The Truth about the Cost of LEED Certification

There is a common misnomer that going green means spending a lot of green, and that it is out of most building owner's price range.  In a study done by Greg Kats titled, "Costs and Financial Benefits of Green Buildings" 58 LEED buildings were surveyed and the study found that the average cost premium was slightly less than 2% of the total building costs.  Bloom GC recently was faced with the challenge of developing an extremely cost sensitive LEED strategy for a client, and we actually developed a low cost LEED Silver strategy.  By choosing to build a LEED building, the owner has enjoyed the township acceptance and assistance with the project to meet its tight schedule, and a unique marketing position prior to project completion.  The end product will be a building that is safer and healthier for its employees and customers, environmentally friendly, and energy efficient.  

As studies have shown and we have proved, LEED is an obtainable certification for any building owner and is a very small percentage of the total project cost.  The tangible benefits of energy use reduction, increased property value, marketing exposure and intangible benefits of community acceptance, environmental stewardship, and a healthy and comfortable space for customers and employees make LEED a strategy that every building owner should be considering.