ABSTRACT

Incentives to the production and investment of a sustainable building are well documented and range from direct financial savings through to increased workforce productivity and futureproofing of the building against possible rising energy costs. There are numerous types of incentive that fit into three main categories (1) financial (2) health and well-being and (3) standards and regulations. The most important incentive identified is that of financial. There are a number of guiding principles under each of these categories which summarise the main findings. For financial incentives, the main finding is that a sustainable building can be more valuable than a standard equivalent building and the scale of that value is dependent upon the method with which the energy-efficiency measures were funded in the design stage. For the health and well-being category the main conclusion is that a sustainable building improves health and well-being through productivity of occupants and users of the building, reduced emissions and use of natural resources. Finally, for standards and regulations, a sustainable building ensures that current and future regulations are met and that the building remains attractive to its owners and occupants over a longer time period, thereby increasing the return on investment.