiency measures could save an estimated $331 to $484 billion in savings on energy spending (and the equivalent to almost double the annual electricity consumption of the United States).
Canada’s green building industry generated $23.45 billion in GDP and represented nearly 300,000 full-time jobs.
Green building is projected to account for more than 3.3 million U.S. jobs.
Building owners report that green buildings - whether new or renovated - command a 7% increase in asset value over traditional buildings, as well as considerable savings on energy and water.
The social benefits of a green building
Green building benefits go beyond economics and the environment. Green buildings have been shown to create positive social impacts.
Many of these benefits are around the health and wellbeing of people who live in or work in green buildings. The social benefits of a green building include: