Cost Tip

Locating in a building that has highly efficient plumbing may lead to lower water utility costs for tenants. 

Locating in a building that uses less municipal water may result in lower lease rates for the tenants. 

Tenants benefit from locating in a building that has reduced its heat island effect, through lower operating costs related to cooling the tenant space. 

Tenants benefit from locating in a building that has reduced its heat island effect—through lower operating costs related to cooling the tenant space. 

Rents in LEED-certified or “green” buildings may be higher than conventional rates. However, higher rents are likely to be offset by lower operating costs, as well as higher productivity and return on investment. 

Purchasing new equipment to comply with the credit requirements is the biggest potential expenditure associated with this credit. There is a marginal premium for some equipment types, but that most of the time the issue is more about the capital cost and that people simply don’t want to replace something that works fine.

Projects usually do not choose to apply light-colored coatings or

There are several free-download programs available that allow users to calculate floor areas from electronic floor plans (PDF or CAD files). (See Resources.)

Though coatings are available to increase the

Most buildings in this circumstance will already have money allocated for roof replacement, and compliant roofing materials are consistently cost-neutral or cost-competitive compared with more conventional options.