Value Beyond Cost Savings - Green Building Finance Consortium

Value Beyond Cost Savings: How to Underwrite Sustainable Propertiesrepetitive strain injuries caused by poor ergonomic design, including computer use,cost business and industry as much as $54 billion annually in workerscompensation and other costs. 40• Greater flexibility of building services: Improved flexibility in workplace designreduces the time and expense required for reconfigurations and daily operations andmaintenance. The GSA Adaptable Workplace Lab showed that using easilyreconfigured furniture can save 90 percent of reconfiguration costs, and reducereconfiguration time from days to hours. In another example, the PennsylvaniaDepartment of Environmental Protection reduced average churn costs from $2,500to $250 per workstation by using more flexible building and furniture systems intheir high-performance green buildings. 41• Efficient operations and maintenance. Innovative workplaces help decreasefacility management, operating, and technology expenses. Vivian Loftness et al. atCarnegie Mellon have compiled case studies that show that improved lightingefficiency and control can save up to 40 percent in total building energy costs. 42b. “Assessing Green Building Performance, A Post-Occupancy Evaluation of TwelveGSA Buildings,” Kim M. Fowler and Emily M. Rauch, Pacific Northwest NationalLaboratory, July 2008The intent of this whole building performance measurement analysis was to inform GSA onhow its sustainably designed buildings were performing in comparison to traditionallydesigned buildings. The results are based on a detailed analysis of 12 buildings.While the study’s design appears reasonable, potential issues that need to be consideredwhen applying conclusions from the work are that it is likely that the first wave ofsustainable properties at the GSA might be expected to be strong performers. Additionally,willingness to provide information was the final selection criteria for properties included inthe study, indicating potential self-selection bias. Offsetting these concerns is the wellestablished fact that lessons learned in initial sustainable property experiences can be quitevaluable in improving the quality of sustainable property investment in the future, thussuggesting that this initial sample of GSA buildings may actually not perform as well asfuture projects.Key conclusions are summarized below:• Water: The average water use of the GSA buildings in this study was threepercent less than the calculated water use indicated for baseline buildings. Theconclusions on water use are not clear because domestic water use had to beestimated.40 Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA), Dept. of Labor, 1999.41 J. Toothacre and Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Quality, 2001.42 Center for Building Performance and Diagnostics, 2005.64