During the design and building phases, it’s much easier to dwell on the cost of installing energy efficient buildings and technology than it is to consider the return on investment that will result from making these initial expenditures. As we look at the price tag when it comes to expenses for new buildings or building upgrades, it’s important to have a solid grasp on what the actual returns will be so that building owners and system designers can make educated decisions about what upgrades will result in tangible benefits.
In order to do this, we need to be able to conduct a cost-benefit analysis. Fortunately, several universities as well as scientific entities have already done the leg-work on this front. The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) aggregated all the information in a report that breaks down the numbers by dollars and kilowatt hour. Click here to read more.