A recent study by California's State and Consumer Services Agency concluded that there are indeed financial benefits to green-building design. The sustainability taskforce reviewed the construction costs of 33 green buildings across the U.S. and found that although it costs nearly 2% more on average to construct a green building than one using conventional methods, the cost premium yields savings of more than 10 times the initial investment during the life of a building (approx. 20 years according to the study). These results suggest that because more designers and architects are using sustainable design solutions, the cost of materials and processes are becoming less expensive.

DATE: October 2003

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