Green construction not as expensive

Constructing green buildings could cost on average 2.5% more than a non-green one, a recent report sponsored by the US Green Building Council to coincide with the Green Building Expo in Boston has found.

However, according to the report the extra cost is less than the general public may assume as the resulting energy and water savings, not counted in the initial cost, are not calculated upfront.

A survey of 150 buildings, many of them LEED certified commercial and residential premises, concluded that the medium cost increase is only about 1.6%.

Some industry figures have, however, warned that measuring cost differentiation is not as simple as this.